Wise Use, Shared Future: Strengthening Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Resilience

February 02, 2026. Wetlands are dynamic ecosystems where water meets land, including marshes, peatlands, floodplains, rivers, lakes, mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs and other shallow marine areas. They are critical hubs for biodiversity and support food security, water cycle regulation, carbon sequestration and storage, resilience from storms, and more. For centuries, local and indigenous communities have relied on wetlands to meet their needs, and we still do today. For the small islands and coastal nations in the Caribbean, wetlands are especially important. Wetlands like beaches, lakes, and rivers are recreational gathering places, having deep-rooted spiritual and cultural value. Addressing their threats and managing their vulnerabilities is key to maintaining these critical ecosystems and the services they provide, under increasing anthropogenic pressures and a changing climate.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Caroni Swamp is an 8400-ha wetland best known for its population of the iconic scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber). It has a natural mix of forest, tidal mudflats, and brackish and saline lagoons, but under climate change, this habitat matrix is under threat. “One of the major issues we are having now is sea level rise...adding more salt into the swamp, which will change the whole flora and fauna of the site”, states Mr. David Mahabir, Assistant Conservator of Forest in the Forestry Division, Trinidad and Tobago. 

Hydrological change is also an issue at other coastal wetlands. In Antigua and Barbuda, the Codrington Lagoon was historically separated from the sea by a sand barrier several kilometres long. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the sand barrier was damaged, but unlike prior breaches, this one has continued to expand due to illegal construction along the sand bank and changes to the natural sediment dynamics of the coast. This breach, approximately 2.4 km wide as of 2026, has created a direct connection between the lagoon and the Caribbean Sea, causing significant changes to the ecological character of the lagoon. The regionally important lobster fishery and hemispherically important   magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) colony that depend on the lagoon are both under threat. 

Airbus, Maxar Technologies, Landsat / Copernicus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO

Satellite imagery of Codrington Lagoon, Barbuda, showing the sand bar breach: Left – 2014 (Landsat / Copernicus); Right – 2025 (Airbus, Maxar Technologies, Landsat / Copernicus, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO)

Often, anthropogenic and climate pressures are compounding. For example, in Grenada, the Levera Wetland was severely damaged by Hurricane Beryl in 2024, resulting in the loss of a large mature mangrove forest and critical ecotourism infrastructure including a birdwatching tower. Just outside the Ramsar Site, swaths of land are also being cleared for the development of a 500-suite hotel and 18-hole golf course. This development is encroaching upon the boundaries of the Ramsar Site, putting its almost pristine ecosystem ­—including nesting beaches for the Critical Endangered leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricate)—at risk. 

Grenada’s Ramsar Site, Levera Wetland, showing slow recovery post-Hurricane Beryl with evidence of tourism development along the site boundaries. Credit: Zoya Buckmire/IUCN

Another universal challenge for Caribbean wetlands is lack of data, directly linked to limited funding and human resources for consistent monitoring efforts. According to Mr. Anthony Jeremiah, former Acting Chief Forestry Officer and National Ramsar Focal Point, Grenada: “Data collection is one of the gaps that we have in regard to providing factual information for effective management. We are lacking critical data...to make good decisions, we need factual information.” With limited capacity in local Ramsar Authorities and multiple Ramsar sites to manage (up to six each in Cuba and the Dominican Republic), both monitoring and management are constrained. Government agencies can only do so much, and often sites must be prioritized to make the most of limited time and personnel.

To address these challenges, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat and the Caribbean Ramsar Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands (CariWet) devised a cross-boundary collaborative project aimed at effectively integrating the principles of wise use of wetlands and equipping participant countries with the necessary tools to better manage their wetlands under climate change. The “Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation of their Ecosystem Services” project, implemented by IUCN in close collaboration with the Ramsar focal points in each project country, supports 23 Wetlands of International Importance across eight Caribbean countries. Activities under the project aim to enhance the legal frameworks for wetland management; assess status, ecosystem services and climate change vulnerability of these 23 Ramsar Sites; identify priority sites for climate change adaptation as well as biodiversity conservation; establish monitoring programs; and increase awareness and capacity among key stakeholders for a better management of these ecosystems. The eight participating countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Suriname, with additional support provided to Barbados, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Map of project countries and their Ramsar Sites

To date, the project has made significant strides in strengthening the management infrastructure of the Ramsar authorities in each country, through targeted capacity building at regional workshops on climate change, ecosystem services, vulnerability assessment, capacity needs assessment, and wetland inventory, assessment, and monitoring methods. These regional workshops have been complemented by in-country workshops and outreach, as well as numerous reports and tools developed for advocacy, policy influence, monitoring, and reporting. Through a vulnerability assessment exercise, the project also helped identify which of the 23 Ramsar sites are most vulnerable to climate change, facilitating the prioritisation of sites for monitoring and management to make the most of limited institutional time and budget. 

For World Wetlands Day 2026, under the theme “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage”, the Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands project is collaborating with government and civil society partners to recognise and celebrate these critical ecosystems. Across the eight participating countries, over 15 events are planned throughout the month of February. These include environmental fairs, school engagements, wetland tours and cleanup activities, and media campaigns. Engaging the public on the importance of wetlands is critical to raising the profile of these ecosystems and ensuring a whole-of-society approach to managing them. 

As stated by the IUCN Regional Director for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Úrsula Parrilla, “Caribbean wetlands are far more than ecosystems, they are landscapes of life, culture and resilience. Protecting them wisely, by bringing together traditional knowledge and science, is a shared responsibility and an investment in the future of both people and nature. At IUCN, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting Caribbean countries in the protection, restoration and wise use of their wetlands, recognising these ecosystems as cornerstones of biodiversity, climate resilience and human well-being.” 

The “Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation of their Ecosystem Services” project is funded by the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Government of Germany. It was developed by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat and the Caribbean Ramsar Regional Initiative for the Conservation and Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands (CariWet), and is implemented by IUCN in close collaboration with the Ramsar focal points in each project country.

IUCN Members engaged with the project include the Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Dominican Republic), National Environment and Planning Agency (Jamaica), and Bahamas National Trust (The Bahamas). 

For further information:

https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/project/wise-use-of-caribbean-wetlands-for-climate-change-mitigation-and-conservation-of-their-ecosystem-services-20-iv-091-caribbean-a-caribbean-coastal-wetlands/