carribean environment programme

8/9/2019 Carribean Environment Programme

1/16

OurPlanetThe magazine of the United Nations Environment ProgrammeSpecial

Issue

caribbean enVirOnMenTPrOGraMMe

Lo b

Needed: Full Support

Jog e. illMuch Achieved; Much to be Done

K L. ektA Voice for the Turtles

b Pt

Collision Causes Cooperation

Slvo boThe Road Travelled


2/16

Evey yea ove 14 million touistsaive on cuise ships attacted bythe coal eefs, coasts, beathtaking

beaches, and wondeful people of thewide Caibbean. Thei aival is causefo both celebation and concen.

Touism, sensitively and sustainablymanaged, can be a welcome souce offoeign exchange, helping to ovecomepovety and povide livelihoods andemployment oppotunities. But, badlymanaged, it can supplant cultuesand communities and damage themangoves, eefs and othe ecosystems

upon which local people and touismitself depend.Like many low-lying coastal aeas andsmall island developing states, the nationsof the Caibbean face many challenges.Some ae common woldwide: like theimpacts of climate change, inceasinglevels of solid waste and sewage and theimpact of invasive alien species.

But some theats, like pollutionfom ships, ae deemed geate in theCaibbean than elsewhee. A 3,000passenge cuise ship, it is estimated,geneates 400 to 1,200 cubic metes

of watey wastes each day includingdainage fom dishwashes, laundy andshowes and 70 lites of hazadouswastes, including photo pocessingchemicals, paints, solvents, pintecartridges, and dry cleaning uid. It alsopoduces an estimated 50 tonnes of solidwaste a week. Cuise ships, it is thought,account fo almost a quate of the900,000 tonnes dumped in the woldsoceans each yea.

Then there is intense oil tanker trafcin the Sea. Ninety pe cent of the enegyused in the egion is deived fom cude,

and it contains many oil poducing andexpoting nations including Colombia,Mexico, Tinidad and Tobago, the UnitedStates of Ameica, and Venezuela.

Global and egional conventions many unde the aegis of the United

www.ouplne.com

2 Eioil3 Neee:fullsuppo LeonieBarnaby,MinistryofLocal GovernmentandEnvironment, Jamaica.

5 flghipohese VeerleVandeweerd,RegionalSeas Programme,UNEP

6 Muchachiee;Muchobedone JorgeIllueca,Secretariatofthe UnitedNationsForumonForests inNewYork

8 avoicefohetule KarenL.Eckert,WiderCaribbean SeaTurtleConservationNetwork

10 ColliionCueCoopeion BrianPeter,InternationalMaritime Organization(IMO)andRAC REMPEITC-Carib

11 deelopingsoluion AntonioVillasolNez,CIMAB

13 toherecue AmoyLumKongandHazelMcShine,

InstituteofMarineAffairs,Trinidad andTobago

14 socilConeion MauriceAnselme,RegionalActivity CentrefortheSPAW

16 therotelle SalvanoBriceo,UNInternational StrategyforDisasterReduction

OurPlne, the magazine of theUnited Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP)PO Box 30552 Naiobi, KenyaTel: (254 20)621 234

Fax: (254 20)623 927e-mail: [email protected]

ISSN 101-7394

Director of Publication: Eic FaltEditor: Geoffey LeanCoordinators: Naomi Poulton, ElisabethWaechteSpecial Contributor: Nick NuttallCirculation Manager: Manyahleshal KebedeDesign: Shaon BowenProduction: UNEP/DCPIFront cover: John Cancalosi/Still Pictues

The contents of this magazine do not neces-sarily reect the views or policies of UNEP orthe editors, nor are they an ofcial record. Thedesignations employed and the pesentation donot imply the expessions, opinion whatsoeveon the pat of UNEP concening the legal status

of any county, teitoy o city o its authoity,concening the delimitation of its fonties oboundaies.

UNEP promotes environmentally friendly practicesglobally and in its own activities.This magazine isprinted on 100% recycled, chlorine free paper.

OurPlt

fomheeko

achiM STeinerUnited Nations Under SecretaryGeneral and Executive Director,UNEP

UNEP

Nations International MaritimeOganization equie ship opeatosto behave in envionmentally fiendlyways. But signicant volumes ofhydocabons and othe substances

ae still being dischaged. Suveysindicate that coastal sediments inplaces like Jamaicas Kingston Habouand Cubas Havana Bay ae suffeinglightly chonic oil pollution. And highconcentations of ta balls fom oilspills and dischages have been foundon beaches fom Cuba and Cuacao toTinidad and Tobago.

Much has been done undeageements like the UNEP-bokeedConvention fo the Potectionand Development of the MaineEnvionment of the Wide Caibbean

region (Catagena Convention). Butclealy moe is needed, including bettepovision of pot-based waste eceptionfacilities, and stepping up complianceand enfocement of shipping teaties.

Shipping is just one of the challengesand oppotunities facing countiesin the Caibbean, bought into shapfocus by ecent UNEP publications: theCaibbean Envionment Outlook, theGlobal Envionment Outlook fo LatinAmeica and the Caibbean and twoegional epots unde the unique GlobalEnvionment Facility-funded GlobalInternational Waters Assessment.

These cedit Caibbean countiesfo good pogess towads achievingthe intenationally ageed MillenniumDevelopment Goals by 2015, especiallyconcening education, health cae anddinking wate. But they add that thesegains could be lost if envionmentaldegadation continues to hameconomies.

