Randall Arauz

Randall Arauz obtained a BSc. in Biology from the University of Costa Rica in1988, and a PhD. in Marine Science from Bangor University, Wales, UK in 2023.

He has dedicated his career to the conservation and monitoring of sea turtle
nesting activity under community-based models, the mitigation of endangered
marine species interactions with commercial fisheries, and the study of the
movements of highly migratory endangered marine species, mainly sea turtles and
sharks, in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, with over 70 peer-reviewed publications.
He has served as an official Costa Rican delegate to international wildlife
conventions such as CITES and CMS. He has obtained prestigious awards for his
work, such as the Whitley Award in 2004 (GBR), the Goldman Prize in 2010 (USA)
and the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development in 2010 (SWE). He
currently holds memberships in the IUCN´s Species Survival Commission (SSN),
Sea Turtle Specialist Group (STSG), and the Connectivity Conservation Specialist
Group (CCSG), and consults for the California based non-profit Marine Watch
International (MWI), and Costa Rican based non-profit Endangered Marine
Species Rescue Center (CREMA).

Work in Cocos Island

Randall first visited Cocos Island National Park in 2001, invited by the Park
Rangers to assist in control of illegal fisheries operations. He initiated a shark
monitoring program in Cocos Island in July of 2005, using acoustic telemetry to
describe the migratory movements of hammerhead sharks. Over the years, the
program has extended to include other tracking techniques, such as satellite
telemetry and genetic markers, as well as an array of threatened marine species
such as galapagos sharks and tiger sharks, as well as manta rays, eagle rays and
marbled rays. Randall has since led 63 scientific expeditions to Cocos Island
National Park and published 20 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious academic
journals directly relating to his work in Cocos Island.

Selected Relevant Peer Reviewed Publications on Cocos Island:

Bessudo. S., G.A. Soler, A. P. Klimley, J. T. Ketchum, A. Hearn, & R. Arauz.
2011. Residency of the scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) at Malpelo
Island and evidence of migration to other islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
Environ. Biol. Fish. DOI 10.1007/s10641-011-9769-3.
Bessudo S., G. A. Soler, P. A. Klimley, J. Ketchum, R. Arauz, A. Hearn, A. Guzmán,
and B. Calmettes. 2011. Vertical and horizontal movements of the scalloped
hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) around Malpelo and Cocos Islands (Tropical
Eastern Pacific) using satellite telemetry. Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y
Costeras (ISSN 0122 9761). Vol 40.


Ketchum, J.T., A. Hearn, A. P. Klimley, C. Peñaherrera, E. Espinoza, S. Bessudo,
G. Soler, and R. Arauz. 2014. Inter island movements of scalloped hammerhead
sharks (Sphyrna lewini) and seasonal connectivity in a marine protected area of
the eastern tropical Pacific. Mar Bio. International Journal on Life in Oceans and
Coastal Waters. ISSN 0025-3162. DOI 10.1007/s00227-014-2393-y
Fourriére, M., J. J. Alvarado, J. Cortés, M. H. Taylor, A. A. Ayala-Bocos, J. C.
Azofeifa-Solano, R. Arauz, M. Heidemeyer, A. López-Garro, I. Zanella, M. Wolff.
2019. Energy flow structure and role of keystone groups in shallow water
environments in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, Eastern Tropical Pacific. Ecological Modelling 396 (2019) 74–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.01.004


Nalesso, E., A. Hearn, O. Sosa-Nishizaki, T. Steiner, A. Antoniou, A. Reid, S.
Bessudo, G. Soler, P. Klimley, F. Lara, J. T. Ketchum, & R. Arauz. 2019.
Movements of scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) at Cocos Island,
Costa Rica and between oceanic islands in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. PLoS
ONE 14(3): e0213741. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213741.


