Long-term financing of marine protected areas in the Caribbean

Context

The Caribbean island and coastal states are global hotspots for marine biodiversity. However, they are also among the regions that are worst affected by the impacts of climate change. Marine ecosystems provide a variety of services, particularly for tourism and fishing, which are key sources of income. To safeguard this, it is important to designate and manage marine protected areas. This includes implementing and monitoring protective functions and utilisation.

However, the responsible authorities and organisations of the small island and coastal states lack the financial resources required. Due to a lack of proper fee collection procedures and the non-transparent administration of funds, the protected areas are underfinanced. Added to this are a lack of skills, knowledge and access to financing options.

Objective

The long-term financing of marine protected areas in the Caribbean island and coastal states has improved.

Approach

The project supports capacity development in local and governmental organisations and authorities as well as the development of national action plans. Activities focus on the following priority areas:

• The project provides support in developing non-discriminatory fee scales that collect appropriate access and usage fees for marine protected areas. To this end, decision-makers, the private sector and non-governmental organisations exchange ideas on potential mechanisms and conditions for fee collection.
• It makes it easier for the administration to access finance, particularly through national trust funds.
• It improves the regional frameworks for financing protected areas. Together with the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), the project is revising the regional voluntary guidelines for marine protected areas. These are to be expanded to include effective mechanisms for revenue management.

Last update: September 2021