The regions countries are ndingsolutions to many of the challenges theyface. UNEP can help though the BaliStategic Plan fo Technology Suppotand Capacity Building, and I urge

govenments to put fowad pojects andpoposals unde this new scheme. Butthe intenational community must takeesponsibility fo othe ones, includingdeveloping a fai and equitable tadeegime, and combating climate change,pobably the geatest theat of all toCaibbean counties.

An estimated 70 pe cent of theegions people live in low-lyingaeas vulneable to ising sea levelsand exteme weathe. They must besuppoted to adapt, but thee is a limit tohow much they can do befoe they ae

ovewhelmed by the waves, o a welteof hurricanes. Industrialized nationsmust meet thei commitments unde theKyoto Protocol as a rst step towardsthe even deepe cuts needed to stabilizethe atmosphee


3/16

OurPlt

When many of thegovernments of theWider Caribbean region

adopted the Action Plan ofthe Caribbean EnvironmentProgramme (CEP) 25 years ago

and later became Parties to theCartagena Convention in 1983 they committed themselves toimplementing a wide range ofprojects and activities to addressthe environmental problems ofthe regions marine and coastalareas.

The Government of Jamaicahas had a particularly closerelationship with the CEP and

the Convention. It is proud ofthe Programmes achievementsover marine pollution, wildlifeand protected areas, education,training and awareness, and

information systems for themanagement of marine andcoastal areas.

There is now no question asto the importance accorded tothe Sea. Indeed, countries in the

region have sought United Nationsrecognition of the concept of theCaribbean Sea as an area ofspecial importance in the contextof sustainable development.

Ciiclelemen

However, our reections on thepast twenty-ve years will showthat the CEP has had to adapt

to varying levels of support andcommitment. The report of the10th Intergovernmental Meetingof the Parties to the CartagenaConvention in 2002 noted some

critical elements in the role ofmember Governments. It saidthey should:1. be active partners indeveloping and implementingthe Programme participatingthroughout the year, not just atmeetings.2. continue to sharpen CEPactivities to focus on the highestpriority areas within the scope ofits mandate, and to look towardnational implementation ofthe Convention and Protocols,while not overextending theProgramme.3. recognize global environ-mental developments andinitiatives in which ourgovernments are actively

involved, such as the WSSD andSIDS processes, and ensurethat appropriate linkages areestablished with CEP, throughboth our national and regionalagendas, and under theframework of the new Strategyfor CEP.4. address the nancial situationof the Caribbean Trust Funddecisively and responsibly as the

sustainability of the Programmeis at stake without the regularcontributions to cover thebasic costs of operations andmanagement.

LeOnie barnabystresses the importance of support fromGovernments in implementing the Caribbean EnvironmentProgramme and calls for more

n:full support

AndreMaslennikov/StillPictures


4/16

It noted that a fully operational CEP must have thefull political, programmatic and nancial supportof Member Governments so that it can full itsobligations with them. The CEPs strategy of 2004

also addressed the need to enhance its sustainabilityand effectiveness through: Increasing member state / country ownership; continuing to promote and facilitate translatingthe Cartagena Convention and its protocols intoeffective implementation through ratication andcomplementary national legislation; engaging and involving civil society and theprivate sector; building institutional capacities of relevantnational ofcial agencies of the parties and otherstakeholders; ensuring viable sustainable nancialarrangements; and developing indicators and assessment/evaluationprocedures where appropriate.We must take these exhortations into account as welook at CEPs future.

Within the next 25 years, countries should meetsuch global targets, as the Millennium DevelopmentGoals, the goals of the programmes of work of theConvention on Biological Diversity, the JohannesburgPlan of Implementation, and the Mauritius

Strategy for the further implementation, of the

OurPlt

Barbados Programme of Action for the SustainableDevelopment of Small Island Developing States. Theeffects of climate change will be more evident bythen and the need for planning and adaptation even

more critical.The CEP is vibrant and responding to the needs of

countries, through the several regional initiatives ithas recently launched. The fullest participation of allthe regions countries in the Cartagena Conventionand its protocols would enhance the Action Planseffectiveness

The Regional Coordinating Unit of the ActionPlan of the Caribbean Environment Programme hasworked commendably. At the national level we mustacknowledge the Action Plans achievements andsee that our requirements are taken into account.

The Governments of the region have a vestedinterest in successfully implementing thiscomprehensive regional programme which theythemselves created in collaboration with UNEP.CEPs effectiveness, its clear value to the people ofthe Caribbean and its continued contribution to oursustainable development require that all partnersplay their part

LeonieBarnabyisSeniorDirectoroftheEnvironmental

ManagementDivisionoftheMinistryofLocalGovernment

andEnvironment,Jamaica.

BIOSAstrucLionel/StillPictures


5/16

OurPlt

the Caibbean Envionment Pogamme (CEP) is

one of UNEPs agship Regional Seas Programme

(RSP). It provides an excellent example of how

counties who shae a sea togethe with ove 40 patneoganizations both in the egion and woldwide - can join

to addess common envionmental challenges.

Like many othe rSPs, the CEP initially eceived much

suppot fom UNEP, but is now an independent, stong

and vibrant entity. From its ofces hosted in Kingston,

Jamaica, the CEP coves 28 membe states and thei

dependent teitoies, speaking thee languages (English,

Spanish and French). It has jurisdiction for the marine

envionment of the wolds second lagest sea coveing

some 2,648,000 km2, bodeed both by continent and

by small island states, and uniting people of diffeent

cultues and eligious and political pesuasions. The

Wide Caibbean region mainly made up of counties

whose economies heavily depend on tourism and sheries

has an active huicane season, is subject to devastating

eathquakes and volcanic activity, and pone to landslides

and ooding.

