Abstract

Since its creation in 1997 by the UNEP Caribbean Program, the Caribbean MPA Management Network and Forum (CaMPAM) has undergone a notable transformation to improve its effectiveness and better serve the needs of MPA practitioners in the Wider Caribbean region. The continuous effort by UNEP to attract the interest and energy of individual experts, and develop a diversity of partnerships has been the philosophical stone that has converted CaMPAM into a communication and training program that now serves the MPA community of the wider Caribbean. However, despite the existence of this and other MPA training initiatives (by OPAAL, TNC, MAR Fund, GEF, national MPA agencies, and other) that have contributed to the increasing qualification of MPA practitioners, there are still large differences in capacity between countries and there are also in different stages of developing effectively designed and managed MPA national systems, one –a good one but not the only- important tool to achieve an effective national coastal management scheme. Among the challenges facing MPA managers are lack of economic incentives for local community participation in MPA management, lack of government support for regional environmental initiatives, and weak national policies supporting the effective implementation of MPA programs. This paper presents an overview of the strategy of the CaMPAM capacity building program, and the work of UNEP-CEP and its committed partners to address those challenges and better serve and meet the training needs of an ever changing MPA community.

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