Wise use of Caribbean wetlands for climate change mitigation and conservation of their ecosystem services

Land use changes in the Caribbean have led to ecosystem degradation as well as the loss of biological diversity and ecosystem services. This is also true of the Caribbean wetlands, which urgently require effective policies for sustainable use and management. The project is therefore carrying out vulnerability assessments for selected Ramsar Sites and providing regional governments with the additional know-how they need to avoid negative changes to their wetlands. The results of these assessments as well as the implementation of integrated coastal zone management and maritime spatial planning will lead to improvements in legislation and regulation. Planning and management tools will also be integrated to improve the management of Caribbean wetlands. The assessments of vulnerability to climate change provide examples than can also be applied to other Ramsar Sites. The same applies to the implementation of integrated coastal zone management, monitoring and other insights.

Project data

Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname
IKI funding: 3,706,090.00 €
Duration: 03/2020 till 07/2026
Status: open
Implementing organisation: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - North American Regional Office
Political Partner: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development - St Lucia

Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and the Environment - Antigua and Barbuda

Ministry of Climate Resilience, The Environment, Forestry, Fisheries & Disaster Management - Grenada

Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources - Dominican Republic

Ministry of Land and Forestry Management - Suriname

Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITMA) - Cuba

Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management - Belize

Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change - Jamaica

National Environmental and Planning Agency - Jamaica

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State of implementation/results

National implementation activities, such as the application of the methodology to identify priority sites for climate change mitigation and adaptation, the methodology for the assessment of the status, ecosystem services and vulnerability of Caribbean wetlands, and the implementation of a monitoring program for prioritized sites have been ongoing since February 2025, with the monitoring program development near completion.
The consulting team on policy and governance is currently finalizing a Multicriteria Analysis Tool for policy influencing at the national level for each country. This tool was validated and subsequently improved in a virtual regional workshop held in February 2025.
A regional workshop on Policy and Governance was held in Saint Lucia in March 2025, back-to-back with a regional workshop on wetland monitoring. The workshops set the base for the development of the National Action Plans for policy influencing for the inclusion of the wise use approach on national legislation. The workshops also set the basis for the beginning of the national work on wetland monitoring and the implementation of the vulnerability assessment methodologies.
8 national workshops were carried out on wetland monitoring, vulnerability assessment and the implementation of Ramsar resolution XII.15 for all 8 countries between April and July 2025.
Four videos were developed to showcase the importance of the project in the region. These videos will be used to effectively communicate the impact of the project in relevant COPs and events. The videos address “Threats Facing Ramsar Sites”, “Ramsar Sites Legislation and Funding”, “Wise Use of Wetlands” and the value of “Ramsar Sites” within the Caribbean region.
An Internal Agreement with IUCN headquarters is in the approval stage to involve the IUCN Water and Wetlands team with implementation of the second phase of the ICZM component including the facilitation of the regional workshop for participating countries.
The project co-hosted a side event at the 15th RAMSAR-COP held in July 23rd to 31st in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The joint side event highlighted the work currently being done in the region and the impact this has had, the lessons learnt as well as the synergies that have been identified with other regions.

Latest Update:
12/2025