The CEP has had to cope with many challenges

including changes in the development agenda, the state

of the coastal and maine envionment, the intenationalpolicy framework, scientic knowledge and socio-

economic ealities and tends. The same is tue in

many othe regional Seas and so, 30 yeas afte its

inception in 1974, the global regional Seas Pogamme

coodinated by UNEP with the paticipation of the

Chais o epesentatives of the Confeence of Paties

and Intergovernmental Bodies of the various Regional

Seas Conventions and Action Plans (rSCAPs) endosed

a set of stategic diections fo 2004-2007, aimed

at stengthening the rSP at the global level, while

continuing to implement the wok pogammes of theindividual rSPs (http://www.unep.og/egionalseas/

About/Stategy/).

CEP woks acoss linguistic and political divides,

encouaging key govenmental and civil society patnes

to join in setting up egional policies and ageements.

Though eceiving contibutions fom membe counties

emains challenging, it has managed to attact consideable

institutional support and project nancing from the

Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA),

the Global Envionment Facility, the United Nations

Foundation, and such membe govenments as Fanceand the United States of America, including USAID. It

shaed its expeience on stengthening domestic esouce

mobilization and on the value of patneships, paticulaly

fo capacity building, at the last global meeting of the

rSCAPs in Octobe 2005 in Helsinki, Finland.

The CEP will seek to enhance its pogammatic

stategic options by (a) woking with othe regional

Seas Pogammes; (b) integating national and egional

socio-economic development plans, including coastal

and maine components, into a pogamme stategy;

(c) woking to impove and include global and egionalmonitoing and suveillance plans and pogammes;

(d) inceasing the integation of wok pogammes and

agendas fo ad hoc and othe goups and intenational

initiatives; and (e) woking both extenally and intenally

to impove coodination mechanisms within and between

sub-pogammes.

Afte 25 yeas of sevice to the egions peoples, the

CEP has emained tue to its coe mission, and povides

an excellent example of a famewok fo egional

coopeation

VeerleVandeweerd is the Head of the Regional Seas

Programme(RSP) and theCoordinatorof theGlobal

ProgrammeofActionfortheProtectionoftheMarine

EnvironmentfromLand-basedActivities(GPA).

Flagship

fo t SsVeerLe Vandeweerddescribes howenvironmental needs can best be addressedby partnerships and integrated planning

JulioEtchart/StillPictures


6/16

the regional Seas Pogamme,initiated ove 30 yeas ago,

is one of UNEPs cowning

achievements. Thee ae now a

total of 18 individual egional

pogammes 13 of them with

thei own conventions coveing

most of the wolds coastal aeas

and involving ove 150 counties.

Fouteen of them wee developed

with UNEPs suppot, but all 18

egulaly attend global meetings thatit convenes.

The individual pogammes

which began with establishing the

Mediteanean Action Plan in 1975

ae building blocks suppotingthe constitution of the oceans,

the United Nations Convention

on the Law of the Sea. Unlike

othe multilateal envionmental

ageements, they often followed a

dual tack appoach of simultaneously

negotiating and adopting both

a famewok convention and

an action plan. This allowed

paticipating states immediately to

stat addessing pioity poblemsthough the action plan, even befoe

the convention enteed into foce.

Unlike them, too, the pogammes

ae coss-sectoal, intedisciplinay

and equie coodinated national

implementation by divese goven-

mental institutions.

Two egional seas pogammes

wee launched in Latin Ameica andthe Caibbean in 1981 the Caibbean

Envionment Pogamme (CEP) and

the South-East Pacic Action Plan

and Lima Convention.

Leningexpeience

As Executive Secetay of Panamas

National Commission on the

Environment at the time, I found that

in many ways, CEP became a school

fo us on integated envionmentalmanagement. The ealy 1980s wee

a fomative peiod in this aea fo

most counties in the egion. Few

had established envionmental

ministries. I remember well how

UNEP, though CEP, povided

us with leaning expeiences that

helped foge ou envionmental

institutions and pogammes.

regional seas pogammes made

us look at envionmental poblemsin an integated and holistic way by

addessing the links between such

divese issues as oil spills, maine

emegencies, land-based souces

of pollution, maine and coastal

biodiversity, sheries, watershed

management, coastal development,

and touism and eceation.

Globlgeemen

The Caibbean EnvionmentPogamme has been one of the

developing wolds most successful

egional seas pogamme: twenty-

fou of its 28 membe nations

ae developing ones. While the

nancial contributions of the four

developed county membes have

been substantial, seveal developing

county paties have also made

signicant contributions.

An impotant pat of UNEPsmandate is to pomote coodination

and collaboation among multi-

lateal envionmental ageements.

This is much easie said than done,

MuchAchieved

M to doJOrGe e. iLLuecasurveys the last 25 years of the CaribbeanEnvironment Programme and looks to the future

OurPlt

HideyukiIhashi/UNEP/StillPictures


7/16

OurPlt

but the egional seas pogammes

have been paticulaly open and

disposed towads collaboation.

Because of thei coss-sectoal

natue, egional seas pogammeshave established collaboation

with a boad ange of multilateal

environmental agreements. In

seveal cases they also have

poved to be effective vehicles fo

suppoting the implementation of

global ageements.

