Abstract

"The Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW-RAC) supports signatories Countries to the SPAW Protocol with regard to preservation of marine and coastal habitats as well as protection of endangered species (fauna and flora) and listing of established Protected Areas playing a key role in the Caribbean. As part of its work, SPAW-RAC is involved in the EU-funded Carib-Coast Project (2019-2022) led by the French Geological Survey (BRGM). This project aims to gather, build, and broadcast knowledge about coastal erosion risk management in the Caribbean. Indeed, coastal erosion is expected to intensify in the future due to continuous human impacts and climate change effects putting Caribbean States at risk. As part of this project, SPAW-RAC and the French Forestry Office (ONF) launched various pilot projects across the Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Guadeloupe) to restore coastal ecosystems including coral reef, sea grass beds, mangrove and upper beach which are key habitats towards coastal protection and erosion mitigation. These pilot projects are concrete examples of nature-based solutions (NBS) and can serve as best practices for other Caribbean territories facing similar challenges. Given the importance of GCFI Annual Meetings, it would be an outstanding opportunity to present the results from the Carib-Coast project and share knowledge and skills developed on climate-change adaptation with regional partners."

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