A SIDS COP 16 Declaration of Action featuring a series of strong political messages to the international community from key Caribbean political leaders and champions that will boldly highlight the urgency of actioning political will to unlock new and innovative opportunities and financing to achieve progress toward GBF targets within the Caribbean region considering our vulnerabilities to the triple planetary crisis that includes biodiversity loss.

Preserving the ecological integrity and connectivity of key marine ecosystems is essential to ensuring the long-term benefits the ocean provides to communities and countries. At the same time, conservation efforts need to be equitably governed and integrated into wider seascapes while ensuring the sustainable use of resources is fully consistent with expected conservation outcomes and recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. To this end, it is crucial to effectively conserve areas of particular importance for biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and services through networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).