Enionmenlgeemen

CEP has distinguished itself in this

way, especially in the ten yeassince the appointment of Nelson

Andade, the Coodinato of the

regional Coodinating Unit. Thee

potocols have been developed

unde the Catagena Convention

and ae being implemented in close

collaboation with global multilateal

envionmental ageements. The Oil

Spills Potocol is closely linked

to seveal of the maine pollution

conventions of the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO),

which is involved in opeating

the Potocols regional Maine

Pollution, Information and Training

Centre. In 1997 a Memorandum

of Undestanding was signed with

the Convention on Biological

Divesity, stengthening links with

the Specially Potected Aeas and

Wildlife Potocol. The Auba

Potocol Concening Pollution fom

Land-based Souces and Activitiesdiectly suppots the implementation

of the Global Pogamme of Action

fo the Potection of the Maine

Envionment fom Land-based

Activities. And Memoanda of

Undestanding have been signed

to stengthen collaboation with

the secetaiats of the ramsa

Convention on wetlands and the

Secetaiat of the Basel Conventionon hazadous wastes.

The past decade has seen the

emegence of twinning aangements

in which moe developed egional

seas pogammes povide technical

suppot to those that ae newe o

less developed. The Coodinato

of the Caibbean rCU povided

invaluable technical suppot and

backstopping to the negotiations of

the Northeast Pacic regional seas

pogamme, extending along thePacic coast of Mesoamerica from

Colombia to Mexico, in which I was

heavily involved.

The rst twenty-ve years of CEP

have seen such majo achievements

as the Catagena Convention

and its thee potocols, national

advances in capacity building fo

the integated management of the

maine and coastal envionment,

establishing a netwok of maine and

coastal potected aeas, assessingand managing maine pollution,

developing infomation systems

fo managing maine and coastal

esouces, and foging stonge ties

with othe MEAs and intenational

oganizations. While the Caibbean

Envionment Pogamme continues

to matue, stategic suppot fom

UNEP is essential.

suinbleeelopmen

In 1999, through Decision 20/19, its

Govening Council called on UNEP

to evitalize the regional Seas

Pogamme, which some had felt

had been declining in impotance

in the oganizations wok. Much

emains to be done on this. The

regional Seas Pogamme needs to

be etuned to the coe of UNEPs

pogamme as it was fom 1974

to 1997. UNEP has a leading oleto play in the consevation and

sustainable development of the

wolds oceans and coastal aeas,

and the futue of CEP and othe

egional seas pogammes will

depend on it

Jorge Illueca, a former Assistant

Executive Director ofUNEP and

Director of UNEPs Division of

Environmental Conventions. Heis now the Principal Forest and

Environment Policy Ofcer in the

Secretariat of the United Nations

ForumonForestsinNewYork.

T pst ss t mg oftg gmts mo

vlop gol sspogmms povtl sppot to tostt o lssvlop J.K

assanchuk/UNEP

/StillPictures


8/16

OurPlt

sea turtles were onceabundant in the Caribbeanregion. Indeed, they are

thought to have been integralkeystone species for coral reefsand seagrass beds in pre-

Columbian times, performingcritical ecological roles essentialto these ecosystems structureand function. Now numbers areso severely reduced that someconsider them to be virtuallyextinct as far as their role inCaribbean marine ecosystems isconcerned.

There have long been regulated,but largely unmanaged, seaturtle sheries. Tens andperhaps hundreds of thousandsof turtles also die every yearafter being accidentally caught

in active or abandoned shinggear. Coral reef and seagrassdegradation, oil spills, chemicalwaste, persistent plastic andother marine debris, high densitycoastal development, and anincrease in ocean-based tourismhave damaged or eliminatednesting beaches and feedingareas. Threats accumulate overlong periods and can occuranywhere in a populations range;thus declines typically resultfrom a combination of factors,and reversing them is politicallyand spatially complicated.

Yet from the earliest days ofnegotiation over the prioritiesof the Caribbean EnvironmentProgramme (CEP), sea turtles

have served as a agshipfor developing models ofinternational cooperation inpreventing the further declineof depleted living resources,restoring them to their formerabundance, and maintainingthem for sustainable use.

Enngeepecie

All Caribbean sea turtles receivefull protection under the Protocolconcerning Specially ProtectedAreas and Wildlife (SPAW) of theConvention for the Protectionand Development of the MarineEnvironment of the WiderCaribbean Region (also known asthe Cartagena Convention). Theprotocol is arguably the worldsmost comprehensive regionalwildlife protection treaty, withprovisions on environmentalimpact assessment, planningand management regimesand buffer zones, as well as arange of protection measures,including species recovery plans.It recognises that protectionof threatened and endangeredspecies will enhance the culturalheritage and values of thecountries and territories in the

Wider Caribbean Region andbring increased economic andecological benets to them.

Newpnehip

The Wider Caribbean SeaTurtle Conservation Network(WIDECAST) was founded in1981 by Monitor Internationaland emerged coincident withthe CEP. With 55 volunteercountry coordinators activein more than 40 nations andterritories, it has served as amodel Regional Activity Network

a Vo fohe turlesKaren L. ecKerTdescribes how an initiative, which bringstogether science and policy, is helping to save criticallyendangered species

Ts ppss of toss

of ttls v ft g tllgt tv oo sg g

StillPictures


9/16

OurPlt

within the SPAW Programmefor a quarter-century. Countrycoordinators meet annually todiscuss and rank con-servation

priorities, identify gaps, committo develop innovative researchand management tools, andcreate new partnerships,making possible proactive andprogressive collaboration. Theyremain in contact via email,programme exchanges and peer-training, and regular sharing ofdata and analyses.

