The Wider Caribbean showcases a myriad of cultures and environments. The natural beauty of its 28 island and continental countries encompasses both tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems, from coral reefs to mangrove forests to seagrass beds, each with its unique wildlife.

Protecting these treasures demands that coastal economies be sustainable, allowing growth while protecting the region’s natural resources.

Caribbean creativity and a passion for nature have combined to produce the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP), an unparalleled joint endeavour which embraces the region’s diversity in its efforts to advance economic prosperity and environmental health.

Laying the groundwork for the CEP, the governments identified a number of pressing issues: land-based sources of municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes and run-off (which account for as much as 90% of all marine pollution); over-exploitation of resources such as fish, molluscs and crustaceans; increasing urbanization and coastal development as populations and economies expand; unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices (many say Central America’s forest are disappearing faster than anywhere else in the world); and a profound need to strengthen government and institutional capacity to address environmental problems.

Although a part of UNEP, the CEP is governed by the Caribbean nations and territories under a programmatic framework – the Caribbean Action Plan – established in 1981. The Plan outlines programmes of assistance, institutional strengthening, and technical cooperation, and in 1983 led to the adoption of a legal framework –the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention) – which entered into force on 11 October 1986. The Convention is supplemented by three protocols on oil spills, specially protected areas and wildlife, and pollution from land-based sources and activities.

Today the activities of the CEP focus mainly on implementation of the protocols, on information management and exchange, and on environmental education and training.

Meanwhile, work is under way to reduce polluted run-off to the Caribbean Sea through workshops, production of guidelines and integrated management plans, control of sewage, and adoption of national contingency plans for marine emergencies. The region’s network of parks and protected areas is continually being strengthened, and a small grants fund is providing assistance to marine protected areas.

So far CEP’s mission of promoting regional cooperation for the protection and the development of the marine environment of the Wider Caribbean Region has met with some success. But there is a long way to go to achieve this vision, and we must continue to strengthen the region’s environmental laws, networks, scientific and technological capacity and public outreach.
Our major constraint is financial, as the Caribbean countries are not always able to match their expressed support for the CEP with contributions to the Trust Fund. Perhaps our greatest challenge is to rally their commitment and political will, even as their budgets shrink and our all-too-frequent natural disasters interrupt their cash flow. If we are to maintain a sound institutional and financial base for the CEP, we have to convince our multilateral donors that the enthusiasm and dedication of the Caribbean nations to their environment, and to the programme that defends it, is unflagging.

Nelson Andrade Colmenares is Coordinator of the
Caribbean Environment Programme

Regional Coordinating Unit for the Caribbean Environment Programme (CAR/RCU)
United Nations Environment Programme
14-20 Port Royal Street, Kingston, Jamaica
Tel: +1 876 922 9267; Fax: +1 876 922 9292
E-mail: uneprcuja@cwjamaica.com
Website: http:// www.cep.unep.org