- Caribbean Nations Launch Joint Marine Plan to Turn Protected Areas into Connected Seas
Caribbean nations and conservation partners have launched a multi-country plan to protect marine ecosystems across the Greater Antilles, moving the region away from fragmented national interventions towards an integrated network of connected seas.
The Caribbean Biological Corridor’s 30×30 Plus Marine Action Plan was unveiled at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, CBD COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia, on October 27, 2026.
The plan seeks to help participating countries deliver on the global commitment to conserve at least 30.00% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. Known as “30×30”, the target forms part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed by governments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
However, the Caribbean initiative goes beyond increasing the number or geographical size of marine protected areas. Its central objective is to ensure that protected waters are ecologically connected, properly managed and capable of sustaining marine species whose movements cross national boundaries.
The Wildlife Conservation Society and Caribbean Biological Corridor launched the framework with support from the United Nations Environment Programme, Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and REV Ocean.
The initiative focuses particularly on the Greater Antilles, including Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. These territories possess separate political and regulatory systems but share marine habitats, migratory routes and ecological threats.
“The ocean knows no borders, and neither should our conservation efforts,” said Pamela Castillo, WCS 30×30 Marine Director.
She warned that global progress towards marine conservation targets risked falling behind because of increasing pressure on ocean ecosystems, governance weaknesses and limited financial resources.
The challenge identified by the plan is straightforward but difficult to resolve. A marine protected area created by one country may preserve a breeding ground, coral reef or feeding habitat. Yet the fish, turtles, sharks and marine mammals using that area may migrate into waters where protection is weaker or nonexistent.
Pollution, illegal fishing and habitat destruction can also move across maritime borders. Conservation gains achieved in one jurisdiction may therefore be undermined by inaction elsewhere.
The Caribbean plan attempts to correct this weakness by connecting nationally protected waters to shared offshore areas and migratory corridors. Instead of viewing every marine reserve as an isolated unit, it proposes treating the regional seascape as an interdependent ecological system.
This approach represents a significant change in how conservation success is measured.
Governments have traditionally highlighted the number of protected areas established or the total surface area covered. Those indicators are politically convenient because they are easy to quantify. They do not necessarily reveal whether marine species are recovering, fishing practices are sustainable or ecosystems remain capable of providing food, coastal protection and livelihoods.
José “Pepe” Gerhartz, Conservation Specialist at the CBC Secretariat, said success must be judged by both the amount of nature conserved and the effectiveness of that conservation.
“Our countries share an ocean, and the responsibility to protect it,” he said. “We can connect national efforts into a common regional vision.”
The plan therefore recognises that declaring 30.00% of an ocean protected will mean little if enforcement is weak, destructive activity simply shifts elsewhere or the designated areas fail to cover ecologically important habitats.
Its “30×30 Plus” framing attempts to move the conversation beyond numerical targets towards ecological integrity. The objective is not only to protect a percentage of the sea but to maintain the natural processes that allow marine ecosystems to function.
For Caribbean countries, this is also an economic issue.
Healthy coral reefs, mangroves and fisheries support tourism, employment, food security and coastal communities. Mangroves and reefs can reduce the effects of storm surges, while functioning marine ecosystems strengthen the resilience of islands exposed to hurricanes and rising sea levels.
When those natural systems deteriorate, governments may face declining fisheries, weakened tourism revenues and higher expenditure on engineered coastal defences.
The plan’s success will nonetheless depend on whether political commitments are matched by scientific knowledge, enforcement capacity and sustained funding.
A REV Ocean scientific expedition planned for 2027 is expected to collect baseline information to support joint offshore protection and multi-country conservation agreements. Shared scientific data could help governments identify migratory routes, vulnerable habitats and areas where coordinated protection would produce the greatest ecological benefits.
The expedition could also address a persistent problem in marine policy: governments are frequently asked to regulate vast offshore territories without sufficient information about the species and ecosystems contained within them.
Science alone, however, will not establish functioning protected areas. Governments must agree on compatible regulations, monitoring systems and enforcement arrangements. They will also need to decide how responsibilities and costs are shared where conservation benefits extend across several jurisdictions.
Financing may prove to be the most difficult obstacle.
Traditional conservation funding is often assigned to projects within a single country. Donors and development institutions commonly require funds to be spent within clearly defined national boundaries and reported through one government or implementing organisation.
That model is poorly suited to migratory corridors and shared seascapes. A turtle or fish population does not remain within a donor’s approved project boundary, while patrol vessels, research programmes and monitoring technology may need to operate across multiple jurisdictions.
The Caribbean plan consequently calls for financing mechanisms capable of supporting cross-border initiatives. This could involve regional funding windows, blended finance, conservation trust funds, guarantees and other arrangements designed to reduce the perceived risks of multi-country investment.
The crucial question will be whether these mechanisms can provide long-term funding rather than temporary support around the plan’s launch.
Marine conservation requires continuous monitoring, community participation and enforcement. A protected area that cannot finance patrols or maintain local support may become little more than a boundary on a map.
National leadership will remain important within the regional framework. Jamaica, for example, is expanding its protected-area network and aligning its national programme with the Global Biodiversity Framework and the new Caribbean action plan.
Ambassador Professor Dale Webber, Jamaica’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Environment, Ocean and Blue Economy, said the country’s creation of a Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change demonstrated its commitment to environmental policy. Jamaica is also expected to host the 13th Our Ocean Conference in 2029.
The Caribbean Biological Corridor has provided a platform for environmental cooperation for almost two decades. The new plan will test whether that experience can be converted into shared rules, coordinated investment and measurable improvements in ocean health.
Its ambition is significant because the world does not merely need more marine protected areas. It needs protected areas that function together, conserve biodiversity and support the people whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans.
For the Greater Antilles, the 30×30 Plus plan offers a route from national promises to regional implementation. But its credibility will ultimately depend on what happens after the conference: where protection is established, how it is financed and whether the Caribbean’s connected seas become healthier rather than merely better mapped.