Enhncecpciy

National Sea Turtle RecoveryAction Plans (STRAPs) prepared by WIDECAST andpublished by the CEP aimsystematically to documentthe status and distribution ofremnant stocks, major causesof mortality, the effectivenessof existing legislation, and thepresent and historical role of

sea turtles in local culture andeconomy. Implementing STRAPrecommendations has resulted inchanges in sheries regulations;the designation of protectedareas; the realisation of long-term sea turtle populationmonitoring programmes; theadoption of standardised record-keeping and database manage-ment protocols; the training of

enforcement and natural re-source ofcers; the developmentof public awareness materials;the creation of grassroots.organizations; the promotionof sustainable livelihoods inmarginalised communities; acommitment to new partner-ships (such as co-management);and a broadly enhanced capacityfor sea turtle management withinCEP nations.

The experience has set anexample for other initiativesunder the aegis of the CEP. In1994, a UNEP meeting of experts

concluded that in light of thesuccessful sea turtle recoveryeffort of WIDECAST a similarstructure would be desirable for

the implementation of manateeactivities in the region. Theresult was the RegionalManagement Plan for the WestIndian Manatee.

snieguieline

The unique partnership betweenWIDECAST and the CEP hasalso resulted in region-wide

initiatives, such as a marineturtle tagging centre based atthe University of the West Indies(Barbados) which providesstandardised guidelines training,tags, database managementsoftware, and other tools tostrengthen and coordinate

dozens of otherwise isolatedsmall-scale tagging projects,and to encourage and enablecollaboration among range

states.Promoting best practices,

facilitating training and institutionstrengthening, encouragingcommunity involvement, reducingthreats to sea turtle survivalsuch as by working directly withsheries and tourism sectors and raising public awareness,the WIDECAST network, likethe SPAW Protocol itself, offers

a framework for collaborationtoward a regionally uniedapproach to managing andconserving migratory species

KarenL.EckertisExecutiveDirector

of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle

ConservationNetwork(WIDECAST).

ManoelNovaes/UNEP/StillPictures


10/16

0

They ae just ove the hoizon:few of us see the titanic shipsthat cay ove a tilliongallons of oil each yea on the wates

of the Caibbean Sea.

They load cude oil in the Middle

East, Venezuela, Mexico, and Afica

and afte spending up to weeks

at sea discharge it to reneries

thoughout the Caibbean and the

US Gulf Coast. At any moment,

one could un agound on one of the

countless pistine eefs, shoals and

brian PeTerdescribes how the worlds biggest shipping oil spill led to action that hasreduced pollution of the Caribbean

collso css Cooperaion

OurPlt

islands that make the Caibbean Sea

world famous, or catch re, explode,

o sink. The wost-case scenaio is

fo two of these tankes to collide,

binging catastophe to a county o

small island state in the path of the

spilled oil.

Coningencypln

The last such collision took place

decades ago, even though the

density of shipping has inceased

since. That is not meely due to

good fotune. The 1979 collision

of the tankes, Atlantic Empess and

Aegean Captain, ten miles off the

island of Tobago, caused the wolds

biggest-eve shipping oil spill but

also spaked action by the egions

govenments. Since then, the isk of

shipping accidents and oil spills hasbeen geatly educed, pimaily due to

the way the govenments togethe

with intenational oganizations,

the oil, gas and shipping industies

and othe impotant patnes have

coopeated to addess the shipping of

oil on lage vessels.

Fotunately the slick fom the

collision did not affect neaby islands,

but as a diect esult of it and othe

accidents at the time the states andteitoies of the wide Caibbean Sea

took steps to pevent and espond

to oil spills. They implemented

intenational envionmental con-

ventions, poduced national oil spill

contingency plans, conducted taining

and oil spill esponse execises, and

enhanced co-opeation with the oil,

gas and shipping industies to educe

pollution.

aiionluppo

They also asked the International

Maritime Organization (IMO) and

UNEP to suppot a regional Activity

Cente, with expetise in combating

maine oil pollution, to facilitate

thei effots and pomote taining and

exercises. IMO, which has worked

successfully fo decades to educe

the amount of oil enteing seas fom

ships, has found the establishment of

such Centes , in coopeation with the

UNEP regional Seas Pogamme,

paticulaly successful.

DylanGarcia/StillPictures


11/16

OurPlt

The regional Maine Pollution Emegency,

Information and Training Centre Wider Caribbean

(RAC/REMPEITC-Carib) based in Curacao, in the

Nethelands Antilles opened on 15 June 1995 unde

the management of IMO, the UNEP Caribbean Searegional Coodinating Unit (UNEP-CAr/rCU) and

the Government of the Netherlands Antilles. It is the

institutional oganization fo implementing the Potocol

Concening Coopeation in Combating Oil Spills unde

the Convention fo the Potection and Development of

the Maine Envionment of the Wide Caibbean region

(commonly called the Catagena Convention). Fance,

the United States of Ameica, and Venezuela second

expets to it, and many bodies including companies in

the oil, gas and shipping industies, and govenmental

and non-govenmental oganizations povide additionalsuppot. This coopeation has povided the foundation

that enables the Cente to cay out missions detailed in

a two yea stategic plan based on the long tem goals of

both the UNEP-CAR/RCU and IMO.

Beepepe

RAC/REMPEITC-Carib has had noteworthy success

duing the past ten yeas in contibuting to the eduction

in the numbe of epoted oil spills in the Caibbean Sea.

This is attributed to a clearly dened strategy based on ashaed envionmental vision (the Caibbean Envionment

Pogamme), to continued implementation of the national

legal famewok to bing compliance to the vaious

intenational maine envionmental potection teaties

and to pomoting coopeation with all stakeholdes,

including envionmental goups, tade oganizations,

industy, govenments, intenational oganizations, and

non-govenmental oganizations.

