Oceans Governance and Fisheries

In Saint Lucia, many people rely on reef fisheries for food and income, and there has been an increasing recognition in the region to better manage these resources, especially in the face of climate change. The value of coastal and marine resources are often overlooked, but can be considerable as highlighted below.

The maps and statistics highlighted here are only a brief synthesis but point to the utility of both enumerating and mapping tourism value. Such maps and numbers may be critical in building a Blue Economy in the region, providing guidance on the location of key national assets, enabling such assets to be fully incorporated into planning, empowering communities and other users.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, many people rely on reef fisheries for food and income, and there has been an increasing recognition in the region to better manage these resources, especially in the face of climate change. The value of coastal and marine resources are often overlooked, but can be considerable as highlighted below.

The maps and statistics highlighted here are only a brief synthesis but point to the utility of both enumerating and mapping tourism value. Such maps and numbers may be critical in building a Blue Economy in the region, providing guidance on the location of key national assets, enabling such assets to be fully incorporated into planning, empowering communities and other users.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, many people rely on reef fisheries for food and income, and there has been an increasing recognition in the region to better manage these resources, especially in the face of climate change. The value of coastal and marine resources are often overlooked, but can be considerable as highlighted below.

The maps and statistics highlighted here are only a brief synthesis but point to the utility of both enumerating and mapping tourism value. Such maps and numbers may be critical in building a Blue Economy in the region, providing guidance on the location of key national assets, enabling such assets to be fully incorporated into planning, empowering communities and other users.

As part of the CROP, a Process Framework has been prepared and this expresses aspects of the World Bank’s Social Safeguard Operational Policy 4. This policy offers detailed guidance on how to anticipate and lessen adverse impacts on persons and livelihoods caused by project-related activities.  Why does this matter?  While the coastal and marine spatial plans being produced under the CROP will promote the Blue Economy, in implementing these plans post-CROP, there is the potential that some persons and/or livelihoods may be affected.  

The Process Framework provides guidance to ensure that all persons that may be affected are consulted and involved in the design of the coastal and marine spatial plans, implementation of plans, and monitoring, to avoid or lessen any potential adverse impacts. The Process Framework places special emphasis on relatively vulnerable persons such as the poor, women, and indigenous peoples.

Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project Developing National Ocean Policy Baseline Analysis Report. This report represents
Output 2 of Component 1.2 of the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (CROP) consultancy. It is a baseline assessment and gap analysis of national policies, and policy delivery capacity for national priorities, for Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It also assesses compliance and consistency with the Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy (ECROP).

Scope

While the outcomes of Component 1(a) of the CROP are spatial plans, large emphasis is placed on the planning process itself. Planning as a process involves participation across sectors and interests and is multi-objective and multi-dimensional. The CMS planning process results in the identification of areas most suitable for various types or classes of activities to reduce conflicts among uses, reduce environmental impacts, facilitate compatible uses, and preserve critical ecosystems. It is, therefore, a public policy process for society to better determine how marine and coastal resources are sustainably used and protected now and for future generations.

Background

In response to the outcomes of the ECROP, the OECS with the World Bank have prepared the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (CROP) that responds to such demand for spatial planning initiatives, through the adoption of coastal and marine spatial plans to coordinate management across sectors and resources and integrate environmental management directly with economic development. These plans will build upon early national marine planning efforts1 and will help Eastern Caribbean countries better understand and then reform governance of the diversity of ocean uses and economic activities, resulting in a more secure framework for sustained investment in the blue economy.
CROP is being implemented in five participating OECS Member States (MS): Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines. As a precursor to the development of Marine and Coastal Spatial Plans to improve ocean governance, a Regional Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) is required. Each CROP country, except for Grenada, has yet to clearly articulate their own vision and national policy direction for coastal and marine spatial plans for their country, which will align with the regional project vision.

Legal Framework for Coastal and Marine Resources Management

The policy, legal, institutional and regulatory framework for coastal and marine spatial planning in the OECS was analysed across several levels of influence, international, regional, national and sub-national.