Networking

Introduction The Caribbean is a region in the Americas with islands and coasts bordering the Caribbean sea. Three countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) and the three special municipalities Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are placed in the Caribbean and main the reason why Wageningen University & Research has been and is doing quiet some research in the Caribbean. Also still a historic and dynamic relation with Surinam exist and the new government and the easiness of sharing a common language created new opportunities with ministries, research institutes and the University of Anton de Kom in Surinam.

In the second half of 2022 visits of several WUR experts to other Caribbean islands are foreseen and beginning 2023 WUR expects to come up with a strategy to work on specific topics with partners in the Caribbean in the framework of challenges faced by Small Island Development State. This booklet is a first step and offers you an overview of the research of WUR in the Caribbean. Apart from the projects in the Dutch Caribbean (on for example ecology of the valorisation of Sargassum) it shows you work on food security in Cuba and fruit quality in Haiti as well as marine research under water on corals, sea turtles and sharks.

BirdsCaribbean is the largest regional organization dedicated to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in the insular Caribbean (including Bermuda, the Bahamas and all islands within the Caribbean basin). Our leadership team is comprised of diverse conservation professionals and environmentalists from across the region and the U.S.

Founded in 1988, it is a non-profit (501 (c) 3) membership organization with over 1,200 members and supporters from around the world and throughout the islands. BirdsCaribbean serves as the Caribbean’s primary forum to promote on-the-ground conservation action by increasing human capacity, raising awareness, and promoting sound science. We also emphasize the  sharing of best practices, tools, innovations and lessons learned. By working together with our members and affiliated groups we influence decision-making and conservation policy.

Key to this is building networks and partnerships with local, national and international organizations and institutions, and developing regional projects that help our partners achieve our shared bird conservation goals. We also work to engage people of all ages in learning about birds—their beauty, value and why it is important to protect them. We do this through several of our flagship programs such as the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project, and Caribbean Waterbird Census, as well as programs like the Caribbean Birding Trail that seek to demonstrate the economic value of birds and their habitats. As a result, BirdsCaribbean and its partners have developed numerous regional projects, activities, and materials that facilitate local research, management, conservation, education and outreach.

Program development at BirdsCaribbean is driven by outputs from our Working Groups, workshops, members and partners that tackle a broad range of conservation issues and species-specific work, discussed at our international conferences. What every Working Group shares, however, is the ethic that any tool we develop or information we gather will be disseminated widely throughout the region and to our partners.

Integral to several of the organization’s core programs is formal opportunities for training and career development at the island level for local people. The nature of our programs also provides an informal environment for mentoring students and young  wildlife professionals.

The Biodiversity Management Toolbox is a product of the NetBiome CSA network, a partnership for research and sustainable management of  (sub)tropical biodiversity in the European Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). This toolbox, focusing on the (tropical and subtropical) European OR/OCTs. provides a database of stakeholders involved in biodiversity management and research . This includes details on their areas of expertise, interests and activities, and—for registered users—their contact details too. The toolbox also provides a list of case studies for biodiversity valuation in, or relevant to, the EU OR/OCTs, with links to the original studies. Other resources include a list of good practices for biodiversity conservation, and a list of training and communication materials on biodiversity valuation with links to the original sources. In addition to these data resources, the toolbox provides a dedicated communication tool for registered stakeholders, allowing them  to launch queries or discussions, develop projects or seek partners for collaboration.