This is Your Main Headline - And Here's a Snappy Subhead

 

The Caribbean Challenge


Go Deeper

The Conservancy’s Global Coral Work
Learn how the Conservancy is helping save coral species around the world, and see slideshows of our coral sites.

Protecting Breeding Sites in the Bahamas
A newly-discovered breeding site for juvenile green and loggerhead sea turtles as well as a rarely documented nursery for bull sharks prompted Bahamian officials to create protected areas across the country.

The Micronesia Challenge
Discover how the Conservancy is working with Micronesian governments to effectively conserve 30 percent of marine resources and 20 percent of terrestrial resources by 2020.

COP 9: Working to Stop Biodiversity Loss Around the World
 Find out how the Conservancy is working with governments around the world to stem the loss of species, habitats and the natural resources on which we all depend. 

The Caribbean Challenge

The Nature Conservancy has pledged $20 million to support The Caribbean Challenge, an unprecedented commitment by Caribbean governments to support and manage new and existing national parks and protected areas throughout the region.

The overall goal of the Caribbean Challenge is ambitious — Caribbean governments will protect at least 20 percent of their marine and coastal habitats by 2020.

Protecting an Area of Unique Biodiversity

The Caribbean is one of the world’s most unique places — many species here are found nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, many of these countries don’t always have funding to protect their natural resources. Running a national park requires trained personnel, equipment and resources to protect habitats from threats, such as over-fishing and invasive species.

Funding from the Caribbean Challenge will ensure the long term sustainability of these islands’ unique natural treasures. If the challenge had not come to fruition, these governments would find it increasingly difficult to fund protected areas in their countries.

Protecting Parks for People and Nature

The challenge will also help nations create and maintain sustainable livelihoods for their citizens. The region’s natural beauty draws tourists from around the world, accounting for about 50 percent of the Caribbean nations’ income.

However, if countries fail to protect their natural resources, they could lose the very attractions that draw visitors and provide the livelihoods for many of the more than 10 million people who live within the region covered by the challenge.

A Catalyst for Conservation

The Conservancy was instrumental in making the Caribbean Challenge a reality. “We were really inspired when, in 2006, Grenada, motivated by similar commitments in Micronesia, committed to protect 25 percent of its marine and terrestrial regions by 2020,” says Rebecca Patton, the Conservancy’s chief conservation strategies officer.

“In addition, The Bahamas pledged to protect 20 percent of its marine resources, challenging other nations in the region to join in,” she adds. “These commitments provided the real genesis of the Caribbean Challenge.”

After these commitments were made, the Conservancy worked with the two governments and other organizations to help make this challenge happen.

The Conservancy’s participation in the challenge differs from its conservation efforts in the Caribbean in the past, which have primarily focused on protecting individual sites. By supporting governments in their groundbreaking pledge, we can help ensure the conservation of large swathes of the region.

Partnering for Success

The Conservancy has pledged a little over $20 million to the challenge, of which $12 million will be given through scientific and technical assistance and expertise. We are also pledging $8.6 million to seed national-level protected area public-trust funds in countries that are part of the challenge.

More than $40 million will be endowed in these trust funds, providing long-term financial sustainability for conservation in these countries. The Conservancy's $8.6 million pledge has inspired pledges from KfW, the German development bank/ Additionally, The Conservancy is helping participating nations seek additional funding from  the Global Environmental Facility.

The Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), which is designed to give island nations a voice and help them protect their environment, has supported the challenge as well as similar commitments in Micronesia and other parts of the world.

The Conservancy will commit $500,000 to support GLISPA in these efforts, recognizing the important role that the partnership plays in supporting and catalyzing island commitments to conserving nature and sustainable livelihoods.

The challenge enjoys broad-based support across the region, with The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines all involved in the project. Antigua and Barbuda,St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica are considering the initiative and are reported as likely to sign on.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): The Nature Conservancy (local guides cast for bonefish off the Great Bahama Bank); Timothy Turnbull/NAR (Gorgonian sea fans).