Abstract

This paper reviews the application of The Nature Conservancy’s ecoregion-based planning process to marine conservation for the tropical northwestern Atlantic. Priority-setting exercises have been undertaken by both international conservation and donor organizations to understand where investment of programs and funding can yield the greatest results in terms of biodiversity protection. The ecoregion-based plan is the “blueprint for conservation” for large landscapes; the process of planning and implementation builds on the terrestrial experience and expertise of The Nature Conservancy and can be applied to conservation of marine and coastal biological diversity as well. Over the past two years, scientists and conservationists have developed a shallow-water marine regional classification system and the assessment tools necessary to carry out a priority-setting exercise for the marine systems of the tropical northwestern Atlantic. We wish to present the process of priority setting for one region, the Central Caribbean to illustrate the utility of this planning process for long-term marine conservation investments. The methods are based on information and ranking criteria developed in the Biodiversity Support Program’s marine geographic priority setting exercise for Latin America and the wider Caribbean.

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