GEF-IWCAM AND IABIN INDICATORS MECHANISM WORKSHOP10 - 12 March 2008

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

TNC’s Marine Protected Area Workin the Caribbean

Caribbean Decision-Support System3 years (2003-2006) $2.2 million

24 Terrestrial / 9 Marine ecoregions

Realm Integration: Terrestrial, Freshwater, Marine

Scope: 28 countries/12 TNC Operating Units

PRODUCTS

•Seamless database of conservation habitats, protected areas, and human activities

• Methods and tools for assessing goals, threats, gaps, and sustainability

• Identification of most persistent and viable areas of biodiversity (portfolio)

• Partnerships at regional and local levels

BASIN-WIDE ECOREGIONAL

NATIONAL SITE-LOCAL

Multi-Scale Analysis

Caribbean Decision-Support SystemBathymetry

ClimateFreshwater featuresGeologyImageryInfrastructureLand coverMarine FeaturesModelsPoliticalProtected AreasSocioeconomicSoilsTargets (Terrestrial, Freshwater, Marine)Terrestrial FeaturesTopographyTopo Maps

Geodatabases(with FGDC metadata)

• Caribbean Region• Lesser Antilles

• Puerto Rico• Dominican Republic• Bahamas• Jamaica• St. Vincent & the Grenadines• Grenada• Haiti

 

Risk Elements Measured by

Urbanization Impervious surfaces and population density

Agriculture % of coverage/cultivation practices

Roads Type, density, length

Industrial areas Type and density

Tourism Intensity

Landfills/Dumps Type and Volume

Anchorage/Ports

Type and intensity

Fishing Practices

Type and intensity

Dams Dam type: flood control, water supply, hydropower

CDSS Tools: Environmental Risk Surface (ERS) CDSS Tools: Environmental Risk Surface (ERS) ModuleModule

Caribbean Marine Action Sites

• Bahamas

• Jamaica

• Lesser Antilles: BVI, USVI, Grenada and SVG

• Dominican Republic

TNC Marine Work: Bahamas

TNC Northern Caribbean Programme has been working with partners to accomplish the following:

• Expand the current west side of Andros Island marine protected area (MPA).

• Establish a network of no-take marine reserves in Abaco, South Eleuthera, Exuma, Bimini and the Berry Islands.

West side of Andros MPA

Activities completed include:

• Conservation Area Assessment,

• Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) and,

• Stakeholder’s AssessmentNB: Outlined in green are the proposed areas to be included in the west side protected area system

Establishment of Marine ReservesActivities currently being

done include:

• Conducting surveys to determine the health status of the proposed marine reserve areas

• Conducting stakeholder consultations and,

• Defining the boundaries for each marine reserve area.

NB: The 5 marine reserves are highlighted in dark blue

TNC Marine Work: Jamaica• Marine ERA and national gap analysis

identifying major gaps for marine biodiversity conservation

• Demonstration site– Pedro Bank, Jamaica’s largest fishing ground and important offshore area for marine biodiversity

Project activities completed and underway….

1. Field research and monitoring (biodiversity, fisheries) for Management Plan.

2. Partnership development and active engagement of Pedro Bank fishing community and other key stakeholders

3. Public awareness and outreach – project website and newsletterhttp://conserveonline.org/workspaces/pedro.bank.workspace

4. Construction of a base-of-operations and research station on-site to support field research and conservation management

Designing for the Future

Ambitious Goals – The BVI Approach to Networks

The British Virgin Islands

30% Goal

To protect 30% of 6 important nearshore biological habitats in no take areas across the

BVI.

USVI

• Mapping out occurrences of Acropora Palmata

• Supporting the Management of the East End Marine Park in St. Croix

TNC Marine Work: Dominican Republic

BiodiversityStatus

ThreatsStatus

MngmtStatus

Mitigate ThreatsImplement Mngmt Plan

Improve BiodiversityMitigate Threats

Improve BiodiversityImplement Mngmt Plan

Improve Biodiversity

Mitigate ThreatsImplement Mngmt Plan

Assessing Effective Conservation in MPAs

Future Work and Collaboration Points

• On-going verification of coarse-filter habitat maps and collection of fine-filter species data

• Improve threat models based on scientific review (fishing models, tourism footprint, climate change, etc)

• Expansion of regional delivery and stewardship of CDSS data and tools (database needs updating, fill gaps, revisions)

• Build staff and partner capacity through training and dissemination of knowledge

• Questions? Email sschill@tnc.org