CAMAC

The habitats of most species of marine megafauna (sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds) are often the same as those of human activities such as fishing, shipping and tourism. This overlap leads to frequent interactions between these activities and marine species. It is in this context that the CAMAC project was conceived.

A group of cetaceans in the bay of Fort de France rubs shoulders with a gas tanker

Marine megafauna and human activities : limited knowledge of interactions

Marine megafauna are particularly sensitive to the negative impacts that these interactions can generate. These can lead to changes in their vital behaviours but also to injuries. A large proportion of the species in the Caribbean are thus vulnerable. But these interactions can also be a problem for human activities. For example, bycatch and depredation (snatching of fish in nets or on lines by predatory species) can lead to degradation or loss of fishing gear, or reduced yield. In addition, some activities are directly dependent on the presence of marine megafauna species, such as whale-watching or scuba diving.

In the Caribbean, the various interactions between megafauna and human activities are well identified, but poorly quantified or controlled.

CAMAC, a Caribbean cooperation project
The CAMAC project, for CAribbean marine Megafauna and anthropogenic ACtivities, aims to improve knowledge of these interactions and strengthen regional collaboration. The aim is to provide Caribbean governing bodies and environmental stakeholders with recommendations and tools to reduce the negative impacts of interactions between marine megafauna and human activities.

To achieve this, five specific objectives have been defined :

* to improve knowledge of Caribbean marine megafauna (marine mammals, marine turtles, seabirds, sharks and rays) ;
* to assess the environmental and socio-economic issues related to interactions between human activities and marine megafauna ;
* Strengthen regional cooperation and the skills of stakeholders (in particular by reinforcing existing networks) ;
* strengthen the commitment of young Caribbeans to the conservation of megafauna and marine heritage in general ;
* to make recommendations to the governing bodies in order to support the implementation of the most appropriate policies possible.

The geographical scope of this project concerns at least the whole of the Lesser Antilles, but also the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica to the west, and the exclusive economic zones of the countries and territories of the Guiana plateau to the southeast. The CAMAC project will therefore involve international partners.

Four main work areas

The CAMAC project will run for five years, during which the partners involved will work in four areas.

The first year of the project is essentially dedicated to developing partnerships and defining scientific protocols. The partners involved in 2023 are the Agoa Sanctuary, which is the project leader, the SPAW RAC (Regional Activity Centre for the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol of the Greater Caribbean Region) and the NGO Haiti Ocean Project.

A European project
CAMAC is a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the framework of the Interreg Caribbean programme up to 85% for a total budget of 758 397 € in the first year.

Outputs of CAMAC phase I (2023)

The main outputs of CAMAC phase I, implemented in 2023, are listed below. The documents can all be downloaded from the CAMAC website (https://sanctuaire-agoa.fr/editorial/camac-0) :

· Groups of experts were created for the different work packages of the project (i.e., fisheries interaction, stranding networks, awareness raising, knowledge enhancement for marine mammals, for sharks, and for seabirds). These groups now bring together more than 110 organisations and 190 experts from the Wider Caribbean Region who contributed to phase I and to the definition of the workplan for phase II.

· An overview of available information on interactions between fisheries and marine megafauna in the CAMAC area has been completed.

· A study of the distributions of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle in the Western Atlantic Inferred from Satellite Telemetry was conducted.

· A toolkit for marine mammal stranding response, which consists of a field guide and some field forms, and 5 training videos, including a necropsy video, was developed.

· 8 workshops were organised in 8 different territories of the Caribbean to train local networks to stranding response.

· A catalogue of educational tools on marine megafauna (79 tools in English, Spanish, French and Creole) was created.

· A bibliographical review of the state of knowledge on elasmobranchs in the CAMAC area and an action plan for knowledge enhancement were drafted.

· An action plan to enhance knowledge on marine mammals and seabirds that includes a protocol and the definition of priority areas was drafted.

· A workplan and some recommendations for CAMAC phase II were developed that can be found in the final workshop report.

CAMAC phase 2 (2024-2027)

CAMAC phase 2 will be devoted to implementing the work plan developed with the partners during phase 1, and to developing and disseminating awareness-raising and decision-making tools based on the results of the project. This work will be conducted with the working groups created during phase I. Since the end of 2023, the CAMAC coordination team has been busy seeking co-funding for this next phase that should be starting at the end of 2024.

View online : CAMAC/Sanctuaire Agoa