News

Contributed by Professor Robin Mahon “What on Earth is BBNJ?”

Kingston, Jamaica. 17th June 2019. From 3rd - 6th June 2019, over 80 regional and international experts including government officials, non-governmental organizations, development partners and United Nations (UN) agencies met in Honduras to review the achievements of the Cartagena Convention Secretariat over the last two years (2017-2018) and to agree on priorities for the 2019-2020 biennium.

To preserve our coal reefs in the Caribbean, we must begin by protecting the Parrotfish.  Parrotfishes have significant ecological value to the survival pf coral reefs.  They feed on algae by scraping it from coral on the reef, thereby reducing its negative impact on the coral reef ecosystem. The below infographic, available in English and Spanish, outlines more facts about the Parrotfish.

The Global Environment Facility-funded Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (GEF IWEco) Project’s Third Regional Project Steering Committee Meeting (RPSC 3) will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 2nd – 4th April 2019.

Haiti’s Canal De La Gonave is a unique marine ecosystem, with two underwater canyons that drop to over 10,000 feet.  This marine ecosystem is threatened by several factors:  pollution (e.g. marine debris), non-native species invasions (e.g.

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.

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.

Honduras has become the 26th Country to ratify the Cartagena Convention

Key decisions related to work of the Secretariat to the Cartagena Convention for the 2019-2020 biennium are expected to be formulated in Roatan, Honduras when delegates meet from June 3-7, 2019.

Ministers encouraged to include and develop environmentally and financially sustainable partnerships Tourism, Fisheries and Agriculture are the leading industries contributing to the economic growth of many Caribbean islands. The social, economic and environmental development of the islands depend on these industries, most of them tied intricately to the environment.

Joint measures to reduce the pollution through assessment and improved management