In view of the importance of other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) for biodiversity, and the need to improve individual countries’ capacity to report fisheries-related OECMs and understand how the fisheries sector contributes to current and future area-based biodiversity conservation objectives, FAO has been carrying out a series of activities to support countries to identify and implement OECMs. [Author] These activities include the organization of workshops and the development of practical guidance, as requested by FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI). [Author] With the support of the Organización del Sector Pesquero y Acuícola del Istmo Centroamericano (Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus [OSPECA]), FAO organized the workshop on other effective area-based conservation measures in fisheries-related areas in Latin America and the Caribbean. [Author] The workshop was held on 27–28 March 2023 in the city of San José, Costa Rica. [Author] This workshop supported Member Countries of the Commission for Small-scale and Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPESAALC), as well as regional and national fisheries-related organizations in the Latin American and Caribbean regions to: (i) apply CBD criteria for the identification of OECMs; (ii) understand the challenges, opportunities and needs that arise in the identification of fisheries‑related OECMs; and (iii) synthesize lessons learned and obtain recommendations. [Author] To achieve these objectives, topics discussed included: concepts and criteria for the identification, evaluation and reporting of OECMs; examples of OECMs in the world; conservation strategies in Latin America and the potential contribution of OECMs to these; the framework for fisheries governance and area-based management in Latin America; Argentina’s progress in recognizing OECMs; and the presentation of four case studies carried out in Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico. [Author] The workshop enabled extensive exchanges on the difficulties of interpreting the concepts and criteria for the identification, evaluation, and reporting of OECMs, as well as the key points, challenges, and difficulties in analysing and considering potential OECMs. [Author]

This workshop was the second of a series of regional workshops on fisheries tenure and user rights. It aimed to discover regional nuances and specificities of the Latin America and Caribbean area to develop how-to guidance on appropriate tenure systems and rights-based approaches for fisheries. Representatives from both government and non-government sectors attended this workshop. Participants at the workshop presented fisheries tenure and user rights of 11 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jamaica, Grenada, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay. Participants discussed in plenary three topics: 1) Recognition and allocation of tenure rights and responsibilities; 2) Transfers and other changes to tenure rights; and 3) Administration of tenure. Participants made recommendations for future work, including (1) increasing efforts on securing small-scale fishers rights; and (2) finding solutions on how different sectors can coexist. To do so, participants requested more information and guidance on tenure and user rights in fisheries along with on-the-ground support.

This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the Work Planning Workshop on Sustainable Management of Bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean Trawl Fisheries (REBYC-II LAC) held in Bridgetown, Barbados on 9-12 September 2015. The main objectives of the Work Planning workshop of the Sustainable Management of Bycatch in Latin America and Caribbean Trawl Fisheries (REBYC-II LAC) project (http://www.fao.org/in-action/rebyc-2/en/) were to (i) revise and specify the 2015-2016 national and regional workplans; (ii) review and agree on the financial, administrative, and managerial aspects of the project and (iii) define the next steps in the activities. Achievements of the workshop included: (i) the review and establishment of the administrative and management arrangements of the project; (ii) the review and adjustments to country workplans and budgets for 2015-2016, including formalization of national activities; and (iii) agreement on the next steps for project implementation.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is exceptionally biodiverse. It contains about half of the world’s remaining tropical forests, nearly one-fifth of its coastal habitats, and some of its most productive agricultural and marine areas. But agriculture, fishing and other human activities linked to rapid population and economic growth increasingly threaten that biodiversity. Moreover, poverty, weak regulatory capacity, and limited political will hamper conservation. Given this dilemma, it is critically important to design conservation strategies on the basis of the best available information about both biodiversity and the track records of the various policies that have been used to protect it. This rigorously researched book has three key aims. It describes the status of biodiversity in LAC, the main threats to this biodiversity, and the drivers of these threats. It identifies the main policies being used to conserve biodiversity and assesses their effectiveness and potential for further implementation. It proposes five specific lines of practical action for conserving LAC biodiversity, based on: green agriculture; strengthening terrestrial protected areas and co-management; improving environmental governance; strengthening coastal and marine resource management; and improving biodiversity data and policy evaluation.