LIVING MARINE RESOURCE GOVERNANCE IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN Robin Mahon Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados UNU-FTP/CRFM/UWI Stock Assessment Course August – September 2010 University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados

Overture Caribbean context for LMR governance is very complex Putting appropriate arrangements in place will not be a straightforward matter of transferring an approach from some other region In regional LMR governance we must invent our own way – –Look at approaches that are new – –Be prepared to try them – –Be prepared to learn and adapt as we go

Large Marine Ecosystems of the world Caribbean Gulf of Mexico SE US Continental shelf North Brazil shelf

The Wider Caribbean Region – Context The region is geographically and politically highly diverse and complex  Geopolitical – 26 countries – 44 state entities  Cultural – ethnicity, language  Size – smallest to largest  Development – poorest to most wealthy Hypothetical EEZs

Issues of large scale and complexity in the Wider Caribbean Lots of technical work has been done Has had little impact on governance Many local efforts at management Uncoordinated and disconnected at regional level Duplication of effort 4

Geopolitical components of LME complexity Caribbean Sea

7 Geopolitical components of LME complexity Caribbean Sea

Geopolitical components of LME complexity Caribbean Sea

Natural resource scale9 ShrimpsFlyingfish Large pelagics ● Reef fishes ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

10 WECAFC ICCAT CARICOM Cuba Guatemala Colombia Costa Rica Mexico Honduras Nicaragua Panama Belize Jamaica Guyana Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago OECS *Anguilla**** *Netherlands Antilles *Montserrat**** Antigua & Barbuda Dominica Grenada St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent & Grenadines *British Virgin I.**** Dominican Republic Haiti Suriname *Aruba *Cayman I. *Turks & Caicos I. Barbados CARIFORUM ACS USA Brazil Japan WECAFC LAC *USVI** *Martinique*** *Guadeloupe*** Venezuela *French Guiana*** *Puerto Rico** *** in ICCAT as French Departments * Associate States of ACS Canada France Spain Portugal Morocco USSR Korea Uruguay Ghana Senegal Ivory Coast Angola Gabon Benin Cape Verde Sao Tome & Principe South Africa Bolivia El Salvador Ecuador Peru OLDE- PESCA OSPESCA **in ICCAT as USA Belize **** in ICCAT as UK Institutional Scale Overlapping and nested fisheries related organisations

What do we mean by governance? “Governance is the whole of public as well as private interactions taken to solve societal problems and create societal opportunities. It includes the formulation and application of principles guiding those interactions and care for institutions that enable them.” Bavinck et al 2005

What have other regions done? For fisheries – –Classical approach is a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) with a mandate to assess and manage fisheries For integrated ecosystem management covering both exploited and non-exploited resources – –Few relevant precedents

What’s different about Caribbean fisheries? Primarily many small to medium-scale fisheries that do not generate cash revenues to support a regional management organization.

No large commercial revenue earning fishery to fund RFMO as in:  West Central Pacific Commission (tunas)  SE Atlantic (SEAFO)(orange roughy)  NW atlantic (NAFO) (groundfish) So …. What may be the way forward in the Caribbean? What’s different about Caribbean fisheries? We propose that a networking approach that makes the best use of existing organisations?

DATA AND INFORM- ATION ANALYSIS AND ADVICE REVIEW AND EVALUATION IMPLEMENT- ATION DECISION MAKING We believe this can be approached through a governance framework using the conventional policy cycle -- Like this one. A networking approach that makes the best use of existing organisations?

Building a multi-level policy-cycle based governance framework Diversity Complete Linked laterally Linked vertically DATA AND INFORM- ATION ANALYSIS AND ADVICE REVIEW AND EVALUATION IMPLEMENT- ATION DECISION MAKING The LME governance framework

Long-term goal fully-functional policy cycles at all appropriate levels with the appropriate vertical and lateral linkages. Framework building  Can be approached incrementally with interventions  Specifically targeted at:  Establishing or completing policy cycles  Building or enhancing linkages Building the CLME Governance Framework “Learning by doing”

CLME and CSI - Monitoring and reporting for fisheries UNGA – CSD COFI? ACS – CSI/CSC WECAFC? CARICOM/CRFM? SICA/OSPESCA? OECS/ESDU? OECS? WECAFC FFWG? CRFM? OSPESCA? WECAFC WG? FISHERIES SUB-FRAMEWORK

A wide variety of technical entities with expertise in relevant areas ACS Caribbean Sea Commission reviews advice provided in response to specific requests to appropriate agencies ACS Council Primarily national and local agencies Caribbean Sea Commission and technical agencies ACS policy cycle for living marine resources DATA AND INFORM -ATION ANALYSIS AND ADVICE REVIEW AND EVALUATION IMPLEMENT -ATION DECISION MAKING

