WWF INVOLVEMENT IN THE GREATER CARIBBEAN

WF got involved in the Greater Caribbean in 1961. Since then, some US$24
million has been spent on conservation work throughout the region. The
largest amount (36%) has been for set aside for education, training,
organizational development, and capacity-building. Just under a third
(31%) has been spent on planning and management of protected areas, about
a sixth (16%) on protection and management of species, and the rest (12%)
used to promote the sustainable use of resources.
The Greater Caribbean Programme, which is part of WWF's Latin America and
Caribbean Programme, was formally set up in 1992. Two Programme Offices
have been established in Mexico, and one in Costa Rica for Central
America. In addition, there are four Project Management Offices situated
in Belize (Belmopán), Mexico (Oaxaca), St Lucia, and Costa Rica (San José).
For over four decades, vast tracts of forest-land have been cleared or
severely damaged. Hence, early WWF work in this region concentrated on
two priority biomes (life zones) forests and oceans/coasts. Today, WWF's
forest conservation and management projects cover a wide range of both
dry and moist forests in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Dominica, and St Lucia.
The region has other problems. Coastal and marine areas are becoming less
productive due to over-exploitation, indiscriminate pollution, drainage
schemes, and inappropriate development. Conservation of key coastal and
marine habitats (mangrove forests, sea grass beds, and coral reefs) is
the main focus of the Insular Caribbean Programme. In the region's
coastal zone, assistance is being provided to projects in Mexico
(Southern Yucatan and the Gulf of California), Belize, Southern Honduras,
and Northeast Nicaragua.
For the next three years, WWF's strategies will have a three-pronged
focus planning and management of protected areas, sustainable
development, education schemes, and institutional development. In
addition, environmental legislation in treaties will be promoted. These
include a study of the impact of pesticides on coastal and marine
ecosystems and the establishment of a toxicchemical register. A
Land-Based Pollution Protocol to the Cartagena Convention, the
international convention covering the Caribbean, is also being developed.
Back to the previous page
|