The Dutch Caribbean are party to several international initiatives, treaties and conventions that help to safeguard the conservation of species and their natural habitats in the region and around the world.
The Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS)
The Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS) is a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and concerns about the environment, especially their vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. It functions primarily as an ad hoc lobby and negotiating voice for small island developing States (SIDS) within the United Nations system.
Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) is a product of the desire of the 28 contracting states, countries and territories of the Wider Caribbean to enhance cooperation within the region, an initiative aimed at building upon obvious geographic proximity and well-documented historical linkages. Its primary purpose is to be an organisation for “consultation, cooperation and concerted action” for its member countries. The preservation and conservation of the Caribbean Sea and sustainable tourism are examples of areas of concern for the attention of the Association.
IMO – the International Maritime Organisation
IMO – the International Maritime Organisation – is the United Nations specialised agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles
Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles (IAC) attends to the needs for implementation of harmonious measures between nations, multilateral coordination of conservation and protection actions, and oversight in the implementation of a regional agenda that will enable the recovery of these species.
Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage
Latin America & Caribbean Regional Coverage (LARC) is a knowledge management project focusing on delivering news, information, and analysis on international environment and sustainable development negotiations and policy making in Latin America & the Caribbean.
Caribbean Environment Programme
The Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) falls under the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) administered Regional Seas Programmes. The CEP is managed by and for the countries of the Wider Caribbean Region through the Caribbean Action Plan (1981) outlining regional environmental challenges.
BirdsCaribbean, formerly the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB), is a nonprofit membership organisation working to conserve the birds of the Caribbean and their habitats through research, education, conservation action and capacity building. Founded in 1988, BirdsCaribbean is the largest single bird conservation organisation in the Greater Caribbean region, including Bermuda, the Bahamas and all islands within the Caribbean basin.
WIDECAST, an expert network of biologists, managers, community leaders and educators in more than 40 nations and territories, is committed to an integrated, regional capacity that ensures the recovery and sustainable management of depleted sea turtle populations.
IUCN Caribbean is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s most recent initiative. It focuses on the Insular Caribbean – an ecologically coherent unit with unique biodiversity where conservation and natural resource management issues are at the heart of the challenge of sustainable development.
BirdLife’s work in the Caribbean focuses on the development of an integrated bird conservation programme based firmly on conserving Important Bird Areas and saving globally threatened birds. The Caribbean is a high priority for BirdLife. It is home to over 500 species of bird, more than 25% of which are endemic to the region, and 56 are globally threatened.
The SPAW-RAC is the Regional Activity Centre aimed at implementing the protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) in the Caribbean region from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean Sea.