In an effort to raise awareness of the major environmental challenges facing the region s coastal and marine ecosystems, and to highlight the potential research and socioeconomic benefits of this program, the authors provide summaries of key lectures and conclusions presented in the international conference on Central American Marine Biodiversity and Genomics, in April of 2012, dedicated to Genomic Archiving and Coastal Marine Biodiversity Exploration, Conservation and Sustainable Development , and describe the main components of the initiative for the benefit of other actors, stakeholders and donors in the field of marine biodiversity.