Twenty six sailos died and foty six million gallons

of crude oil spilled as a result of the ery collision

between the Atlantic Empess and the Aegean Captain.The Atlantic Empess was the lagest ship that has eve

sunk afte buning fouteen days and spilling eight

times the amount that poued out fom the infamous

Exxon Valdez: no one knows how much was consumed

in the ames. Such was the tragedy that gave birth to

RAC/REMPEITCCarib. But the seas are cleaner and

the egion is now bette pepaed fo disaste as a esult

both of the esponse to this accident and of the Centes

wok

Brian Peter, a Commander of the US Coast Guard,

is Senior Consultant to the International Maritime

Organization(IMO)andtheRegionalMarinePollution

Emergency, Information and Training Centre Wider

Caribbean(RAC/REMPEITC-Carib).

dvlopgSoltosanTOniO ViLLaSOL nez outlinesthe need for sustainable development andenvironmental improvement in the region anddescribes how it is being met

the Caribbean Environment Programme ActionPlan is celebrating its twenty-fth anniversaryto the satisfaction of those living in the Wider

Caribbean Region, as well as the many peoplearound the world who enjoy their holidays here attracted by magnicent landscapes, beautifulbeaches with crystal clear water, marvellous andeye-catching biodiversity, and the rich variety oftraditions and customs arising from the mix of racesand cultures.

PeterSchichert/StillPictures


12/16

OurPlt

Its work is greatly needed. AsUNEPs GEO Cities report shows,sixty of the 77 most importantcities in Latin America and the

Caribbean lie within the coastalzone. Three out of every ve peoplein the region live less than 100 kmfrom the sea. The determiningfactors in shaping urban centresand their relationships withthe environment have been theindustrialisation that began

in the regions major cities inthe 1940s, rapid growth in theservice sectors, proliferation ofinformal economic activities,and the recent implementationof the globalization model. LatinAmerica and the Caribbean

exhibit serious deciencies inachieving economic development.Growth has been unstable andeconomic benets have beenpoorly distributed.

scienicciiie

This situation has contributed torapid environmental deteriorationand loss of biodiversity, principally

in the rivers and marine/coastalzones. This has resulted fromdumping of untreated, orimproperly treated urban andindustrial waste; soil erosion

based sources, providing adviceon the use of clean technologiesand on the treatment anddisposal of solid and liquid

urban and industrial waste in anenvironmentally sound way.

A more rational use ofnatural resources has beenachieved, by developing tourism economically important formany of the countries in theregion by holding training

caused by deforestation and pooragricultural practices; and anincrease in maritime activitiesin the harbours, without proper

treatment and disposal of waste.Regional Activity Centres

(RAC) were founded to develop,coordinate and carry out technicaland scientic activities and tasksunder the Protocols associatedwith the Cartagena Convention.The Centro de Ingeniera y

Manejo Ambiental de Bahas yCostas (CIMAB), based in Cuba,is one of two RACs supporting theimplementation of the ProtocolConcerning Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities(LBS Protocol).

Enionmenlconiion

CIMAB works in collaborationwith the second LBS/RAC theInstitute of Marine Affairs (IMA)in Trinidad and Tobago topromote the ratication of theLBS Protocol, so that it can enterinto force as soon as possible,as a practical tool for combatingmarine pollution.

The LBS/RACs also workwith regional governments andenvironmental authorities inreducing pollution from land-

workshops for specialists anddecision-makers. The LBS/RACshave also developed national andregional projects for sustainablecoastal zone management.

The LBS/RACs, togetherwith other research institutions

in the region, make up the nowdeveloping Regional ActivityNetwork (RAN) of institutions,which, under the supervision ofUNEP-CAR/RCU, are workingto conserve and improveenvironmental conditions inthe Wider Caribbean Region.This in turn is vitally importantfor achieving sustainabledevelopment

AntonioVillasolNez isDirector

of Centro Ingeniera y Manejo

Ambiental de Bahas y Costas

(CIMAB)inHavana,Cuba.

MarkEdwards/StillPictures VuDucLoi/StillPictures PeterSchickert/StillPictures


13/16

OurPlt

To t RescueaMOy LuM KOnGand hazeL MShinedescribe work to reduce pollution to theCaribbean from land-based sources

Livelihoods in the Wide Caibbean region ae

inexticably linked with the Caibbean Sea which

povides food, tanspotation, enegy, medicine,

constuction mateial, and eceation. The economies

of most Caibbean counties heavily depend on maine

touism, which in tun elies on a healthy envionment.

Yet gowing envionmental pessues including

overshing, planned and unplanned coastal develop-ments, unsustainable land use pactices, and land-based

souces of pollution ae inevitably compomising the

integity of the sevices povided to all Caibbean people.

