Caribbean Biodiversity Fund

🪸 We’re basically coral reefs in disguise! Did you know? 😅 📷: Zoe Lower, Josh Munoz, Rafa Rivera, Kogia Coral Reef Alliance #ForCoral #LifeIsBetterInColor

🌱 It's often said, “We value what we measure.” 🌎 Did you know that mangroves store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests, making them champions in carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation? 🌳 Or that seagrass beds can capture carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests? Despite covering just 0.2% of the ocean floor, seagrasses account for 10% of the ocean’s carbon storage. Together, mangroves and seagrass beds absorb approximately 14.2 billion metric tons of carbon annually—the equivalent of emissions from over 3 billion cars! 🚗💨 Yet, these vital ecosystems are often overlooked. Without proper understanding and measurement of their immense value, they remain undervalued and at risk of destruction. This week, the Pan American Development Foundation, in partnership with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and the The University of the West Indies, Mona Port Royal Marine Laboratory, hosted specialized training sessions in Jamaica. Led by scientists from Climate Focus, sessions empowered Caribbean project managers to estimate carbon stocks in mangroves and seagrass beds, equipping them to restore these habitats and measure their impact on carbon capture. By recognizing the true worth of mangroves, seagrass beds, and other coastal and marine habitats, we can more effectively mobilize people and resources to protect and restore these ecosystems, ensuring a healthier, more sustainable planet for future generations. 🌿💙 Let’s invest in nature’s superheroes! 💪 #ClimateAction #CarbonCapture #BlueCarbon #Sustainability #EcosystemRestoration #Biodiversity

Last month at the 2024 RedLAC Congress, keynote speaker Professor Dale Webber provided a roadmap titled, “The Path to 2030: Advancing Global Conservation Targets in National and Caribbean Regional Contexts”. The roadmap is an ambitious plan for Caribbean nations to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 and outlines key steps from 2025 to 2030 to achieve this global conservation goal. The 30x30 goal is a subset of the Global Biodiversity Framework which is a landmark agreement aimed at addressing the biodiversity crisis by setting clear targets and guidelines for global conservation efforts that was adopted during the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in December 2022. With unique ecosystems and vulnerable coastal communities, the “30 x 30” goal holds profound significance for the Caribbean region especially. The theme of this year’s Congress is “30x30x30: The Path to 2030” and the addition of the third "30" underscores the urgency of action and the need for accelerated progress if we are to achieve these goals within the next 30 months. Read the roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/eAfHDk_J Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund #RedLAC2024 #RedLAC30x30x30 #RedLACcongress2024 #RedLACPathTo2030 #RedLACSaintLucia #RedLACSaintLucia2024 #RedLACinEC #RedLACcongreso2024 #RedLAC2024 #CongresoLatinoamericano #DesarrolloSostenible #ColaboraciónRegional #Caminoal30x30

📢 The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund is seeking concept note submissions for projects that utilize ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approaches to assist in climate change adaptation in the insular Caribbean. 📆 December 17, 2024 at 11:59 PM UTC-5 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ekSTZi7M #Biodiversity #Conservation #EcosystemBasedAdaptation #ClimateChangeAdaptation #SustainableDevelopment #SustainableFinancing #BiodiversityConservation #CaribbeanConservation #Environment #MarineConservation

🚫 Bleaching ≠ death! Coral reefs can recover from bleaching, but it takes serious work to get them there. 🪸As the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund supports #LifeIsBettterInColor this month, we shine a spotlight on the work that Coral Reef Alliance and their local partners do such as wastewater solutions in the Western Caribbean and fishpond restoration in Hawai’i, tackling local threats to clean water and sustainable fisheries that bolster coral resilience against climate stress. Strong, healthy reefs are within reach—and it all starts with addressing local challenges so corals can thrive in a changing climate. 👉 Learn more about Coral Reef Alliance’s Restore approach: https://hubs.la/Q02W-X-F0 📷: Alex Kydd, Zoe Lower Coral Reef Alliance #ForCoral

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) participated in the INC-5 Side Event: Bridging Gaps, Empowering Change earlier this week. This event focused on strengthening national capacity, evidence-based policy, and financing solutions to support the implementation of a Global Plastics Treaty. During the panel discussion, Rachel Ramsey, Program Manager of the Nature-Based Economies Program (Advancing Circular Economy [ACE] Facility), highlighted the region's unique barriers including the lack of sustainable financing mechanisms for effective waste management. The CBF shared its strategic approach to addressing these gaps and barriers and highlighted the role of conservation trust funds in managing funding flows with a systematic approach to ensure appropriate levels of funding can be absorbed and meaningfully applied to conservation efforts. We remain committed to building innovative financing mechanisms and fostering partnerships to support the Caribbean's transition to a circular economy and reduce plastic pollution. #INC5 #PlasticPollution #CircularEconomy #SustainableFinance #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

