El contexto legal para la protección de la diversidad biológica marina en el suroeste del Caribe

Biodiverse marine ecosystems, which preceded and enabled terrestrial life, continue to be fundamental to its survival and flourishing. Biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caribbean, are among the most complex and biodiverse marine ecosystems on the planet. These areas are the ancestral territories of thousands of people and communities—Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and others—who depend directly on the natural resources of the sea for their livelihoods, as well as for the maintenance of their cultures and ways of life. However, these ecosystems face threats from coastal development, tourism, pollution, overfishing, and the effects of climate change, which are driving environmental changes at a pace far beyond the capacity of existing governance structures to respond. In this context, this article reviews the multilateral regime governing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the ecosystems on which it depends and examines the degree of national implementation of global norms. The article also assesses the extent to which the interests of those whose lives depend most directly on access to and sharing in the benefits derived from the use of the natural world are reflected in these frameworks.