Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB)

Project Overview

As Small Island Developing States, Caribbean nations depend heavily on their biodiversity and natural resources for economic and social development.

The CRAB Project was designed to contribute to the development of sustainable and sufficient resources for the conservation of ecosystems in the Caribbean Region. This will support, in the long term, the maintenance and restoration of the Caribbean’s biodiversity and natural resources. The duration of the project, which started in July 2022, is 5 years.

Funding for the CRAB Project is a total of 7 million Euros with resources from French Global Environmental Facility (FFEM) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) of 4 million Euros, German Development Bank (KFW) of 500,000 Euros and Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) of 2.5 million Euros.

The final beneficiaries of the CRAB project will be the National Conservation Trust Funds partners of CBF, protected areas managers, communities, and French actors in the region working in biodiversity conservation.

The CRAB project will be implemented through 4 components:

Strengthen the financial and operational capacities of the Architecture
Position the Architecture as a key player in regional approaches to biodiversity issues
Strengthen the capacity of the network to respond to local and regional conservation needs, especially in the context of emergency responses such as the COVID-19 pandemic
Management, Operational, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning activities

Project Regional Context

The Caribbean islands, classified as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), hold exceptional biodiversity and natural resources forming the backbone of their economic and social well-being. However, these resources face increasing pressure due to development activities and climate change. While their importance is recognized, economic instruments for biodiversity conservation and incorporating ecosystem services into development planning remain underdeveloped.

This is where the CRAB Project comes in. Recognizing the crucial role of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund’s (CBF) National Conservation Trust Funds (NCTFs) network, the CRAB Project serves as a critical partner. By strengthening the financial and operational capacities of the NCTFs, the CRAB Project aims to empower them to become key players in regional conservation efforts.

Project Implementation

Develop and support the implementation a roadmap at national and regional level for NCTFs to access conservation financing; identify collaborators & partners
Identify and support a suitable database for biodiversity information for the region and train NCTFs and Country Partners in the use of the tool.
Implement specialized training e.g., Environmental & Social Management Systems; NCTF Gender Strategy and Policy; Monitoring and Evaluation for Climate Adaptation, Mitigation Activities & Biodiversity conservation.
Fund participation in biodiversity & conservation events; Host workshops on priority topics e.g., coral restoration, Marine Protected Areas etc.
Contribute to the drafting of reports and declarations under the major international biodiversity conventions
Organize technical exchanges with French experts, host interns, & dissemination of documents in French.
Support the continued development of Blue BioTrade value chains (Queen Conch)
Provide resources to NCTFs for the financing of Grants via a call for proposals for CBOs, NGOS to fund activities that will promote resilience when faced with pandemics and disasters.
2023 Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB) Internship: The CRAB Project’s internship
programme was pleased to lend support to Grenada Sustainable Development Trust fund to facilitate the creation of a public awareness and conservation knowledge tool for the implementation of target focused and evidence-based conservation. within Main-land Grenada This internship was made possible with the financial support of Agence Française de Développement (AFD), French Global Environmental Facility (FFEM) and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF). The internship is thankful to have received technical support from the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway.

Project Expected Results

Funding mobilized at national and regional level for conservation financing in the Caribbean.
Strategic planning tool created to help NCTFs better plan and implement interventions
aligned to regional and national priorities.
Policies and operational capacities strengthened to make NCTFs more responsive to their mandate and better able to access donor financing.
Opportunities expanded for NCTFs representation, networking and influence in
regional and international biodiversity conservation agendas.
Relationships between the Architecture and the conservation actors of the French islands promoted and expanded.
Communities supported to identify and implement post-COVID-19 pro-nature economic opportunities and support sustainable value chains using resources on land and below water.

Project Resources

For a comprehensive understanding of this project, we invite you to explore the following resources:

Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB) Project Fact Sheet

The CRAB Project was designed to contribute to the development of sustainable and sufficient resources for the conservation of ecosystems in the Caribbean Region.

Grenada Biodiversity 101 – Designated Protected Areas & Endemic Species

This publication has been authored and designed by Alyssa White, distinguished as the recipient of the
2023 Caribbean Regional Architecture for Biodiversity (CRAB) Internship. The CRAB Project’s internship
programme was pleased to lend support to Grenada Sustainable Development Trust fund to facilitate
the creation of a public awareness and conservation knowledge tool for the implementation of targetfocused and evidence-based conservation. within Main-land Grenada This internship was made
possible with the financial support of Agence Française de Développement (AFD), French Global
Environmental Facility (FFEM) and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF). The internship is thankful to
have received technical support from the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway.

CBF Projects Database

After over a decade of providing sustainable financing for the Caribbean region, the CBF has directly or indirectly funded an estimated 100 projects and initiatives that implement effective conservation actions. This database provides details of those projects.