Domestic, industial and agicultual wastes and un-off

account fo about ninety pe cent of all maine pollution

with domestic sewage the lagest point souce categoy

theatening coastal and maine envionments and thus

the egions socio-economic health.

regionlcoopeion

The Convention fo the Potection and Development of

the Maine Envionment of the Wide Caibbean region

(Catagena Convention) engendes egional coopeation

on envionmental issues including land-based souces of

maine pollution. But its Potocol Concening Pollution

fom Land-based Souces and Activities (LBS Potocol),

though adopted in 1999, has yet to ente into foce. Guided

by scientic data analysis, it establishes efuent and

emissions limitations and/o best management pactices

fo pioity pollutants, and pomotes coopeation in

monitoring, research and exchange of scientic and

technical infomation on land-based pollution.

regional Activity Centes (rACs) wee established

to help the Caibbean Envionment Pogamme (CEP)

develop and implement the LBS Protocol. In 2002, the

Intergovernmental Meeting accepted the proposal of

Cuba and Tinidad and Tobago to host the LBS/rACs

at Centro de Ingenieria y Manejo Ambiental de Bahias

y Costas (CIMAB) and the Institute of Marine Affairs

(IMA), which both have strong research capabilities on

pollution contol and envionmental management. They:

povide coodination, technical guidance andadministative ovesight of poject activities;

establish a regional Activity Netwok (rAN) of

technical institutions that povide input, pee eview and

expetise to the CEP; and

coodinate technical inputs of rAN and othe

collaboating institutions.

Thei activities, epesenting the pioities of membe

govenments, opeate unde the CEPs Assessment

and Management of Envionmental Pollution Sub-

pogamme. They facilitate egional coopeation on

envionmental mattes, theeby contibuting to the

egions sustainable development.

The LBS/rACs, opeational since 2002, wok

towads meeting the Potocols objectives, taking action

to addess land-based souces of maine pollution in the

MarkEdwards/StillPictures


14/16

egion. Poject activities ange fom technology tansfe,

though pomotional wokshops, to establishing wate

quality citeia.

They analyze in situ data and infomation to establish

a baseline fo wate quality in high-isk pollution aeas,

and develop methodological guidelines to help classify

maine wates, as outlined in the Potocol. An oveview

of the egions land-based souces of pollution the 1994

UNEP/CEP Technical repot No. 33 is being updated.

reseach and decision-making tools, such as emote

sensing and Geographic Information Systems, are being

used to enhance the egions capacity to map pollution

levels and loads fom land-based souces.

technicluppo

The rACs facilitate technology awaeness and tansfe

through training workshops. In 2003/2004 these were

held on nutient emoval technologies and wastewate

management and on sewage sludge emoval and euse.

Taining was geaed towads building egional awaeness

and capacity to addess eutophication and othe nutient

enichment poblems aising fom excessive dischages

of domestic wastewater to the sea. In 2005 and 2006,

wokshops focused on methodologies fo assessing point

and non-point pollution loads; chaacteizing municipal

and industrial wastes; and dening water quality indicators

fo national and egional monitoing pogammes.

Othe activities include encouaging Caibbean

counties though national and egional pomotional

wokshops, to atify/accede to the LBS Potocol and

bing it into foce, as well as developing a Demonstation

National Pogamme of Action fo Potecting the Maine

Envionment fom Land-based Activities fo Tinidad

and Tobago.

In the process, the LBS/RACs have established

patneships with such funding dono agencies as the

Swedish International Development Agency and the U.S.

Depatment of Commece; othe UN agencies such asUNESCO-IOCARIBE; and such technical institutions

as INVEMAR of Colombia and Universidad de Oriente

in Venezuela, both of which will be integated into the

rAN.

The impotance of the Caibbean Sea to the egion, the

vulneability of its ecosystems to land-based souces of

pollution, and the inability of many counties to deal with

envionmental poblems, emphasize the need fo the LBS/

rACs to povide technical suppot to thei govenments.

In so doing, they will contribute to ensuring sustainable

development both nationally and egionally

AmoyLumKongisDirector(acting),andHazelMcShine

the immediate pastDirector of the Institute ofMarine

Affairs,TrinidadandTobago.

Social

cosvtoMaurice anSeLMe points out that local peoplemust be involved from the outset if biodiversityis to be conserved

the relationship between the Caribbean peopleand nature is rst and foremost one betweenits men and women: They are an integral part

of the ecosystems they use, partially or wholly, fortheir subsistence. An Eden populated by poor people

is unthinkable, and so conserving the environmentmust also mean conserving a social bond.Conservation policies are the product of a

naturalistic representation of human societies,dened by the key concepts of anthropological

OurPlt

PaulGlendell/StillPictures


15/16

OurPlt

pressure and load capacity.By contrast, the tools used fornature conservation are based onpolitics, economics and the social

sciences.Human degradation factors

add to natural ones in theWider Caribbean Region, slow-ing the development andhindering the preservation ofcoral communities. This could

jeopardize the economic activitieswhich rely on exploiting them.

The cost of conservingbiodiversity is generally imposedon local communities, whilemost of the benets accrue to amuch broader constituency. Itis a matter of managing globalenvironmental resources throughapplying local solutions.

Pecuionypinciple

Ensuring a central role for localpopulations requires involvingthem from the outset in develop-

ing conservation objectives.The environmental issues atstake are long-term ones, suchas sustainably managing eco-systems or resolving conictsbetween protected areas andpopulations.

The insular, tropical natureof the Caribbean region and thehigh concentration of people inthe area make it necessary to act

according to the precautionaryprinciple, requiring properconsideration of all issues atstake and conducting thoroughrisk assessments. This leads toa search for an equitable logic,linking economic activities tothe proper management ofresources: in fact, the price of

things is usually dened by thethreat of their becoming rare, ordisappearing.

The Regional Activity Centrefor the SPAW Protocol (theProtocol Concerning SpeciallyProtected Areas and Wildlife)began operating at the endof the year 2005, after theestablishment of the legalmanagement framework eagerly

sought by Contracting Parties.But it had already contributed, asearly as April 2004, to organizingthe meeting of the Scienticand Technical Committee oncreating guidelines and criteriafor listing protected areas underthe SPAW Protocol. Carried outin collaboration with UNEPsCaribbean Regional CoordinatingUnit in Kingston, Jamaica,

this was the SPAW/RACs rstactivity under the CaribbeanEnvironment Programme (CEP).CEP denes the actions withinthe geographical areas covered

by the Cartagena Convention andits implementing SPAW Protocol,which are to be undertakenwith support from ContractingParties.

