Feature Articles Category
Instructions
Articles published on Parks Caribbean are intended to stimulate thought and discussion about an issue relevant to protected areas development in the Caribbean. See Guidelines for Submission of articles.
Disclaimer
The perspectives and positions in the article are solely those of the author(s), and do not reflect the views or positions of Parks Caribbean, its members, or its partners. As such, the accuracy of the information presented cannot be guaranteed. Parks Caribbean has not validated any information or data presented, and articles should not be viewed as expert advice. By submitting articles for publication on Parks Caribbean, authors confirm that they have not infringed on the copyright of other persons or institutions.
Financing National Systems of Protected Areas in the Caribbean
Conservation theory and practice has evolved from simply maintaining the flow of natural resources for human consumption to incorporating the concept of sustainable use, even as economic pressures have increased the degradation and loss of natural resources and natural areas to the point of reaching ecological thresholds. In this context, establishment of a system of protected areas has become one of the pillars of sustainable development strategies. Read the full article
Urban Protected Areas in the Caribbean: Potential Role in Building Resilience of Urban Systems to Climate Change
Introducing Urban Protected Areas
The defining feature of an Urban Protected Area is that it is located in close proximity to a large population centre. The Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines (No. 22) describes urban protected areas in the following manner:
“Urban protected areas are protected areas situated in or at the edge of larger population centres. They meet IUCN’s definition of a protected area and can be in any of its six Management Categories. In governance terms, most of them are the responsibility of national, state or provincial, or local governments; others are managed by NGOs or businesses; and some are collaborative or community efforts. They do not include conventional urban parks with lawns, flowerbeds and sports fields” (Trzyna, 2014). Read the full article
Understanding Connectivity Conservation in the Context of Social-Ecological Systems: Perspectives from the Caribbean
INTRODUCTION TO CONNECTIVITY CONSERVATION
Maintenance of functional ecosystems is an increasingly difficult task, as the demand for space to carry out “development activities” degrades and fragments ecosystems. Not only are critical habitats for plants and animals degraded or lost, but critical ecosystem services (such as aquifer recharge, filtering water and air, reducing pest outbreaks, reducing flooding and erosion, maintaining productive soils, supporting fisheries, and providing food and medicines) are often severely impaired or lost. Read the full article