CSI - Monitoring and reporting UNGA – CSD COFI? ACS– CSI/CSC There will be a sub-framework for each of several sectors topical areas

CLME and CSI - Monitoring and reporting UNGA – CSD COFI? ACS– CSI/CSC Dialogue on types of indicators that would be of interest in regular monitoring and useful in shaping policy. Specific requests for information and advice. Feedback on information provided Dialogue on types of indicators that would be of interest in regular monitoring and useful in shaping policy. Regular reports on agreed indicators. Responses to specific requests

  ACS and partners have been pursuing the CSI since 1998   Mainly through promotion of the UN Resolution ‘Towards the sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea for present and future generations’ at the UN General Assembly.   First adopted in 1999 (Res )   Reported upon, revised and readopted in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (Res , Res , ))   Upcoming report in 2010 Caribbean Sea Initiative (CSI)

In the resolution the UNGA: ‘Recognizes that the Caribbean Sea is an area of unique biodiversity and a highly fragile ecosystem that requires relevant regional and international development partners to work together to develop and implement regional initiatives to promote the sustainable conservation and management of coastal and marine resources, including, inter alia, the consideration of the concept of the Caribbean Sea as a special area in the context of sustainable development, including its designation as such without prejudice to relevant international law’. Caribbean Sea Initiative (CSI)

The UNGA resolution also:   Takes note of the efforts of the Caribbean States and the work undertaken by the CSC of the ACS...   Welcomes the plan of action adopted by the CSC...   Recognizes the efforts of Caribbean countries to create conditions leading to sustainable development...   Calls upon the UN system and the international community to assist [...] Caribbean countries and their regional organizations [...] to ensure the protection of the Caribbean Sea...   Calls upon the international community, the UN system and the multilateral financial institutions, and invites the GEF [...] to support [...] activities of the Caribbean States towards [...] the sustainable management of coastal and marine resources;   Urges the UN system and the international community to continue to provide aid and assistance to the countries of the Caribbean region [for] disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, management, relief and recovery Caribbean Sea Initiative (CSI)

As part of the CSI the CSC was established in 2008 to promote and oversee the sustainable use of the Caribbean Sea. The Commission shall comprise:   National delegations of Members and Associate Members   The Secretary General of the Association   Organisations   The Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)   The Caribbean Community (CARICOM)   The Latin American Economic System (CELA)   The Central American Integration System (SICA)   The Permanent Secretariat for the General Agreement on Central American Economic Integration (SIECA)   The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)   Three experts appointed by the Secretary General in consultation with Members and Associate Members Operating Statute and Rules of Procedure of the CSC, January 2009 Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC)

The Caribbean Sea Commission comprises:  A Bureau comprising the Chair, the two Vice- chairs, and the Secretariat;  A Legal Sub-Commission;  A Scientific and Technical Sub-Commission;  A Governance, Public Information and Outreach Sub-Commission;  A Budget Committee Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC)

 Scientific and Technical Subcommission Cochairs  Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of the West Indies, Barbados and  Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de la Habana, Cuba;  Governance, Outreach and Public Information Subcommission cochairs  CARICOM  SICA  Legal Subcommission cochairs  Mr. Oscar Monge Castro, Attorney-at-Law, Costa Rica  Mr Derrick Oderson Attorney-at-Law, Barbados. CSC Subcommissions

The Sub-Commissions will support the mandate of the CSC by:  Clarifying information that the CSC needs to meet its mandate to provide advice to the ACS council;  Identifying individuals, organizations or projects that can provide the expertise and information needed;  Coordinating the acquisition, review and synthesis of the information needed;  Formulating or overseeing the formulation of draft advisory documents for consideration by the CSC;  Obtaining and providing clarification as requested by the CSC on any submitted draft advisory documents in a timely manner. CSC Subcommissions

  CSC adopted the LME Governance Framework as its working model for regional ocean governance arrangements   CSC will focus first on living marine resources which are the basis for livelihoods in fisheries, tourism and domestic recreation, as well as providing many other ecosystem services   Based on partnership with CLME Project with focus on transboundary living marine resources in the Wider Caribbean Region CSC role in regional ocean governance

This contribution has been developed through: The MarGov Project Marine Resource Governance in the Eastern Caribbean (MarGov Project) A Project at CERMES supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada And The PROGOVNET Project ‘Strengthening Principled Ocean Governance Networks - Transferring Lessons from the Caribbean to the Wider Ocean Governance Community’ A joint project of Dalhousie University, the International Ocean Institute, Canada and CERMES, UWI Supported by The Nippon Foundation Thanks