Caribbean Community

The theme for the Rio Conventions Pavilion (RCP) on Wednesday, 7 December, was Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Tourism and Fisheries Management. Presentations and discussions focused on showcasing solutions from islands and from other States, as tourism destinations and “biodiversity hotspots.” In the afternoon participants focused on integrating sustainable fisheries management into wider sustainable development frameworks including tourism. The event was organized by the Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA), the CBD Secretariat and the Government of Mexico. In the morning session participants considered ways to mainstream biodiversity into tourism development, tourism and biodiversity “Bright Spots,” with a discussion panel looking at progress and experiences from Mexico, Costa Rica and the British Virgin Islands. The use of IUCN’s Green List Standard for Protected Areas was also discussed. A subsequent panel considered different approaches to tourism and financing, including national conservation fund partnerships, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund and other initiatives involving the private sector and NGOs. After lunch the focus turned to the interaction between tourism and fisheries. The first panel discussed national approaches to sustainable tourism and fisheries, with presentations on initiatives from the Seychelles, Mexico’s islands, Belize and Indonesia, focusing on community participation and community right-based approaches. A second panel looked at regional and global approaches, including perspectives on tourism and fisheries in the context of sub-regional biodiversity strategies, the experience in the Caribbean Community states, and gender perspectives. The day ended with an informal discussion session where participants shared ideas and experiences on the day’s topics. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary report from RCP at CBD COP 13. A summary of the Rio Conventions Pavilion events is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Session Kate Brown, Executive Director, Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) Oliver Hillel, CBD Secretariat Kedrick Pickering, Deputy Premier, British Virgin Islands Alberto Pacheco Capella, UN Environment (UNEP) Participants during the session Session 1: Tourism Discussion Panel 1: Tourism and Biodiversity Bright Spots Panelists during the session Trevor Sandwith, IUCN Teresa Solis, Ministry of Tourism, Mexico Eric Coppenger, African Wildlife Foundation Audience members pose questions to the panel Discussion Panel 2: Tourism and Financing Panelists during the session Geoffrey Bolan, CEO, Sustainable Travel International Mae Adams, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Matt Jeffery, National Audubon Society Yabanex Batista, Caribbean Biodiversity Fund Robbie Bovino, TNC Session 2: Tourism and Fisheries Discussion Panel 1: Tourism and Fisheries - National Approaches View of the panel during the session Alain de Comarmond, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Seychelles Spencer Thomas, Ambassador for Multilateral Environment Agreements, Grenada Leonel Requena, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Handoko Adi Susanto, Rare Federico Méndez Sánchez, Island Ecology and Conservation Group (GECI) Discussion Panel 2: Tourism and Fisheries - Regional and Global Approaches Panel speakers during the session Jamison Ervin, UNDP Afrina Choudhury, WorldFish Therese Yarde, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Around the Venue