WIDECAST Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for St. Kitts and Nevis.

Status of Protected Area Systems in the Wider Caribbean Region.

Regional Management Plan for the West Indian Manatee: Trichechus Manatus.

As truly aquatic herbivorous mammals, West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) occupy a specialized niche in the ecosystem. The uniqueness of their niche render them susceptible to over-exploitation. Manatees are long-lived, but reproductive processes are slow. Their naturally low population growth and present mortality levels hamper the increase of potential populations, and may actually be accelerating their decline.

Ecotourism in the Wider Caribbean Region: An Assessment.

The objectives of the study are in short, to ascertain the present status of ecotourism in the States and Territories of the region, to clarify the scope of the concept and propose general guidelines for the appropriate development of ecotourism in the coastal and marine areas of the region. The analysis is aimed at an interpretation of ecotourism in its present form - as it is understood by the national and territorial authorities who were consulted, and to offer some preliminary proposals in this regard.

Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

This comprehensive Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan is designed to provide policy-makers and non-government groups with detailed information requisite to make informed conservation decisions. This Action Plan is one of a region-wide series developed by WIDECAST and is tailored specifically to the circumstances of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Environmental Impact Assessment for the Establishment of a Marina/Small Craft Harbour in Southwest Tobago.

The present Technical Report is the result of a case study undertaken by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and sponsored by the Caribbean Environment Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme within the framework of the above mentioned Global Programme. It focuses on the results of an environmental impact assessment study undertaken for the development of a marina/small craft harbour in Southwest Tobago in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Contributed by Professor Robin Mahon

“What on Earth is BBNJ?”

You are probably asking yourself this right now. It stands for Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction. And the question should probably be, “What on Ocean…?”, since 71% of our planet is covered by ocean. Of that amount, 64% (40% of the entire surface of Earth) is in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)- the dark blue area in the picture below.

At the United Nations (UN) Conf