Marine modeling in the Caribbean Sea: A tool for integrated adaptive resource management

This paper presents a regional perspective on the barriers and importance of managing the resources in the Caribbean Sea using an integrated approach and how the use of a marine model can help to determine quantitatively, the impacts of present and future development trends on the resources. The Caribbean Sea is a semi-enclosed sea surrounded by a twenty-five island archipelago and other mainland territories. The resources are managed country specific within each territorial jurisdiction, hence resource degradation and concomitant environmental problems continue. This Geographic Information System model proposes to quantify the resource consumption and waste assimilation of a given population in terms of productive marine areas using three Caribbean Small Island States as case studies. It will produce sustainability indicators and risk assessments, which will be used to inform policy decisions and the formulation of a management strategy.