The EcoCostas-CRC network provided a platform from which leaders in coastal management could begin to identify with each other as a group of colleagues, and articulate messages and policy statements that they felt were vital for advancing coastal conservation and development in the Latin America and Caribbean region. This took the form of codes of best practice and ways to improve the number, level of commitment, and broader distribution of coastal planning and implementation efforts funded by donors. Larger scale initiatives benefited greatly from this regional leadership platform which, in turn, created vital links to funding agencies and businesses that develop coastal resources.