Many species of marine mammals, including small cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), are maintained in captivity (including both tanks and sea-pens) for the stated purposes of entertainment, research or education, and in some cases military use. In recent years, the ethics of capturing and maintaining marine mammals in captivity have increasingly come into question. Many people, including scientific experts, have expressed concerns about the treatment and use of animals in captive facilities and called into question their educational and scientific value.

90% of Guyana’s population live on flat coastal plains, 0.5 metres below sea level. The soil is rich and good for agriculture but at risk from rising sea levels. UN Environment is supporting the government of Guyana to develop the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040, where one of the priorities is increasing resilience of Guyanese citizens by improving coastal defence through mangrove restoration.

Benefits of the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Especially (SPAW, 1990) to the Cartagena Convention (1983).

The Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, born out of the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention), came into force in 2000 and is the only regional biodiversity legal agreement for the advancement of the conservation and protection of the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR).

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.

The Conference of Plenipotentiaries for the Adoption of the Annexes to the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) in the Wider Caribbean Region was convened by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in pursuance of Article 26 of this Protocol and the Resolution of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region (Kingston, 15-18 January 1990).

The Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region was convened by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in pursuance of Decision No.18 of the Fourth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme (Guadeloupe, 26-28 October 1987)

Christopher Corbin assumed duties as Senior Coordination Officer on 1st September 2022.