At COP29, Ulrike Krauss, Climate Change Program Manager at the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, participated in the side event Science, Partnerships and Climate Finance for Regenerative, Climate Resilient Seascapes. Organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and held at the Science for Climate Action Pavilion, she shared insights on sustainable financing for coastal and marine conservation in the Caribbean. Ulrike highlighted key successes of the CBF Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Facility under the German Government-funded International Climate Initiative (IKI). A prime example is the stabilization of the East Coast shoreline in Grenada through a project implemented by the Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation (WINDREF). She emphasized the importance of EbA projects in creating resilient seascapes with three essential pillars: ensuring local communities benefit from ecosystem services, participatory planning, and addressing root causes of ecosystem degradation, such as mangrove dieback. Luis Pocasangre, Director General of the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), shared practical insight from implementing a CBF EbA mangrove restoration project in the Dominica Republic. He emphasized the need for managing conflicts of interest, as land-based agricultural activities can have profound negative impacts on the regenerative capacity of downstream seascapes. Ulrike’s closing message was clear: successful projects can only last for a few years—it is crucial to engage the private sector and government to integrate these efforts into long-term strategies and budgets. #ClimateAction #Sustainability #CaribbeanConservation #MarineProtection #COP29 #EcosystemBasedAdaptation #ClimateResilience #EcosystemBasedAdaptation #SustainableDevelopment #Environment #SustainableLivelihoods #CaribbeanBiodiversityFund

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chair of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), reflects on the April 2024 workshop aimed at empowering our partner national conservation trust funds. Our goal? To strengthen their capacity to attract diverse funding sources and drive impactful projects that protect the Caribbean's rich biodiversity. Together, we're building a sustainable future by supporting initiatives that make a real difference on the ground. Learn more about how we’re advancing conservation efforts across the Caribbean region: https://lnkd.in/e_qepGba #SustainableDevelopment #BiodiversityConservation #CaribbeanConservation #Environment #MarineConservation #ConservationTrustFunds

CEO Karen McDonald Gayle and Nature-based Economies Program Manager Rachel Ramsey are attending INC-5 in Busan, Korea where the aim is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. According to the World Bank, the amount of plastics found in the Caribbean far exceeds the global average, with 2,014 litter items per kilometer, compared to 573 worldwide. Additionally, 22% of Caribbean households dispose of their waste in rivers and other waterways which carry it to the sea. This has considerable impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Effectively addressing marine litter requires a multifaceted approach, including the promotion of a circular economy. Circular economy principles emphasize product and material life cycle extension through reuse, repair, recycling, and reducing waste generation. The CBF's Advancing Circular Economy (ACE) Facility, under the Nature-based Economies Program, works with public and private sector partners as well as other Caribbean stakeholders to fund projects that promote and apply practical circular economy principles to minimize, prevent or remove waste entering the marine environment and/or removing marine litter. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eX-wmt7h #CircularEconomy #CaribbeanConservation #PlasticPollution #MarinePollution

The Caribbean, home to 36 globally recognized Biodiversity Hotspots, is facing escalating threats from Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and Climate Change, two of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss. At COP29, a side event, Invasive Species Driving Biodiversity Loss and Global Food Insecurity, took on this pressing issue from a global perspective. Organized by Solutions from the Land at the IICA Pavilion, the event shed light on the widespread and devastating impacts of IAS. Key discussions focused on the profound economic losses caused by IAS, particularly in the context of global food security, and the urgent need for innovative solutions to curb their spread. A key takeaway was the growing "tool box" of IAS management strategies, from prevention to eradication. However, one central challenge remains: harmonizing global protocols and expanding efforts in prevention, diagnostic, and exclusion practices to ensure more effective IAS management worldwide. During the event, CBF's Climate Change Program Manager, Ulrike Krauss, highlighted the financial dimension of the issue in her intervention, Financing IAS Management in the Caribbean – Status and Outlook. She outlined the progress of recent IAS projects in the Caribbean and underscored the need for an integrated, regional approach to managing IAS. She also emphasized that prevention remains the most cost-effective strategy but is often difficult to sell to policymakers due to its longterm, invisible success. As she noted, preventing a problem before it occurs doesn’t garner immediate political votes, but it is crucial to the region’s biodiversity and food security. In response to this growing challenge, CBF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CABI to establish a thematic Trust Fund for IAS management in the Caribbean. This fund, which the CBF will manage with CABI serving as Secretariat, aims to raise $120 million for sustainable IAS funding. Through the CBF's existing Conservation Finance Program, this fund will provide long-term, grant-based solutions to support IAS management across the region. As we work towards this goal, the CBF and CABI call for broader policy solutions, including user fees and taxes, to complement this critical funding effort and ensure the continued success of IAS management in the Caribbean. #InvasiveAlienSpecies #COP29 #IICAInCOP29 #SustainableAgriculture #SustainableFutureCOP29 #HouseOfAgriculturaCOP29 #EcosystemBasedAdaptation #CaribbeanConservation #SustainableDevelopment #Environment #SustainableLivelihoods #KfW #SVGCF #CaribbeanBiodiversityFund