Reclaiming our coasts from pollution

SEPTEMBER IS a month when significant global observances capture our attention on the vital ecosystems that sustain us – from celebrating the pristine beaches of Punta Caña in the Dominican Republic to ‘Nature Island’, Dominica, which boasts the region’s most prolific rivers to the vibrant coral reefs off the coast of Belize.

This month provides a powerful backdrop for urgent conversation on marine pollution. Pollutants, especially plastic waste, are a pervasive threat, choking marine life, destroying ecosystems, and undermining the very foundation of our tourism-dependent Caribbean economies. For our part at the Cartagena Convention Secretariat, our commitment to a cleaner Caribbean Sea remains unwavering.

We continue to champion the control, reduction and prevention of all forms of marine pollution from land and marine-based sources and activities, including addressing pollution at source and transitioning to more circular economy approaches.

COASTAL CLEAN-UP

A highlight of the month is the 40th anniversary of International Coastal Clean-Up Day (ICCD), which will take place on Saturday, September 20, under the theme #SeatheChange.

This year, the United Nations Environment Programme, through the Cartagena Convention Secretariat and the Caribbean Sub-Regional Office, is proud to join forces with The University of the West Indies (UWI) Life Sciences Department for a clean-up of the Gypsum Mangrove Restoration Site along the Palisadoes roadway in Kingston, Jamaica.

Our team will join thousands of volunteers across Jamaica and the globe to collect marine litter, raising critical awareness about the scale of ocean pollution. With the sub-theme #WhatTHEFOAM, this year’s ICCD places a special emphasis on plastic and styrofoam, highlighting the urgency of addressing these persistent pollutants.

But while events like ICCD shine a spotlight on the visible crisis of plastic waste, the problem runs much deeper. Pollution from solid waste, domestic and industrial wastewater, agrochemicals, including excess nutrients and oil, also pose a significant threat to our ecosystems. Our reality in the Wider Caribbean Region demands focused, intense, and decisive action.

CARTAGENA CONVENTION

The Cartagena Convention, with its mandate to protect the marine environment of the wider Caribbean, has been at the forefront of this fight for decades.

Through its various protocols, particularly the Land-Based Sources (LBS) of Pollution Protocol, the first regional pollution agreement to be developed following the adoption of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities in 1995, we have been actively implementing projects designed to tackle marine pollution head-on.

Through projects funded by partners like the European Union, the government of Germany, and the Global Environment Facility, we support several initiatives, including the development of national and regional pollution reports, strategies and action plans, waste audits, recycling programmes, and the promotion of alternatives to single-use plastics.

We also support our Contracting Parties in building their capacity for more effective monitoring and assessment, thus ensuring that policy and decision making is guided by the latest science.

Among other things, we are also making progress in developing technical guidelines proposed for wastewater and nutrient management, and enhancing regional monitoring capabilities through new data platforms. Our US EPA Water Quality Capacity Development Project, which focuses on improving national water quality monitoring programmes, is also in high gear.

REFLECTION

While the focus on coastal clean-ups is important, we are also mindful of the connections between our actions on land and the health of the sea, which are highlighted by other key observances this month, notably Coral Reef Awareness in Jamaica; World Maritime Day (September 25); World Tourism Day (September 27); and World Rivers Day (September 28).

The spirit and resilience of the people of the wider Caribbean, combined with a growing political will, form a powerful catalyst for change. Following the 18th Conference of Parties for the Cartagena Convention to be held in Jamaica from October 13th to 16th, the secretariat looks forward to implementing new initiatives that will further drive our dedicated work to this end.

We will continue to intensify our efforts, project by project and country by country, to create a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous wider Caribbean region. The future of our people and our Caribbean Sea demand nothing less.

Christopher Corbin is the coordinator of the Cartagena Convention Secretariat.