Arauz, R., E. J. Chávez, E. M. Hoyos-Padilla, and A. D. Marshall. 2019. First
record of the reef manta ray, Mobula alfredi, from the eastern Pacific. Marine
Biodiversity Records (2019) 12:3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41200-019-0162-9


Chávez, E. J., Arauz, R., Hearn, A., Nalesso, E., & Steiner, T. 2020. Asociación
de tiburones con el Monte Submarino Las Gemelas y primera evidencia de
conectividad con la Isla del Coco, Pacífico de Costa Rica. Revista de Biología
Tropical, 68 (Supl. 1), S320-S329.
Klimley, A. P., R. Arauz, S. Bessudo, E. J. Chávez, N. Chinacalle, E. Espinoza, J.
Green, A. R. Hearn, M. E. Hoyos‑Padilla, E. Nalesso, J. T. Ketchum, C. Fischer, F.
Ladino, G. Shillinger, G. Soler, T. Steiner & C. Penaherrera‑Palma. 2022. Studies
of the movement ecology of sharks justify the existence and expansion of marine
protected areas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. 2022. Environ Biol Fish.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01204-6


Rodriguez-Burgos, A. M., F. J. Briceño-Zuluaga, J. L. Ávila-Jiménez, A. Hearn, C.
Peñaherrera-Palma, E. Espinoza, J. Ketchum, P. Klimley, T. Steiner, R. Arauz, &
E. Joan . 2022. The impact of climate change on the distribution of Sphyrna lewini
in the tropical eastern Pacific. Marine Environmental Research. 180. 105696.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105696


Elizondo-Sancho, M., Y. Rodríguez-Arriatti, F.J. Albertazzi, A. Bonilla-Salazar, D.
Arauz-Naranjo, R. Arauz, E. Areano, C. G. Avalos-Castillo, O. Brenes, E.J.
Chaves, A. Dominici-Arosemena, M. Espinoza, M. Heidemeyer, R. Tavares & S.
Hernández. 2022. Population structure and genetic connectivity of the scalloped
hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) across nursery grounds from the Eastern
Tropical Pacific: Implications for management and conservation. PLoS ONE,
17(12): e0264879. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264879

Bravo‑Ormaza, B., R. Arauz, S. Bessudo, A. Hearn, A. P. Klimley, F.
Ladino‑Archila, J. Lopez‑Macias, T. Steiner, C. Penaherrera‑Palma. 2023.
Scalloped hammerhead shark Sphyrna lewini relative abundance comparison in
three offshore marine protected areas of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Environ Biol
Fish. Published on-line, July 2023.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01454-6
Saltzman, J., A.R. Hearn, M,M.P.B. Fuentes, T. Steiner, R. Arauz, C. Macdonald,
M. Heidemeyer & E. R. White. 2024. Multidecadal underwater surveys reveal
declines in marine turtles. Conservation Science and Practice. 2024; e13249.
https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13249
Mouton, T. L., A. Gonzalez-Pestana, C. A. Rohner, R. Charles, E. García-
Rodrígueza, P. M. Kyne, A. Batlle-Morera, G. N. di Sciaraa,, A. O. Armstrong, E.
Acuña, J. Alfaro-Shigueto, R. Arauz, C. G. Avalos-Castillo, E. Augustinus, S.
Bessudo, E. Barrazan, C. Bustamante, E. J. Chávez, E. R. Espinoza, M. Espinoza,
A. Hacohen-Domené, A. R. Hearn, G. M. Hernández, F. Galván-Magaña, J. A.
González-Leivay, J. T. Ketchum, F. Ladinom, F. Lara-Lizardik, J. M. Morales-
Saldaña, N. Morales Serrano, J. Madrigal-Mesén, P. A. Mejía-Falla, A. F. Navia, G.
M. Ochoa, M. D. Palacios, C. R. Peñaherrera-Palma, F. Polanco-Vásquez, Y.
Rodríguez-Arriatti, L. E. Saldaña -Ruiz, O. Sosa-Nishizaki, J. Tovar-Ávila, A. J.
Vega, X. Velez-Zuazo, M. Villate-Morenoas, I. Zanella, & R. W. Jabadoa. 2024.
Shortfalls in the protection of Important Shark and Ray Areas undermine shark
conservation efforts in the Central and South American Pacific. Marine Policy 171
(2025) 106448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106448
Espinoza, M., I. Zanella, A. López-Garro, J. Madrigal, R. Arauz & E.J. Chávez.
2024. Central America and the Caribbean, Costa Rica. In The global status of
sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Jabado, R.W., A.Z.A Morata, R.H. Bennett, B.
Finucci, J.R. Ellis, S.L. Fowler, M.I. Grant, A.P. Barbosa Martins, & S.L. Sinclair,
(eds.) Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-2318-1 (PDF).
https://doi.org/10.59216/ssg.gsrsrc.2024