The project: “Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean” (MTIASIC) is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). There are five participating countries: The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. These countries and many international, regional and national organisations have provided both cash and in kind cofinancing to facilitate the success of the project. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the lead implementing agency. CAB International Caribbean and Latin America (CABI CLA) is the Lead Executing Agency. There are five national executing agencies: Department of Marine Resources, Bahamas (DMR); the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, Dominican Republic; National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamaica (NEPA); Ministry of Agriculture, Lands Forestry and Fisheries, Saint Lucia (MALFF); and Ministry of Food Production, Lands and Marine Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago (MFPLMA). Under Component One, the project will develop national IAS strategies for the above mentioned participating countries. However, The Bahamas had in place a national IAS strategy and bio-security plan, prior to the start of the project in 2009 so its revision will be accommodated. Component Two will develop regional IAS strategies for three ecosystems: fresh water, terrestrial, and marine. It is expected that both national and regional strategies would be developed synergistically. In addition to developing strategies, the project envisaged the strengthening of existing mechanisms or the development of new mechanisms for regional cooperation on IAS issues. At the inception meeting in October 2009 in Jamaica, the decision was taken to employ working groups or task teams in the development of both the national and regional strategies. To this end national working teams were formed as sub groups attached to the National Steering Committees or consultants were hired where appropriate. The National Steering Committee has oversight for project implementation at the national level. The chair persons of the respective national 5 fresh water; terrestrial and marine working groups make up the regional working group. However, in the case of St Lucia, there was a single aquatics group which included marine expertise. In June 2010 the first regional consultation was held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The members of the three regional working groups were present with the exception of the Dominican Republic. This first consultation followed the Caribbean Plant Health Directors Forum and reviewed the first draft Caribbean IAS Strategy that was compiled by Mr. Farad Hosein, Consultant with the Caribbean Agricultural Policy Network (CaRAPN) in association with the MTIASIC project. Members of the various working groups were also trained in assessing the impact of IAS in the Caribbean. However, following the request for a facilitator by the national steering committee in Trinidad, Dr. Bibi Shanaz Ali was hired to assist the working groups in following up on their tasks. A second draft was prepared by Dr. Ali that incorporated all the comments made at the first consultation. The second draft was reviewed by the three regional working groups at the second regional consultation which was held in Saint Lucia on 11-12th October 2010. A third draft was prepared incorporating all of the comments made at that meeting. The fourth draft by Dr Floyd Homer reorganized and edited the previous version, and was sent to project participants for review and comment. The fourth draft was also presented for discussion at the 3rd Regional Consultation and IAS Legal Workshop held in Nassau, The Bahamas during 21-23rd March, 2011. A fifth draft was circulated in May 2011for additional review and comments from a wider audience. The current final draft integrated the latest comments of the project participants and other stakeholders. It is anticipated that this strategy and action plan would be utilized by the key stakeholders across the wider Caribbean region to inform local decision making.
Read full Strategy and Action Plan For Invasive Alien Species in the Caribbean Region 2011-2016: Strategy and Action Plan for IAS 2011-2016 (PDF)