Caribbean members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) scored a win at the just concluded World Conser-vation Congress in Jeju, South Korea after a motion aimed at making the IUCN’s work more relevant and visible in the Caribbean and involving more regional institutions in its work programme was passed. The Caribbean members had piloted the motion in the Congress.
The Congress, held every four years, is the planet’s biggest conservation meeting and brings together scientists, governments, business and non-governmental organisations to discuss global environmental issues. This year’s congress was held from September 6 to 15.
The Caribbean motion resolved to have the IUCN Director General consolidate the IUCN’s presence in the Caribbean through an enhanced regional implementation of relevant components of the IUCN programme 2013 to 2016. This includes the possible establishment of an office located in the Caribbean.
It also sought to have the IUCN Director General enable the participation of the Caribbean in existing and new IUCN activities such as the biodiversity and protected areas management system (BIOPAMA), the IUCN Island Initiative and other global initiatives, and for the strengthening of relationships between IUCN in the Caribbean and IUCN offices in North America on the relevant activities of the IUCN programme 2013 to 2016.
The Caribbean members’ motion noted the Caribbean’s rich biodiversity calling it essential for human well-being and stating that it has intrinsic value. It also recognised the accumulated vulnerability of Caribbean ecosystems to threats of both extreme events and gradual changes caused by climate change.
Further, the motion recognised the impacts on Carib-bean ecosystems of human activity, including overexploitation, pollution, introduction of invasive species, and habitat degradation and destruction. The Caribbean IUCN members expressed concern about these impacts on the ecosystem services, livelihoods and economies through loss of natural capital.
The motion in the recital clauses noted the progress made in implementing Resolution 3.033 ‘Imple-mentation of an IUCN programme for the Insular Caribbean’ adopted by the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, 2004 on the IUCN Programme for the Insular Caribbean by national, regional and international stakeholders.
The motion also noted the launch in 2008 of the Caribbean Initiative at the Barcelona World Congress in 2008 and the advancement of the work on the 2009-12 IUCN Work Programme in the Insular Caribbean.
They recognised the work of the IUCN Secretariat, commissions and membership and the establishment of the IUCN Caribbean Regional Committee, the Dominican Republic National Committee and a 100 per cent increase in membership to promote the objectives of IUCN in the region.
The motion recognised the need to strengthen the IUCN’s presence in the region through a Caribbean programme of work and the increasing capacity and commitment of Caribbean institutions and IUCN member organisations to contribute to the implementation of the IUCN programme and Caribbean initiative.
“We went through quite a process of negotiation with partners and among all of the IUCN members in the Caribbean to strengthen this motion, Nicole Leotaud, Executive Director of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), told this newspaper.
