The people of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) depend greatly on coastal and marine resources for their economic, social and cultural well-being. One of the region’s major economic activities-tourism is dependent on these resources and, therefore, it is critical that it be developed and carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner. A growing, yet not fully realized component of tourism in the WCR is marine mammal watching.
CEP was established in 1981 as part of the Regional Seas Programme in recognition of the importance and value of the Wider Caribbean Region’s fragile and vulnerable coastal and marine ecosystems including endemic plants and animals.