Context

Governance in management of protected areas in the insular Caribbean has not been evaluated and previous protected area programmes in the region (CCA/CIDA Marine Parks and Protected Areas Programme) or ongoing (CCA/CARIFORUM Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme, and UNEP/RCU Training of Trainers Programme) have not given sufficient emphasis to this component of management. Governance is the interactions among institutions, processes and traditions that determine how power is exercised, how decisions are taken on issues of public and often private concern, and how citizens or other stakeholders have their say (Institute of Governance, Canada). At the Seventh Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Programme of Work on Protected Areas agreed to by all Parties, included Programme Element 2: Governance, Participation, Equity and Benefit Sharing. There were 11 actions identified for State Parties under this element with targets to be achieved by the year 2008.The daily challenges encountered by protected areas managers are often related to governance issues. Protected areas managers and administrators have the responsibility to ensure that all or most of the governance instruments and powers are favourable for effective management. In this context, effective leadership will help to provide a supportive environment for improving governance of protected areas in the Caribbean and assist in discharging national obligations under the CBD.