The SPAW Protocol

Among the three protocols under the Cartagena Convention, the SPAW Protocol (Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife) is dedicated to the protection of biodiversity. It provides a unique legal framework for biodiversity conservation in the Greater Caribbean Region. The SPAW Protocol is also recognized as an important instrument for achieving the objectives of global biodiversity agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention. Important regional initiatives have been launched under the auspices of SPAW, particularly for the strengthening of protected areas and the conservation of key species, with the participation and involvement of all stakeholders (governments, NGOs, local communities, etc.).

Signed in January 1990, the SPAW Protocol came into force in June 2000 and has currently been ratified by 19 countries: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin), Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Netherlands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Saint Eustatius, Sint Maarten), Panama, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States (states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico), and Venezuela.

CAR SPAW and the Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention look forward to the ratification of the SPAW Protocol by the 28 countries of the Caribbean region. Some information on this subject is available in this document.
If you have any questions on this subject, please contact the Secretariat of the Cartagena Convention: unep-cartagenaconvention@un.org

Under the terms of the Protocol, the Parties shall, in accordance with their own legislation and regulations, take all measures to protect, conserve, and sustainably manage areas in need of protection and endangered animal and plant species within their territory. The Protocol has two main objectives:

• The protection, preservation, and sustainable management of areas of particular ecological value;
• The protection and preservation of wild species that are threatened or endangered and their habitats.

In addition to these two main provisions concerning species and areas, the SPAW Protocol also includes a number of cross-cutting provisions:

• The implementation of impact assessments for projects and activities that may have a significant effect on the environment;
• The possibility of exemptions from the obligations of the Protocol in the case of traditional or development activities;
• The development of scientific and technical research on the protected areas and species listed under the SPAW Protocol, and the exchange of information between the Parties on their research/monitoring programs and the coordination of these programs;
• Finally, the Protocol establishes the principles for the development of measures, criteria, and guidelines corresponding to these different objectives.

The SPAW Conference of the Parties (COP) is held every two years. The signatory countries meet to adopt a biannual work program covering all the topics addressed by the Protocol. In addition, CAR-SPAW works with UNEP-CAR/UCR to develop an annual program of activities based on the guidelines and priorities agreed upon at the COP.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), which meets every two years, supports the Parties in these cases in order to facilitate exchanges during the COPs.