After 16 years of campaigning, local communities in northern Puerto Rico have finally achieved their goal – creation of a new 200sq km+ Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The Underwater Gardens of Vega Baja & Manati consist of coastal coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds that are home to more than 14 endangered species – including the greater Caribbean manatee.
The area also hosts small-scale fisheries and an ecotourism industry, and the communities hope that the move will allow its waters to remain a flourishing source of food and income for local families for generations.
“This is a victory for the people,” said Ricardo Laureano of Vegabajeños Promoting Sustainable Environmental Development (VIDAS). “These ecosystems nourish us and sustain our quality of life. It took 16 years of hard work, starting in 2007, to get here.
“Over the years, we rallied neighbours, knocked on doors and engaged local and national leaders to highlight the critical need to protect this reserve.”
The conservation movement was led by a coalition of environmental groups spearheaded by VIDAS and supported by international partners such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based at the Bronx Zoo in New York.
Since 2018 WCS has worked with the Caribbean Biological Corridor (CBC), an intergovernmental platform covering Greater Antilles countries, to advance marine conservation in the region.
The next step will be development of an MPA co-management plan: “Our dream is for Jardines to be co-managed by the people who know it best – the local communities,” said Mariela Declet-Perez, leader of Descendants United for Nature, Adaptation & Sustainability (DUNAS).
“We aim to create co-management agreements that balance sustainable resource use, conservation, research and eco-tourism. This will take time, but we are committed to supporting VIDAS and our local partners to ensure long-term success.”
“To other coastal communities around the world, our message is clear: never stop fighting for your ecosystems,” says Laureano.
Also on Divernet: CASE CLOSED? STRICT MPA ENFORCEMENT IS WIN-WIN, SOCORRO STUDY HOPED TO SILENCE MPA CRITICS, PAPER PARKS: ‘TWO-THIRDS OF MPAS INEFFECTIVE’, AZORES DECLARES EUROPE’S BIGGEST MPA NETWORK
