First-Ever Protected Area Management Effectiveness Assessment Conducted for the Barbados Marine Reserve

The Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway along with the National Conservation Commission (NCC) 
co-hosted a series of workshops on Protected Area Management Effectiveness Assessment for the Barbados -- alias Folkestone -- Marine Reserve on Thursday 20th, Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th August 2020, at the Solutions Centre, the University of the West Indies (UWI).

The workshops, the first of its kind in Barbados, were intended to: comprehensively review the operations, challenges and issues of the Barbados Marine Reserve (BMR); to assess the current state of management at the BMR; and ultimately improve the management of the reserve to provide a well-managed Marine Protected Area with services for both locals and tourists alike to enjoy.

Participants ranging from key government ministries, stakeholders of the Barbados Marine Reserve, educational institutions, and non-governmental organisations actively participated in the assessment of the management of the reserve. 

The process was led by the NCC, with the assessment itself being facilitated by the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway, the regional resource hub for biodiversity and protected area data, information, tools and services, which is hosted by the UWI, through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA), programme.
The results and recommendations of the assessment will be utilised by the management agency to identify next steps and the way forward regarding improving management of the BMR.

The Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway continues to work in close collaboration with the management agency of the BMR and other related biodiversity and environmental related organisations. This is being done to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in Barbados.