Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic fishers
Dominican Republic | Fishers pull their nets in Samaná Bay, a key seascape the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program helps protect. © Mark Godfrey/TNC

Stories in the Caribbean

Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program

Working with partners, we strive to protect biodiversity and improve community wellbeing across critical seascapes in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program is a five-year project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by The Nature Conservancy, that aims to achieve sustained biodiversity conservation, maintain and restore critical ecosystems and realize tangible improvements in human and community wellbeing.

Operating in five target countries—Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Vincent & the Grenadines—this program focuses on creating and effectively managing marine conserved areas and establishing and promoting sustainable fisheries. By addressing direct and indirect threats to coastal and marine biodiversity, the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program works to ensure a sustainable future where nature and people can thrive.

What is Biodiversity? (3:05) What if all the variety on the planet disappeared? It could happen. Extinctions are happening faster than ever. If we remove too many pieces the health of our environment, food supply, and economies could crumble. But if we can agree to prioritize biodiversity, we can save the planet and ourselves.
Kayak tour in Samaná Bay, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic The Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program supports alternative livelihoods, like guiding kayak tours, to reduce fishing pressures and protect biodiversity. © Tim Calver
Program Goals Across Five Target Countries
  • Establish effective, functional marine conserved areas and sustainable fisheries
  • Protect and successfully manage at least 3.9 million hectares of nearshore coastal and marine habitat
  • Establish reliable funding for marine and coastal conservation through the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund—an endowment fund providing long-term financial support for conserved area management today and into the future
  • Demonstrate sustainable fishing practices and alternate livelihoods to benefit hundreds of fishers and community members
  • Establish relationships with key private sector companies that promote ecotourism in support of marine conservation efforts

The Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program emphasizes sustainable use of the marine and coastal resources on which local economies and communities depend, along with the establishment of long-term, reliable funding to support marine conservation initiatives and management into the future.

Protecting the Future of Jamaica's Fisheries Through the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program, Cedella Harvey helps protect some of Jamaica’s most vital waters. Providing for her family as Pedro Bank’s first female fisheries warden, she strives to ensure there will still be fish left to sustain her children’s generation and those to follow.

Learn More About the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program

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