Caribbean Countries Advancing the Region’s Vision For the Ocean

CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organisation of  Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission says Caribbean Community (CARICOM) governments have shown the political will in advancing “urgent and effective” ocean protection.

In a statement, the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission said that during the just concluded 16th meeting of the United Nations Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, six Caribbean countries, namely Belize, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis, recommitted to advancing biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean region.

It said the “Actioning the Blue: A Caribbean 30×30 Vision for the Ocean” was presented under the theme “Peace with Nature” emphasised delivering an action agenda.

“The event highlighted the important role of collective Caribbean political will in delivering urgent and effective ocean protection in the Caribbean region. Ministers agreed that advancing a shared and transformative “Caribbean 30×30 Vision,” delivered through a practical roadmap to achieve ambitious ocean conservation goals by 2030, is a solid next step for the region.

“This 30×30 vision aligns with COP16’s “action agenda” and the Caribbean’s historic ambition for conservation, as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and an advocate for the rights of indigenous and local communities as guardians of nature,” the OECS Commission said.

Dominica’s  Minister of Environment, Rural Modernisation, Kalinago Upliftment, and Constituency Empowerment, Cozier Frederick, reiterated the important role of governments in catalysing action on COP16’s Global Biodiversity Framework, stating:

“We have to have this collective vision … What we are doing here in terms of keeping that marine space intact is something that needs to be expanded … We need the financial support and institutions [to] inform us of what we do …

“We do share a common space, and it appears to us that we’re the last frontier and we have to safeguard it for future generations,”  he said.

The OECS Commission said several Caribbean islands have made progress toward the 30×30 goal, part of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which calls for 30% protection of land and sea by 2030.

Belize’s Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Orlando Habet, noted that they expect to meet the milestone of 30 per cent of ocean space protected by 2026, underscoring the value of financial innovations such as their Blue Bonds.

Additionally, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment in St. Kitts and Nevis, Joyelle Clarke said the twin island Federation has secured 24 per cent terrestrial protection and is working toward advancing marine protection.

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are home to some of the richest biodiversity ecosystems, but they require financing and technical resources to guide science-informed policy and effective and sustainable biodiversity management.

The OECS Commission said this is essential to foster nature-positive livelihoods that can ensure the health of the lands and oceans for future generations.

Caribbean Youth Representative from Jamaica, Shemere Lawes, urged governments and regional partners to prioritise the 30×30 vision, noting, “when governments put marine biodiversity and climate resilience at the core of policy decisions, they shape a future where targets transform into real impact on the ground”.

Barbados’s Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy,  Adrian Forde, referenced his government’s emphasis on technology for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and highlighted their success in negotiating innovative financial mechanisms, such as the debt-for-nature swap.

Grenada has led regional coordination efforts on marine conservation, having spearheaded the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) in partnership with the Government of the British Virgin Islands and strategic partners like The Nature Conservancy, Virgin Unite, and the Tiffany Foundation, which by 2020 had expanded nearly 50,000 km² of new protections in the Caribbean region.

“The Government of Grenada lends our support towards the development of a vision and a declaration for the Caribbean on 30×30 that considers ambitious, targeted, and effective national protection, including areas beyond jurisdiction that also require protection,” said  Safiya Sawney, Special Advisor to the Minister of Climate Resilience, Environment and Renewable Energy, and Special Envoy Kerryne James, and Ambassador for Climate.