Abstract

Marine ecosystems and the biodiversity they contain are extremely important for sustaining livelihoods, maintaining food security, providing crucial ecosystem services and contributing to overall human wellbeing. MPAs, throughout our region, are distinct only by name or geographic boundaries, but can be highly connected due to the nature of the marine environment and the highly mobile and shared resources they house. Effective MPA management therefore requires a number of key components which include: an easy-to-use platform for the bringing together and dissemination of data and information; analysis of trends at local, national and regional levels; a robust communication network; the continual enhancement of capacities at local, national and regional levels and; grant facilities/funding mechanisms inter alia. The Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway (Caribbean Gateway), hosted by the University of the West Indies (UWI) and jointly implemented with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Commission-Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC), seeks to address the above-mentioned components of effective MPA management with an overall goal of improving decision making, PA management and the conservation of biodiversity. The Caribbean Gateway is based on open-source, free and secure technologies and consists of four main components: user friendly platform, data management system, communications platform and a grant facility. It engages primarily with national and regional level agencies, PA practitioners and key stakeholders to provide key tools, analyses and services. For example, the Caribbean Gateway is currently working on a State of Protected Areas report for the Caribbean region to elucidate trends, threats, data/information gaps, challenges, recommendations and the way forward inter alia.

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