The status of biodiversity and bioprospecting efforts in the Caribbean subregion

Introduction Biodiversity, as the name implies, is the term used to describe the differences that exist between and among the various species of organisms on the planet earth. Biodiversity can be measured on a worldwide basis, on a regional basis, on a national basis, as well as on a zonal basis. The interactions of these various species provide the basis for sustaining life, human life in particular. On that basis then, it is of utmost importance that the biodiversity of any area be preserved and this can only be done by a proper understanding of the organisms, their relative positions and in…

Green fiscal policies: An armoury of instruments to recover growth sustainably

The present study seeks to explore how fiscal policies can employed to deliver both socioeconomic and environmental dividends with a focus on Brazil as a case study. In the current context where the global economy in general and Brazil’s economy in particular are struggling to reinvigorate, whereas disregarding environmental concerns is a hazard for long-term economic development itself, the focus is thus on reviewing the recent literature that seeks to reconcile a stronger economic and social performance based on fiscal instruments that foster sustainable investments. An overview of the theor…

Videoconferencia: El panorama de los océanos, mares y los recursos marinos en America Latina y el Caribe

La Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) lanzará un primer panorama sobre la implementación del ODS 14 en América Latina y el Caribe. Específicamente, buscará identificar el principales avances, desarrollos, cambios en los marcos legales e institucionales, incluyendo las brechas y barreras. / The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is launching a first regional outlook on SDG14 implementation in LAC. Specifically, it seeks to identify the main developments, advances, changes in legal and institutional frameworks, including gaps and barriers.…

CEPAL reafirma importancia de contabilizar el capital natural en América Latina y el Caribe e insta a promover espacios de cooperación regional e interinstitucional en la materia

La Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Alicia Bárcena, reafirmó hoy la importancia de la institucionalización y el desarrollo de la contabilidad del capital natural en los países de América latina y el Caribe e instó a promover espacios de cooperación regional e interinstitucional en la materia. La alta funcionaria de las Naciones Unidas participó en el segmento de alto nivel del Foro Nacional sobre la Contabilidad del Capital Natural y Valoración de los Servicios de los Ecosistemas, organizado por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geogra…

Mensaje del Secretario Ejecutivo en evento paralelo 3ª Conferencia de la ONU sobre el Océano UNOC 3

Mensaje del Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, para evento paralelo de la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Océano (UNOC 3), titulado "Building a Shared Vision for a Blue Economy Transition Strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean" (Construir una visión compartida para una estrategia de transición hacia la economía azul en América Latina y el Caribe). Niza, Francia, jueves 12 de junio de 2025.…

Urge un cambio transformador que permita avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible multiescalar donde la igualdad y la sostenibilidad sean las metas

Especialistas coincidieron hoy en la urgencia de implementar un cambio transformador que permita avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible multiescalar donde la igualdad y la sostenibilidad sean las metas, y donde nadie se quede atrás, durante un evento paralelo al Foro Político de Alto Nivel de las Naciones Unidas, que se celebra en Nueva York. El evento Oportunidades en América Latina y el Caribe para la integración de la biodiversidad, la agricultura sostenible y la acción transformadora de las mujeres, los pueblos indígenas y las comunidades locales, así como de los gobiernos locales y subnac…

Making peace with nature: Regional actions to mainstream and invest in biodiversity

The host country of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Colombia, selected “Peace with nature” as the theme of the meeting. Peace with nature is of the utmost relevance for all regions, and its achievement is not just an environmental necessity but a socioeconomic imperative. Biodiversity underpins ecosystem services that are vital for human survival, economic prosperity and social well-being. Peace with nature requires just and transformative changes in economic, social and governance systems.…

Conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad para una recuperación sostenible: desafíos y oportunidades de América Latina y el Caribe

Este panel multiactor reunirá a expertos y representantes del ámbito público y privado, gubernamental e intergubernamental, así como del sistema de las Naciones Unidas de la región.…

Conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad para una recuperación sostenible: desafíos y oportunidades de América Latina y el Caribe

Este panel multiactor reunirá a expertos y representantes del ámbito público y privado, gubernamental e intergubernamental, así como del sistema de las Naciones Unidas de la región.…

Conceptualizing a circular economy in the Caribbean: perspectives and possibilities. Policy Brief

Although the notion of a circular economy (CE) has been conceived and debated for more than half a century (Henrysson and Nuur, 2021), it has gained considerable popularity in the lexicon of economists, ecologists and other development thinkers over the past two decades. The increasing evidence of the existential threat of human-induced climate change and the related imperatives of decarbonizing the global economy, have led to greater focus on strategies for a more sustainable use of the natural and environmental resource base.…

Status and potential of commercial bioprospecting activities in Latin America and the Caribbean

Commercial bioprospecting activities in Latin America and the Caribbean assume various different forms and approaches in accordance with the target markets, the country context and business models involved. While prospecting for medicinally or industrially valuable substances derived from natural resources is not necessarily a new phenomenon, the systematic search for biologically active compounds in nature has gained a new significance as a component of biodiversity conservation strategies. Furthermore, the increasing availability of new scientific and technological tools have enabled new lev…

Report of the twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Director’s Desk: Limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees to stay alive - What does it mean for Caribbean SIDS?

As is well known, Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to recurrent multidimensional shocks. These have lasting social, economic, and environmental impacts; effects expected to become further aggravated in a world with a persistently warming climate. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbates these impacts.…

Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe 2015 = Statistical yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2015

El Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe presenta un conjunto de estadísticas básicas que caracterizan la situación económica, sociodemográfica y ambiental de la región referidas a un período en particular. Esta información forma parte del conjunto de estadísticas disponibles en CEPALSTAT, el portal de bases de datos y publicaciones estadísticas de la CEPAL. [en línea] http://estadisticas.cepal.org/cepalstat/. Las versiones impresa (PDF) y electrónica del Anuario no son exactamente iguales. En la primera se reúne una selección de cuadros orientados a brindar información estadístic…

Natural resources: challenges and opportunities for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean is endowed with abundant natural resources, but these are distributed unevenly. ECLAC supports effective and democratic governance of natural resources to achieve the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.…

Caribbean in Brief: an information document for Caribbean Small Island Developing States

This brief is intended to provide general information on the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference on scaling up ocean actions based on science and innovation for the implementation of Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), with a view to stimulating more active, engaged participation of the Caribbean in the discussions. The United Nations Ocean Conference will be co-chaired by Kenya and Portugal, and hosted by the Government of Portugal in Lisbon, during 2021. The objective of this conference is consistent with the 2017 UN General Assembly proclamation on the Decade of Oce…

Caribbean SIDS Prepare for Johannesburg 2002 - The World Summit on Sustainable Development

Institutional report of the ECLAC subregional headquaters for the Caribbean on the support provided to Caribbean small island developing states for the implementation of the Mauritius strategy

This paper presents a review of the support provided by the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean to small island developing States in the Caribbean for the further implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action. This report forms part of the MSI+5 Review and addresses structural support through the establishment of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism and the Technical Advisory Committee, and the applied research conducted by ECLAC which is intended to lead to policy implementation.…

Limiting Temperature Rise - What Does It Mean for Caribbean SIDS?

The economics of biodiversity in climate change times: a renewed challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean - A conversation with Sir Partha Dasgupta

Sir Partha Dasgupta, leader of the project The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, (London: HM Treasury), 2021. To be republished by Cambridge University Press, 2022. This is a study similar to that of Sir Nicholas Stern, applied to the costing of biodiversity loss and options for its incorporation into economic accounting and for better targeting of investment and its real costs. Sir Dasgupta is a global eminence in biodiversity and economics, so it is a singular occasion, it is the first time he visits ECLAC, he had a prominent role in the IPBES initiative of the United Nations C…