Progress report for
Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI)
Achievement at a glance
The CCI partnership has two overarching goals: (1) 20 by 20: To conserve and effectively manage at<br>least 20% of the marine and coastal environment by 2020. (2) Sustainable finance: To implement
<br>sustainable finance mechanisms that provide long-term funding to sustainably manage marine and
<br>coastal areas. The two goals will be achieved through establishing public-private partnerships, with
<br>the aim to protect the Caribbean region's marine and coastal ecosystems, while also securing a
<br>prosperous economy. The following key results have been achieved: 1) Successes towards the CCI
<br>Goals show through countries that continue to declare protected areas while working towards their
<br>effective management. Along with conservation milestones, the launching of complex sustainable
<br>finance architecture will ensure longevity of CCI achievements for future generations. 2) Establishing
<br>strong boards of the trust funds has taken time, but it has been important. This includes a majority of
<br>non-government board members. Progress has been seen over time, and the CBF dashboard of
<br>monitoring the trust funds are showing this. 3) The CBF dashboard has also become an important
<br>way of how the funds are monitoring themselves, and have started using it in their own process.
Challenges faced in implementation
The first is that coordination is a challenge due to limited resources and can be overcome somewhat<br>by dialogue. A second challenge is that receiving finances is vital to maintain an active role, staffing
<br>and to organise events. Final challenge is, when building a partnership from scratch, quick fixes are
<br>not possible. In the end, a baseline is needed to report on progress, so time can be challenging for
<br>small teams if targets are ambitious.
Next Steps
Next steps include:<br>1) Re-development of CCI 2020 Roadmap: The 2020 goal is approaching, and discussions are
<br>currently ongoing regarding what will happen after the CCI target
<br>2) Continue developing the value of an established and productive network through CBF. While Goal
<br>1 is finalising in 2020, Goal 2 has through the CBF established long-lasting financial mechanisms on a
<br>regional level, as well as national levels far beyond 2020. CBFs future plans include increased growth
<br>and expectations to become continually robust and strong players in conservation financing for the
<br>Caribbean region.
<br>3) Showcase results through UN based events and elsewhere, to inform others about the results of
<br>CCI, CBF and the successful establishments of national trust funds.
Beneficiaries
With the CCI partnership, the benefits are mainly the creation and consolidation of marine and
<br>coastal protected areas, as well as the creation of financial structures in countries. This benefits
<br>communities that depend economically on natural resources provided by these areas. Further, the
<br>commitment of private sector companies also enhances the chances that concrete benefits are
<br>delivered to communities, through the adoption of best practices and voluntary actions linked to
<br>corporate social responsibility. Countries are pushing themselves in reaching targets through
<br>‘coopetition’ where countries are both collaborative and competitive. Other countries are also
<br>moving ahead without CCI support, yet the greatest achievements are in partner countries. The
<br>NCTFs have also been successful through their autonomous structure, which means they are moving
<br>at their own pace. The support of strong national leaders has been helpful.
Actions
Goal 1 benefits include protection of marine and coastal resources. This will in turn benefit<br>populations through creating economic opportunities and social development provided by the well-
<br>being of marine resources. A goal 2 benefit is sustainable financing for conservation and biodiversity.
<br>Each participating country forms an independent conservation trust fund that create long-term
<br>sustainable sources of funding. Funding comes from local fundraising, matched by the CBF with
<br>funding from donors, in order to support the work that matters the most – local projects on the
<br>ground (education, science, restoration, management). As the NCTFs are established and
<br>operational, the CBF conducts the relevant due diligence for them to sign a Partnership Agreement
<br>and begin receiving funds from the CBF Endowment. These funds, in addition to any more that the
<br>NCTF is able to raise is used towards the CCI Goal 1, National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans
<br>(NBSAPs) and other national conservation targets as selected by the Fund.