Loss of CARICOM’s biodiversity being addressed through policy development, international collaborations – Secretary General tells summit

Jul 24, 2025 News

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Kaieteur News – Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Dr. Carla Barnett told the inaugural Global Biodiversity Summit being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) that the loss of CARICOM’s biodiversity is being addressed through “policy development, international collaborations and regional initiatives.”

She told the delegates and Heads-of-State present at the summit that in the Caribbean biodiversity faces several threats, with climate change being included. This is so, because the region is vulnerable due to the small masses of land coupled with low elevation and the dependence on climate sensitive sectors.

“Sea level rise threatens coastal habitats, mangroves, sea grass beds and turtle nesting sites, and resultant saltwater intrusion affects fresh water ecosystems. Warmer ocean temperatures trigger bleaching and mass die-off in coral reefs, and as hurricanes and tropical storms become more frequent and destructive, they cause widespread habitat destruction, pollution and displacement of species,” she explained.

Dr. Barnett also highlighted, that man-made impacts are also a threat to the region’s biodiversity, along with invasive species, and overexploitation including illegal logging, overfishing and unregulated water use which can alter ecosystems and threaten native species.

“As CARICOM seeks to balance economic growth and development with ecological sustainability, it has been actively responding to biological and biodiversity loss through a mixture of policy development, international collaboration and regional initiatives.

She commended President Irfaan Ali for hosting the initiative and bringing together global leaders, scientists, indigenous voices and innovators in a positive move to consolidate global efforts towards biodiversity protection.

Dr. Barnett explained that biodiversity promotes the health of ecosystems, sustains and supports cultural traditions within the Caribbean Community and globally. She said the CARICOM community is a melting pot of biodiversity, as it is rich with endemic species, coral reefs, mangroves, rainforests, wetlands and fresh water systems.

“CARICOM biodiversity isn’t just ecologically rich, it is economically vital as our rich ecosystems support food security; tourism and coastal protection, while also offering vital services such as storm buffering and climate regulation. Forested countries like Guyana, Belize and Suriname store significant carbon, presenting opportunities for climate finance, we have heard a lot of that today,” the CARICOM Secretary General added.

However, she noted that less well understood and documented is the rich genetic diversity of CARICOM, which holds potential for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and even biotechnology. Additionally, the traditional knowledge held by the local and indigenous communities is valuable when it comes to how species and ecosystems can be integrated into sustainable development and protected under intellectual property frameworks. The particular area holds much potential and can benefit from an increase in technical and scientific cooperation, as well “as strategic partnerships that can emerge under this Global Biodiversity Alliance.”

“CARICOM has played an important role in the multilateral environment and development agenda in advocating safeguarding global natural resources through the holding of significant conferences on biological diversity. In the Bahamas, for example, the Conference of the Parties on the Convention on Biological Diversity, CARICOM has also piloted resolutions on sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea for present and future generations, and anchored the negotiations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the BBNJ,” Dr. Barnett said.

Further, she said the regional community has recognised that it must be proactive in flipping the switch from vulnerability to resilience, with key responses including “the articulation of the Caribbean Community Environment and Natural Resources Policy Framework, which is an umbrella policy to guide sustainable management of environment and natural resources across our Member States, the draft CARICOM Biodiversity Strategy, which is being aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to promote harmonized conservation efforts and sustainable use of biodiversity resources.”

While the vision of 25 by 2025 is now 2025 plus five, the regional plan of CARICOM is still to reduce the food import bill of the region by boosting local agriculture and integrating biodiversity into food security and production systems. Also necessary is proactive engagement in international agreements and treaties, which is evident in the region’s strong presence at the 16th Conference of Parties on Biological Diversity, and its leading role in negotiating the treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Also vital are partnerships with organisations like the European Union (EU), “the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States, and the UN Environmental Programme to build a Member State’s capacity to implement the biodiversity cluster of multilateral environmental agreements.”

These are all activities that CARICOM is involved in and has been making steady progress while being driven by key partnerships, however attention is needed to address enforcement and governance.  “It is recognised that capacity building and funding for environmental protection and regulation agencies remain priorities, as well as the need for strengthened mechanisms to enhance community engagement and local stewardship, and perhaps most importantly, we must do more to align biodiversity management and conservation with national development plans,” Dr. Barnett said.

“This summit is therefore well poised to allow for attention to be paid on how to encourage constructive engagements, on partnerships in technical and scientific cooperation and in financing for biodiversity. It will also allow for discussions between commercial users of biodiversity with provider countries on areas including access to financing and putting biodiversity back on the path to recovery,” she added.

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• CARICOM, Dr. Carla Barnett, Global Biodiversity Summit, International, policies, regional initiatives

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