Key partners of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems Project recently held discussions on the sustainable management and use of living marine resources in the Region.

Project partners of the UNDP/GEF Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME+ Project), including a representative of the CARICOM Secretariat, met in Miami, 6-9 September, for the talks on coordinated action.

Pollution, habitat degradation and unsustainable fisheries and fishing practices have increasingly impacted ecosystem health in the CLME+ region. To address these issues, the region adopted a 10-year Strategic Action Programme (CLME+ SAP, 2015-2025). The long-term vision is “a healthy marine environment that provides benefits and livelihoods for the well-being of its people”.

The action programme, which to date has been politically endorsed by 24 countries, is being catalysed through a five-year CLME+ Project, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Project, which is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through a grant of US$12.5M, began in 2015.

It will facilitate Ecosystem-Based Management and the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in the region. It gives special attention to key fisheries, such as spiny lobster, flying fish, shrimp and ground fish, as well as key marine and coastal habitats such as mangroves and coral reefs.

To support CLME+ Project and SAP implementation, there is now a growing alliance of partner organisations, including CLME+ countries, several UN bodies, Inter-Governmental Organisations and Non- Governmental Organisations native to the CLME+ region.