Billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez, visited Costa Rica’s Cocos Island as part of efforts by the Bezos Earth Fund to protect the island’s marine ecosystem.

Sánchez shared details of the visit with her more than 1 million social media followers, describing Cocos Island as a place “run well by nature.” She noted that 14 park rangers rotate on and off the island each month and said the Bezos Earth Fund is helping them maintain conservation efforts.

According to Sánchez, the foundation has supported Costa Rica’s expansion of marine protected areas surrounding Cocos Island, covering an ocean area roughly the size of the country itself.

“We are continuing to support the science, equipment and training needed to preserve this area long term,” Sánchez said, adding that the initiative is part of a broader Eastern Tropical Pacific effort connecting 10 marine protected areas across Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Colombia.

She said the Bezos Earth Fund is working with several Costa Rican organizations to safeguard the island’s biodiversity, including the National System of Conservation Areas (Sinac), the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Re:Wild, the Amigos de la Isla del Coco and the Costa Rica por Siempre.

Bezos and Sánchez visited Costa Rica during the Holy Week holidays. According to Costa Rica’s General Directorate of Migration, the couple arrived on March 27 and departed on April 4. They traveled aboard a private jet that was stationed at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport.

Fans also shared images on social media of Bezos’ yachts, Koru and Abeona, seen near the island.

Located about 330 miles from Costa Rica’s Pacific coast in Puntarenas province, Cocos Island was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997 by UNESCO. It also holds recognition as a Wetland of International Importance and a site of historic and architectural significance.

Shark populations around the island play a critical role in maintaining ocean health. As apex predators, sharks help regulate marine ecosystems, and their abundance is widely considered an indicator of a healthy ocean.

The Bezos Earth Fund recently announced $24.5 million in grants to support park rangers, coastal communities, including those in Costa Rica,  and local organizations working to protect key marine areas across the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

The funding aims to improve on-the-water safety and planning, expand community-led protection in nursery habitats, and strengthen scientific research used to guide conservation decisions in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.

According to the Bezos Earth Fund, the grants nearly double its total investment in the region to more than $60 million.

Since 2021, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador have designated more than 154,000 square miles (400,000 square kilometers) of new marine protected areas, nearly tripling regional coverage. Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia have each protected more than 30% of their national waters, while Ecuador has expanded protections across key offshore and coastal zones.

Together, the countries are working to connect protected areas across borders to form one of the world’s largest coordinated marine conservation networks.

“These waters are home to endangered turtles, schools of tuna and the only places on Earth where hammerhead sharks still gather in the thousands,” said Tom Taylor, president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund. “We’re seeing that when communities are equipped with the right tools, they protect these species — and the ocean comes back to life. That’s what this investment is about: supporting the people who do the work and giving nature the chance to thrive.”

The organization said the new grants are intended to help patrol teams plan more effectively and rely on stronger data for daily decision-making. Many protected areas in the region are remote and difficult to monitor, and rangers often operate with limited information.

“The grants will provide training and practical tools that help them work more safely on the water and coordinate efforts across borders,” the Bezos Earth Fund said in a statement.

Bezos (62) is one of the most prominent American business figures and is best known as the founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce and cloud computing company.

In addition to Amazon, Bezos owns the aerospace company Blue Origin and The Washington Post. He is also known for his personal investments through his venture capital firm, Bezos Expeditions.

According to Forbes, as of December 2025, Bezos has an estimated net worth of about $240 billion, making him the fourth-richest person in the world.

Bezos and Sánchez married in June 2025.

Bezos is among several celebrities who have recently chosen Costa Rica as a vacation destination.  Academy Award-winning actor and producer Morgan Freeman spent several days in the country on his third visit in less than a year.

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What other international funds or organizations should contribute to protecting Costa Rica’s marine ecosystem?  We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com

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