Trinidad and Tobago, 17 March 2025 – The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is expanding
its conservation efforts in the Caribbean by adding 11 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) to its portfolio.
With these additions, the total number of KBAs eligible for CEPF investment will reach 43. The
current CEPF programme in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot was launched in August 2021
and will continue through June 2027.

KBAs are essential sites for global biodiversity conservation, identified for their importance in
preserving threatened species, ecosystems, and ecological processes.

The Imperial Amazon Parrot (Amazona imperialis), also known as the Sisserou, is a critically endangered species found only on the Commonwealth of Dominica. It is the national bird of Dominica and is proudly featured on the
country’s flag, Coat of Arms and Parliamentary Mace. Its habitat includes the Morne Diablotin
National Park, one of many sites that will benefit from CEPF’s expanded conservation efforts in the Caribbean. Photo credit: Paul Reillo, PhD, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation,
www.rarespecies.org.

The newly added KBAs are spread across five Caribbean countries and are home to several rare and endangered species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. While ten of the new KBAs are in countries where CEPF has already been active, the new addition in the Commonwealth of Dominica marks the start of CEPF’s involvement in this country under the current investment.
The 11 additional KBAs include:

• Graham’s Harbour National Park in The Bahamas
• Morne Diablotin National Park KBA in Dominica
• Monumento Natural Las Caobas, Reserva Biológica
  Loma Charco Azul, Parque Nacional Sierra de Neyba,
  and Parque Nacional Sierra Martín García in the
  Dominican Republic
• Negril and Surroundings KBA in Jamaica
• Iyanola and Grande Anse, Esperance, and Fond D’Or
  KBA in Saint Lucia
• Colonaire Forest Reserve, Dalaway (Buccament
  Watershed), and Richmond Forest Reserve in Saint
  Vincent and the Grenadines

To date, CEPF has supported 44 projects, benefiting
species and ecosystems across 23 KBAs in Antigua and
Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,
Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These
initiatives are contributing to the improvement of
protected area management, the enhancement of
landscape connectivity, the conservation of species, the
strengthening of enabling conditions for biodiversity protection, and the capacity-building of civil
society organisations (CSOs). With the addition of the 11 new KBAs, CEPF is poised to increase its
impact in the region.

“We are excited about the contribution CEPF is making to conservation in the Caribbean Islands
Biodiversity Hotspot, and this expansion strengthens our support to the region,” said CEPF
Caribbean Grant Director, Daniel Rothberg. He continued, “These additional funds will allow us to
have a greater impact through support for on-the-ground action by civil society, from habitat
restoration and species protection to climate resilience initiatives, ensuring more effective
conservation efforts. Additionally, they will help foster stronger collaboration among conservation
groups, building robust regional networks.”

“As Caribbean biodiversity faces increasing threats from habitat destruction, climate change, and
human activities, this expanded investment will help ensure the long-term restoration and
protection of our region’s unique ecosystems,” said CEPF Caribbean Region Implementation Team
Manager at CANARI for CEPF, Nicole Brown. “We are pleased that CANARI can continue to play its
intermediary and support role for the CEPF Caribbean Islands investment.”

ENDS

For further information, please contact: Nicole Brown, Senior Technical Officer and RIT Manager, at
caribbeanrit@canari.org.

About CEPF: The CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation
International, the European Union, Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, the Global Environment Facility, the
Government of Japan and the World Bank. The CEPF Phase II investment (August 2021 – June 2027)
in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot is financed through the Critical Ecosystem Partnership
Fund – Caribbean Hotspot Project of the World Bank, using funds provided by the Government of
Japan. For more information on CEPF, visit www.cepf.net.

Click on the link below to browse our interactive map of current CEPF grants in the Caribbean Islands
Biodiversity Hotspot: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6b2618e2a26649dc8041af7f12ead197

About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit
organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for over 30 years. Our mission is
to promote and facilitate stakeholder participation in the stewardship of natural resources in the
Caribbean. CANARI will serve as the regional implementation team for the Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund’s five-year investment in the Caribbean Islands biodiversity hotspot between 2021
and 2026. For more information about the project, visit https://canari.org/civil-society-and-
governance/cepf-regional-implementation-team/.