Barbados mulls expanding marine conservation area as milestone report nears

Barbados may soon double the area of its ocean protected for conservation, as officials prepare to submit a crucial report that could mark up to 30 per cent of national waters for safeguarding under the country’s first-ever marine spatial plan, a top official said Monday. 

Project manager of the Marine Spatial Planning Unit, Allison Wiggins, confirmed that the team is finalising its milestone two report, which is due to be handed in on 20 September as part of commitments under the debt-for-nature agreement signed in 2022 with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

“Based on our commitment to the agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank and The Nature Conservancy, we have to submit a milestone two report, and that is due on 20 September this year,” she said.

“So right now we’re doing that, so we have to come up with a minimum of three options for conservation in this particular report.”

Wiggins said the marine spatial planning team is still conducting consultations with stakeholders across various sectors, including fisheries, energy and tourism, to inform the zoning proposals.

The conservation zones being considered as part of this milestone could amount to 15 per cent of Barbados’ marine space, with the possibility of extending that to 30 per cent depending on the science.

“We are in the process of finalising the 15 per cent with conservation, so we have another 15 per cent to go, if the science tells us that we can conserve 30 per cent of our marine space,” she said.

That science will include detailed seafloor mapping being carried out by the RV Celtic Explorer, an international research vessel that is currently surveying the ocean state.

Wiggins noted that progress has been incremental since the last public update, which placed data collection at 80 per cent: “We’re on our way.”

The full marine spatial plan is expected to be completed in two years’ time, meeting its official deadline by 2027, she added.

Barbados’ MSP is a core part of the government’s wider conservation and climate resilience agenda, and one of the key outputs linked to the US$150 million (BDS$300 million) debt-for-nature deal.

That deal saw Barbados refinance $293 million of national debt and redirect an estimated $100 million in savings towards marine conservation, biodiversity protection, and climate initiatives over 15 years.

Under that arrangement, the country has committed to protecting at least ten per cent of its coastal and marine areas by 2030, with funds being channelled through the Barbados Environmental Sustainability Fund (BESF) and a long-term endowment trust.

The current phase of work, which includes developing marine zoning options, is expected to influence not only conservation decisions but also future legislation, resource use, and how economic activities such as fishing and tourism interact with sensitive marine ecosystems.

Wiggins said the goal remains a plan that reflects national needs and public input.

“We’re trying to involve the different sectors. They will have input into the marine spatial plan,” she said. 

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb