Caribbean Marine Protected Areas and opportunities for pro-poor management
April 2001 – August 2003
Implemented by MRAG Ltd.
Photo courtesy: MRAG Ltd. |
Many marine protected areas (MPAs) throughout the Caribbean have
been established as tools for managing coastal resources. MPAs have
succeeded to varying degrees in achieving their primary aims, which
have usually been ecologically based (e.g., to conserve biodiversity
and sustain fisheries), while struggling to gain acceptance from
stakeholders and effectively implement management measures. Little
attention has been paid to the impact on poorer sectors of the community
who rely on the resources within MPAs, impacts that may help explain
some of the problems MPAs have had with implementation and compliance.
The purpose of the research project was to identify current institutional
constraints to successfully implementing MPAs in ways that lead to
a sustained improvement in the livelihoods of poor people in the
Caribbean, and to develop options for addressing these constraints.
This project was implemented through a partnership between MRAG Ltd
and the Natural Resource Management Programme of the University of
the West Indies, with the collaboration of CANARI.
A review was undertaken of the institutional and ecosystem characteristics of
80 MPAs in the insular Caribbean, followed by more detailed studies at selected
sites. These included legal and policy reviews (11 sites), ecological impact
studies (4 sites), and participatory appraisals of the effect of MPA management
on poor people’s livelihoods and current institutional constraints and opportunities
for improving them (4 sites).
Results were presented at a regional workshop and ideas further developed through
working group sessions. Following this, a working group of Caribbean MPA practitioners,
funding agency representatives, and policy makers was set up to assist in the
synthesis of project findings and production of guidelines for implementing MPAs
that are sensitive to the needs of poorer groups living in and around them. A
series of newsletters kept project participants and the wider community updated
on progress of research findings. In addition, the project produced a number
of academic theses from the University of the West Indies and scientific papers.
Project Documents
| Anderson, W., M. Best, and R. Richards. 2002. Marine
Protected Areas: Legal And Policy Framework. University of the West Indies Faculty of Law, Barbados. |
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| Esteban, N.; C. Garaway; H. Oxenford; W. Anderson, and P. McConney. 2002. Project
workshop: Institutional arrangements for Caribbean MPAs and opportunities
for pro-poor management. A special concurrent session at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI), Xel Ha, Mexico, 11-15 November 2002. |
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| Garaway, C. and N. Esteban. 2003. Increasing MPA Effectiveness By Working With Local Communities: Guidelines For The Caribbean. MRAG Ltd., UK. |  |
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Garaway, C. and N. Esteban. 2003. Improving MPA Effectiveness By Working With Local Communities: Guidelines For The Caribbean. Poster display for the Vth World Parks Congress, Durban, Republic of South Africa, September 2003. MRAG Ltd., UK.  (314 kb) |  |
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| Garaway, C. and N. Esteban. 2003. The Impact of Marine Protected Areas on Poorer Communities Living In and Around Them: Institutional Opportunities and Constraints. MRAG Ltd., UK. Includes: | |
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| Appendix 2. Case study of Princess Alexandra Land And Sea National Park, Turks and Caicos Islands. |  |
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Appendix 3. Case study of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize. | |
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| Appendix 4. Case study of Glover’s Reef Marine Reserve, Belize | |
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| Appendix 5. Case study of Negril Marine Park, Jamaica | |
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| Geoghegan, T., A. Smith and K. Thacker. 2001. Characterisation of Caribbean Marine Protected Areas: an Analysis of Ecological, Organisational, and Socio-Economic Factors. CANARI Technical Report No. 287. |  |
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