Caribbean Countries Launch Multi-Million-Dollar Project to Strengthen Climate Resilience

ROSEAU, Dominica – The Belize -based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as well as national and regional stakeholders Tuesday launched the Climate Change Resilience in the Caribbean Fisheries Sector Project (CC4FISH-II).

The US$12.55 million Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded regional initiative, which is aimed at building climate and disaster resilience in the fisheries sector, is expected to benefit more than 21,800 people across Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

The project will build on the foundation established by CC4FISH between 2017 and 2022, when the initiative worked across seven Eastern Caribbean countries to assess the fisheries sector’s vulnerability to climate change, strengthen the capacity of fisherfolk and aquaculturists, and advance the integration of climate adaptation into fisheries governance and planning.

The CCCCC said that CC4FISH-II responds to the escalating negative impacts of climate change on Caribbean fisheries, leading to depleting fish resources, loss of marine biodiversity and degradation of the Caribbean Sea habitats which affect the food, income and economic development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean.

It will work directly with small-scale fisherfolk, boat owners, processors, vendors, traders and coastal fishing communities across five Caribbean countries, with particular attention to strengthening opportunities, leadership and livelihood resilience for women and youth.

Speaking at the workshop where the initiative was launched, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Lakeyia Joseph said no single country can address these climate change challenges alone.

“We therefore welcome the opportunity provided by CC4FISH-II to deepen collaboration among countries of the Eastern Caribbean…We must ensure our fisherfolk, fisheries officers and other stakeholders have access to knowledge, tools, technology and training necessary to operate sustainably in an increasingly challenging climate,” Joseph added.

FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, Dr. Renata Clarke, said CC4FISH-II represents an investment in the future of the Caribbean.

“It demonstrates the power of regional collaboration in addressing shared challenges facing the Caribbean’s fisheries sector. Together, we can strengthen resilience, protect marine resources, and create lasting benefits for communities throughout the region.”

The CCCCC said that for Caribbean communities, the fisheries industry provides food security and income for people and contributes to economic development in the region, through tourism and other sectors, yet is increasingly exposed to changing ocean conditions, extreme weather events, ecosystem degradation and damage to critical fisheries infrastructure.

It said CC4FISH-II will respond through practical investments and interventions, including climate-smart vessels and infrastructure, restoration of critical coastal ecosystems so marine life can remain safe and protected, strengthened fisheries planning and disaster risk management, and improved access to financial and insurance services for fisheries stakeholders.

“Through improved infrastructure, enhanced access to climate-smart fishing practices, and strengthened community-level capacity, we are working to protect and improve livelihood,”  said CCCCC executive director Dr. Colin Young.

“We are focused on ensuring that when climate events occur, our fishing communities are not only better protected but also possess the tools to recover faster and adapt more effectively,” he added.

The CCCCC said the CC4FISH-II project aims to help Caribbean fisheries adapt to climate change for the long term, using an ecosystem-based approach.

The work is organised around four main areas, namely climate-ready boats and infrastructure to provide safer, stronger, more fuel efficient fishing vessels, and making fish landing sites, processing facilities, and markets better able to withstand climate impacts, restoring and monitoring ecosystems by working with communities to restore damaged coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, and improving ways to track the health of coastal and marine ecosystems.

It is also intend to allow for better policy and financing aimed at building climate adaptation and disaster risk planning into fisheries policy at the national and regional level, and helping fisherfolk get access to insurance and financial services as well as sharing knowledge by capturing and spreading best practices and lessons learned through a regional Community of Practice, enabling solutions developed in participating countries to inform wider Caribbean action.

“By combining innovative technologies with revitalised traditional practices, CC4FISH-II is helping Caribbean fisheries move toward greater resilience, building sustainable livelihoods and strengthening communities’ ability to withstand shocks like climate change,” the CCCCC added.