Nature Caribé arose from the need to create an initiative between islands to integrate civil society organisations in the Caribbean involved in the conservation of biodiversity, the governance of natural resources and in the development of sustainable livelihoods.

Thanks to the investment of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) in the Caribbean in the 2010-2015 phase, Nature Caribé was established to create a pan-Caribbean network of organisations that integrates islands of diverse cultures, languages and geographies, with the objective of sharing knowledge, practices and experiences, as well as leveraging resources and collaborating together.

Nature Caribé believes in the power of collaboration, favouring investments in local and national civil society organisations (CSOs) that in the long run will continue working for the conservation of natural resources. Our role as a network is to facilitate and catalyse behind the scenes by building partnerships and leveraging capacities within the Caribbean organisations and enhancing what already exists to achieve greater success.

Nature Caribé represents an opportunity for civil society in the Caribbean to have a greater impact in influencing global, regional and national policies, above all, related to climate change, with a focus on nature and local needs.

Nature Caribé is the only network of its kind in the insular Caribbean, uniting CSOs that are actively engaged in researching and sharing knowledge, advocating, and building capacity among the members.

Key characteristics that make us distinctive include:

• Nature Caribé focuses exclusively on Caribbean islands, while other international conservation organisations often have programmes that fluctuate depending on institutional priorities.
• Nature Caribé members have extensive experience in their own island settings and/or are leaders of on-the-ground, educational and outreach activities across the region.
• Nature Caribé partners with key organisations in the islands that work in both conservation and the development of a sustainable society.
• Nature Caribe is keen to bundle the expertise and resources of its members to execute or cooperate in regional projects and programmes that have a strong civil society component in all issues related to conservation, biodiversity, marine and terrestrial natural resource management as well as climate change adaptation.