Abstract

The Wider Caribbean has realized a sharp increase in newly designated MPAs in recent years. Many of these sites struggle to build management capacity, acquire and train staff, and secure public support for the sustainable use and con-servation of marine resources. In early 2013, senior Caribbean marine resource professionals gathered in the Dominican Republic to collaboratively design and initiate launch of a mentorship program that supports peer-to-peer sharing of knowledge, skills and lessons learned in effective MPA management. Mentoring has long been recognized as an ef-fective means to improve individual and organizational capacity and performance. The mentorship program represents the newest addition to the suite of tools and resources brought forth by the Caribbean Marine Protected Area Managers Network and Forum (CaMPAM). The primary goal is to sustainably enhance professional capacities of MPA managers and practitioners throughout the region by responding directly to common training and technical needs. The program will enhance the transfer of new skills into practice from learning theory combined with demonstration, practice, evaluation during training and both in-situation and ongoing support. The initiative builds upon the Training of Trainers Course on Marine Protected Area Management, CaMPAM’s flagship training that started in 1999 and has since enhanced professional development for hundreds of MPA managers across the Caribbean.

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