Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
An Examination of Integrated Marine Planning and Management in CARICOM and the Wider Caribbean Region
Mikhail Amsterdam
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Department, Regent and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive,
Bourda, Georgetown, Guyana.
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ABSTRACT
The Caribbean region is vast yet interconnected with multiple natural resources and opportunities for marine economic development activities. While the region has several integrated organizations with governance responsibilities, the focus of this dissertation is the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) which is comprised of fifteen (15) Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and five (5) associate members with the remaining wider Caribbean countries having observer participation. The investigation findings indicate that CARICOM and the wide Caribbean consider Climate Change, Fisheries Management, territorial disputes, tourism, invasive species and conservation the six (6) main drivers which promote the adoption of integrated marine planning and management practices in the region. Further, the research reflects that international obligations, blue economic development, resource loss and conflict resolution as the underlying reasons for political/strategic importance being placed on marine management, which is a key distinction when we consider genuine stewardship versus political correctness. CARICOM has implemented several regional projects, policies and management groups aimed at ensuring collaborative management and shared responsibility. The Cartagena convention protocols on oil spill, land-based sources and special wildlife protected areas are amongst the initiatives reviewed for their regional coverage and impact on regional integrated marine management. The European Union’s approach and policy milestones achieved as part of its integrated maritime management were identified and used to create insights on how CARICOM could adopt a similar regional management policy like the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) which supports the European maritime economy and Protection of the EU maritime environment through cross cutting tools such as the MSP directive and MSPF. The conclusion surmises that CARICOM needs to outline a key strategic direction, identify priority areas for integration and establish robust governance institutions to ensure effective implementation of a regional integrated marine planning and management approach, these points were supported using the questionnaire responses received regional and international MSP experts.
HOW TO CITE: Amsterdam, M., 2026. Planning and Management in CARICOM and the Wider Caribbean Region Contribution 8.3, p538-554 IN CRFM, 2026. Volume I: Technical Papers. Presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 37, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=947
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