WILLEMSTAD – Marine conservationists from ten Caribbean islands gathered earlier this month in Curaçao for an intensive workshop focused on sustainable funding for protected marine areas. The three-day event was organized by the Blue Marine Foundation, Blue Nature Alliance, and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA).
Representatives from all six Dutch Caribbean islands, as well as from Barbados, the Dominican Republic, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Kitts & Nevis, came together to explore new financing strategies for nature conservation, drawing on case studies from the region and around the world.
The workshop centered on collaboration and knowledge-sharing to address the growing funding gap faced by marine conservation projects in the Caribbean. “Ten Caribbean islands have come together to brainstorm creative and innovative ways to attract financial resources for marine protection,” said Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine. “In our collective effort to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, the Caribbean Sea is becoming a 'Sea of Hope.'”
This global "30 by 30" initiative aims to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, with a focus on preserving biodiversity, enhancing climate resilience, and ensuring sustainable income for coastal communities.
Sarah Elsaid of Blue Nature Alliance emphasized that conservation funding must be driven by island communities: “Change starts with listening and working together with the people who know these areas best. The choices we make today will impact the ocean and the communities that depend on it.”