Professor W. A. Knight, Dr M. Bishop, Dr M. Scobie

UWI Institute of International Relations

Caribbean is defined by the Sea and the Ocean

Most territories are (small) islands or share ‘island’ characteristics

Much economic, social and cultural activity is coastal in nature

Caribbean only recently being conceptualised as a vast maritime space, as opposed to collection of insular territories (all islands and territories washed by the Caribbean Sea)

Effective governance essential to cope with threats and seize opportunities, but significant gaps exist

IIR and Diplomatic Academy of Caribbean well-placed

Research capacity in Law of Sea, governance, diplomacy, political economy

Limited research on Ocean governance in and beyond the region currently

Significant potential to impact real-world diplomacy and political action

Many Caribbean territories threatened by climate change

Sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, coral bleaching, violent weather etc.

Limited influence over global governance of environment

Lack of joined-up policy managing Caribbean Sea at regional level (failure of CARICOM)

Caribbean Sea increasingly important strategically

Shipping of nuclear waste, increased cruise ships, military navigation, oil rigs etc.

Existing modes of development coastal-based and vulnerable

From fishing (food security) to tourism, infrastructure is along coastal areas and relies on sea

Purpose of Project

To map the changing panorama of ocean governance in the Caribbean globally, regionally and domestically; focusing on questions of transhipment, environmental protection, tourism, and generating income from economic activity

Key Questions

How is the Caribbean Sea as a maritime space being regulated? Where are the gaps in governance? Who controls, benefits from - and bears the cost - of prevailing patterns of governance, particularly with regards to economic activity and environmental vulnerability? How are different Caribbean territories and regional organizations responding to this reality?

Research Agenda

Global – situating the Caribbean within global regulatory regimes

Regional – mapping specifically Caribbean regulatory regimes (CARICOM, ACS)

Domestic – comparative study of 5 territories in their ocean governance regimes

Purpose of Project

To investigate the political economy of France’s enormous maritime space both within and beyond the Caribbean (including Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana), Mayotte and Réunion (in the Indian Ocean), French Polynesia and St Pierre et Miquelon. The study focuses on their strategic role in France’s foreign policy, their development challenges, and the myriad governance reforms initiated by Paris in recent years.

Key Questions

Why does France retain such an extensive network of overseas territories over such a vast maritime space? How are their development challenges being met? What are their relationships with the wider regions in which they are located? What are the implications of France’s own governance reform initiatives of recent times? How is their relationship with France being further reshaped by broader reforms within the governance architecture of the European Union?

Trans-Regional Research Agenda

Fieldwork in Paris and Brussels to ascertain contemporary French and EU views of overseas territories, followed by work in Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Polynesia and Atlantic.

Architecture of marine environmental governance in the Caribbean in the context of environmental justice

Caribbean Sea Commission of the Association of Caribbean States

Caribbean Environmental Program

United Nations Environmental Program

The first stage -- overcome cooperation challenges to develop an intermestic institution for scientific and technical work.

The second stage -- adopt actual multilateral policy making mechanisms, and

the third stage -- improve implementation and monitoring of environmental goals/targets

Jörg and VanDeever 2010