The SPAW/RAC must secureenough nancial and humanresources to ensure that theexpectations of ContractingGovernments are met for eachaction they have jointly decided,

as well as to cover the cost ofglobal biodiversity conservationin the Wider Caribbean Region. Itacts as a liaison between the willof Contracting Governments andthe programmes undertaken withpartners in the Wider CaribbeanRegion. And it continuallycontributes to strengthening therole of local communities by itsclose work with local partners

Maurice Anselme is Director of

the Regional Activity Centre for

the SPAW protocol in Basse-Terre,

Guadeloupe.

T vomtl ssst stk log-tm

os, s s sstlmgg osstmso solvg otst pott s popltos

MarkEdwards/StillPictures


16/16

OurPlt

t

he Caibbean is full of contasts. A micocosm of theentie wold extemely ich and poo counties,vey lage and small populations and teitoies, a

wide ange of cultues and languages of Afican, Asian,Euopean, and indigenous oigins, capitalist and socialistgovenments lives togethe, shaing esouces andexposue to natual hazads in a teitoy smalle thanEuope.

All depend on shaed maine and coastal esoucesessential fo thei economies, mostly based on touism,sheries and other maritime activities. Althoughentangled in thei histoy, and vey much intedependent,each society has employed ceativity and had wok ifin diffeent ways, and with some having geate successthan othes.

By denition, an effective Caribbean initiative is anopen, espectful and toleant endeavou that encouagesand nutues solidaity within the wide community.

Enionmenlegion

The rst instrument adopted by Governments as partof the Caibbean Envionment Pogamme (CEP), wasthe Action Plan, aimed at collectively addessing theimpending theat of egional envionmental degadation.Negotiations on the Law of the Sea had spaked a globalmobilization to potect and manage the oceans: but theislow pogess motivated envionmentally-concened

Govenments apidly to addess its envionmental aspectsby developing a series of programmes to face specicegional needs. UNEPs Executive Diecto, MostafaTolba and the rst Director of UNEPs Regional SeasPogamme, Stjepan Keckes immediately esponded tothis challenge.

Venezuela had then just created one of the rstministries of environment and, as I was responsible forinternational relations, I became immediately involved inthe negotiations of the egional seas initiative at UNEP,focused on the Caibbean. With motivated delegates fomBabados, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican republic,Fance, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, USA, and gadually

othes, we became apidly involved in most inteestingand ewading negotiations.

Govenments in the Med-iteanean, spued bythe geate theat of maitime pollution in thei egion,moved faster and adopted the rst of the Regional Seas

SaLVanO briceO looks back on theachievements of the last quarter of acentury and identies a key challenge forthe future

TheRoad

Tvll

PeterSchickert/StillPictures

Conventions in Bacelona. This spaked geat inteestin Caibbean delegates, and they adopted the CaibbeanAction Plan in Montego Bay on July 1981 soon followedby the signing of the Catagena Convention in 1983, the

setting-up of the Caibbean Tust Fund and the openingof the regional Coodinating Unit in Kingston in 1986.

That year UNEP asked me to become the rstCoodinato of the Pogamme a geat honou and,more importantly, a tremendous challenge. I arrived inJamaica in Januay 1987 and began putting togethe acoe staff and basic systems and pocedues. An amicableand poductive elationship ensued with the host countyas the Jamaican Govenment esponded apidly to thenew Units demands.

Pime Ministe Edwad Seaga had played an essentialole in attacting it to Jamaica following aduousnegotiations with othe potential hosts, including

Venezuela (epesented by no othe than myself!) andthis poved vey helpful in stengthening the Unit inKingston. When Michael Manley came to powe in 1989,we also pusued a vey active and fuitful collaboationwith his Govenment, paticulaly with Pecival Patteson

then as Deputy Pime Ministe esponsible fo theenvionment potfolio, late the longest seving PimeMiniste in Jamaican histoy.

suinbleeelopmen

Climate change was among the rst challenges to betackled: specic expert recommendations paved the wayfo Govenments in the egion to become key actos inthe climate change negotiations that began in 1991.

When the Action Plan and the Catagena Conventionwee adopted, the impact of natual hazads such ashurricanes, oods, drought, earthquakes, volcaniceruptions, tsunamis had not yet been identied as amajo theat to the egions development. Howeve, apiduban gowth, coupled with acceleated envionmentaldegadation and the theat of climate change has madeit inceasingly ugent to pay close attention and givehighe pioity to educing isk and vulneability.

These hazads and disastes tiggeed by human,

social, economic and envionmental vulneability, suchas oil and chemical spills, industial and waste watepollution and othe land-based souces of maine pollution

continue to pose a grave threat to tourism and sheries,the egions main souces of livelihood. Focusing on theve priority tasks identied by the Hyogo Framework forAction (2005-2015) to build the esilience of nations andcommunities to disastes, as a peequisite fo sustainableCaibbean development, is now a key and ugent challengefo the CEP.

This will continue what CEP epesents so well:twenty-ve years of challenge in a region full of culturaland biological divesity and a pomising oppotunity

to ensue that egional coopeation leads to sustainabledevelopment

Salvano Briceo, the rst Coordinator of CEP, is DirectoroftheUNInternationalStrategyforDisasterReduction.

carribean environment programme

Documents