23 January 2012: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol and Project has released its January 2012 newsletter. This issue includes articles on: listing of Protected Areas under the SPAW Protocol; activities in support of the Caribbean Challenge Initiative; the Caribbean Waterbird Census; and Lionfish control and mitigation activities.

According to UNEP-SPAW, the listing of Protected Areas under the Protocol is a priority. As such, in December 2011 the SPAW Secretariat invited the Focal Points in each of its Contracting Parties to consider presenting some of their protected areas for listing at the next Conference of the Parties (COP), tentatively scheduled for October 2012.

On support to Caribbean Challenge activities, the newsletter highlights that all eight of the participating countries (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) were awarded grants up to US$45,000 each to implement activities to develop, improve and strengthen their Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Activities included education programmes, the development of management plans, training for MPA staff, the purchasing of monitoring equipment and the installation of mooring buoys.

The newsletter also notes the results of the first Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC), an initiative coordinated by the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) and supported by SPAW. Over 14 countries participated, with 37,000 birds of 124 different species counted.

On the control of mitigation of Lionfish, the newsletter notes that the Regional Lionfish Committee is drafting a regional lionfish strategy, as well as working to disseminate best practices, and establish a web portal to serve as a site for ongoing regional communication. [UNEP-SPAW Newsletter No. 5]