Marine-Coastal Law Creates Wave Registry and Rules for Ports, Tourism, Fishing and Energy

Ecuador has approved a new governance framework for marine-coastal space.

Scope Of The Law

Expreso reports that the Asamblea Nacional approved the Ley Organica de Gobernanza del Espacio Marino-Costero on May 21, 2026. The law is designed to organize activities carried out at sea and strengthen protection of sensitive ecosystems along Ecuador's coast.

The framework creates tools to regulate maritime zones and includes specific measures to conserve olas rompientes, or breaking waves. Expreso reports these areas are used for water sports and are considered important to environmental and tourism dynamics in coastal communities.

Activities Covered

Expreso reports that the new legal framework will regulate:

Activity / asset	Business relevance
Fishing	Coastal production and resource-management rules
Tourism	Marine and beach destination planning
Water sports	Surf-zone protection and recreational-use governance
Port development	Infrastructure approvals near sensitive coastal assets
Sea-linked energy projects	Marine project siting and environmental review
Environmental conservation	Mangroves, dunes, turtle nesting beaches and other habitats

The law also creates a Registro Nacional de Zonas de Rompientes, a technical registry to identify and officially catalog areas where important waves form.

Expreso reports that information presented during the legislative debate said Ecuador has more than 100 recognized zones for surfing and related sea sports. The stated objective is to prevent future works or interventions from affecting these natural spaces without a prior impact evaluation.

Business Implications

Stakeholder	Signal
Port and coastal developers	Project review may need to account for registered wave zones and sensitive habitats.
Tourism operators	Surf and beach assets gain a formal protection tool.
Fishing and marine users	Activity planning moves under a more explicit marine-coastal governance framework.
Energy developers	Sea-linked energy projects are specifically named among regulated activities.

What to watch

• Publication of the national breaking-wave registry.
• Secondary regulations defining impact-evaluation requirements.
• Coordination among environmental, port, tourism and local authorities.
• Treatment of projects already planned near sensitive coastal zones.

Source: Expreso