In addition to focusing on three themes that were of priority concern to the members of the EcoCostas-CRC network (Latin America and the Caribbean), all network members  contributed to identifying good coastal management practices that they wanted to work on as a group. These cross-cutting themes became the highest priority for network activities as well as becoming the initial topics of the knowledge management element of this initiative.

Candidate themes/issues were of regional importance. For example, the area of design and proper functioning of governance systems for coastal resources was of interest in Ecuador, México and Uruguay; building closer relationships among government, civil society organizations and business in order to have effective protected areas and expand ecotourism was of particular concern in the countries located along the Meso-American Reef system; creating good practices for shrimp mariculture, tourism and recreational marinas was a shared concern in the Gulf of Fonseca and the Gulf of California; regional land use planning and zoning in coastal areas was a key topic in México and other countries; and the design and implementation of monitoring programs was a concern shared by all network leaders.