Abstract

This chapter briefly reviews the range of environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their potential roles to support ecosystem-based management (EBM) strategies for fisheries resource managers in the Caribbean. This is done according to the local, national, regional and international geographic scales that dominate the governance of the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem. NGOs can provide a variety of resources and capabilities to support EBM functions. These range from networking, public awareness and education, and project management, to scientific research, advocacy and funding. We also discuss some pertinent caveats or constraints that fisheries and marine resource programme managers need to anticipate with regards to their relations with NGO and their involvement in fisheries management.

Introduction

This chapter briefly examines the range of environmental NGOs that might be able to provide support to EBM strategies for fisheries resource managers in the Caribbean. For a somewhat wider perspective on this issue, we urge you to consult Angulo-Valdes (2008). In addition, for an overview of organisations and their roles in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem, see Parsram (2007).

The thumbnail definition of ecosystem-based management that we have used for this chapter is that offered by Dan Dorfman in the EBM Tools website www.ebmtools.org (accessed March 2008):

• – Accounting for triple bottom line: environmental, social equity, economical interests in a balanced or integrated fashion;

• – Incorporates ecosystem processes and ecosystem services both ecological and relating to human uses;

• – Is based on ecological reasoning of functional integrated ecosystems as a basis for management and decision-making;

• – Employs adaptive management where results are monitored and management is adjusted to meet objectives;

• – Accounting for uncertainty is based on the precautionary principle which suggests that in the case of uncertain knowledge, long-term risk should be minimised;

• – Engages multiple stakeholders to participate in a collaborative decisionmaking process.

From this definition it is obvious there are many opportunities for NGOs to provide useful support for fisheries and other marine and coastal resource managers seeking to implement EBM policies.These capabilities tend to concentrate on the last three items in Dorfman's list of functions (paraphrased):

• 1. Providing monitoring and assessment inputs to support adaptive ecosystem- based management;