News

Diseases passed from animals to humans are on the rise, as the world continues to see unprecedented destruction of wild habitats by human activity. Scientists suggest that degraded habitats may encourage more rapid evolutionary processes and diversification of diseases, as pathogens spread easily to livestock and humans.

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly spreading disease affecting over 20 species of hard corals in the Caribbean. These are some of the slowest-growing and longest-lived reef-building corals. It was discovered first in the reefs of Florida in 2014 and has since then spread and been found in corals in parts of the Caribbean. It is suspected to be a bacterial pathogen spreading by contact or through waterways.

The Economist Group's World Ocean Initiative has launched the Women and the ocean: Changemakers challenge which aims to showcase leading female changemakers across the ocean supply chain who are working to develop business solutions to achieve ocean-related sustainability.

Various regional experts have been nominated for the four Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee(SPAW STAC) ad hoc Working Groups (protected areas, species, exemptions and Sargassum) according to the rules of the recently adopted Terms of Reference following

The Sandals Foundation has produced a video highlighting the main activities of the Whitehouse and Bluefields Solid Waste Reduction Project in Jamaica.

On the eve of a critical year for environmental decision-making, Colombia, Germany and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced that Colombia will host World Environment Day 2020 in partnership with Germany and that it will focus on biodiversity.

   

Biodiversity for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean through Ecosystem Based Management (EBM-DSS) was a 4-year project (2015-2019) implemented under our  Marine Biodiversity Sub-Programme in the Dominican Republic.

The Cartagena Convention Secretariat and the Caribbean Node of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML-Caribe) have launched a social media campaign entitled #PlasticFreeChristmas to help raise awareness of plastic pollution in the Caribbean and to share tips on sustainable alternatives to plastic during the Christmas holiday season.

The Trash Free Waters Partnership will be officially launched in Jamaica at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) office on the 18th of August, 2016. 

The MoU was signed in September 2019 in keeping with recommendations and decisions emanating from the 8th SPAW STAC (STAC8) held in Panama (December 2018), and 15th COP to the Cartagena Convention (COP15) held in Honduras (Jun

Barbados will host the Intercessional Forum for Ministers of Environment from Latin America and the Caribbean, from Tuesday, November 5, until Wednesday November 6. President of the Forum of Ministers of Environment for Latin America and the Caribbean, Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Trevor Prescod, will chair the meeting, which takes place at Hilton Barbados, Needhams Point, St. Michael.

Head of the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Vincent Sweeney, says the organisation fully endorses the Rae Town Plastic Recycling Pilot Project, in Kingston, being implemented as a viable option to improve and diversify the country’s solid waste management programme.

The 1st International Conference on Sargassum was successfully hosted in Guadeloupe. The event which took place from October 23-26, 2019 brought together stakeholders from the Caribbean and other countries of the world to discuss the issue of sargassum.

Pilot: Solid Waste Reduction Project in Bluefields & Whitehouse, Westmoreland, Jamaica Solid Waste Reduction Project

The Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund announces NOK 20 million for projects to reduce plastic pollution outside Norway. Countries with major plastic pollution challenges and limited resources will be prioritised. Applications open on the 15th of October, and the announcement is open to both Norwegian and international actors.

The Caribbean is home to more than 700 islands and coastal countries that are connected by a shared resource - the Caribbean Sea.  This Sea forms the lifeblood of the region’s tourism, maritime and fisheries industries.   However, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, valuable coastal and marine resources are under increasing threat from land and marine-based sources of pollution.

On September 21, 2019, several groups around the world rallied together to take part in beach cleanups in celebration of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day.

Building Partnerships is at the core of our work  

Over the past few decades, people around the world have been mobilized every year to participate in cleanup activities along beaches, river banks, and even, underwater.

“The Caribbean is the second most plastic-contaminated sea in the world after the Mediterranean Sea.  Estimations of the volume of plastic waste in this area range from 600 to 1,414 plastic items per square kilometer in different locations.” - Report on Status of Styrofoam and Plastic Bag Bans in the Wider Caribbean, UNEP – Caribbean Environment Programme, May 2019

Kingston, Jamaica. July 25, 2019. The Cartagena Convention Secretariat, based in Kingston, Jamaica, is pleased to announce that on June 29, 2019 the Government of Barbados acceded to its Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS).

Contributed by Waterlogic

Contributed by Professor Robin Mahon “What on Earth is BBNJ?”

Are you from a Small Island Developing State and in the 15-24 age group? Do you have a talent for writing, photography, creating music or artwork? Then this international competition for youths may be for you!