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About SPAW-RAC

The Caribbean Sea is singular due to its enclosed position, its particular biodiveristy, its numerous islands and therefore its different people and culture. This Sea provides innumerable benefits to human populations, mainly as food supply and touristic revenues. To ensure their future, it is necessary for Caribbean territories to act as a body to preserve this environment. Therefore, the Cartagena Convention, which is the only legally restrictive regional agreement on the environment, was adopted in 1983 and is ratified by 26 Caribbean countries. Its secretariat is ensured by the Regional Coordination Unit for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEnvironment-RCU) and is established at Kingston (Jamaica). It is supported by three protocols that respectively deal with 1. Oil Spills, 2. Biodiversity (SPAW) and 3. Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS). The protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region (SPAW) was adopted on 18 January 1990 and entered into fore a decade later, on 18 June 2000. It is ratified by 17 countries (which represents more that 30 territories). SPAW protocol gathers 32 protected areas, mainly marine. The protocol is also accompanied with three appendices which list 1. Strictly protected species of flora, 2. Strictly protected species of fauna and 3. Species of flora or fauna with regulation of exploitation issues. SPAW-RAC is based at DEAL of Guadeloupe, Basse-Terre (France). Principal SPAW-RAC mission is to implement the SPAW protocol across the Wider Caribbean Region. To achieve that, it gathers protected areas, helps to create new ones and helps to their management through training workshops for instance. It also review the species listed under the appendices. Furthermore SPAW-RAC can create, conduct or assist various environmental projects. It also participates to different scaled meetings to broadcast information and knowledge about the Caribbean environmental issues.

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