SPAW Network Workshop in Florida Achieves Key Milestones

The second workshop on SPAW protected areas was organised by SPAW-RAC and hosted by Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks. It took place in Florida from 19 to 21 November and brought together 25 representatives from 23 SPAW protected areas from 12 territories in the Greater Caribbean.

During three days of interactive workshops, protected areas managers came together to collaborate on the advancement of the SPAW network. Sharing the successful experience of marine protected areas in the south-west Indian Ocean, as part of the Varuna_AMP project (implemented by Réserves naturelles de France, steered by Expertise France and financed by the AFD since 2022), NatureXpairs, with the help of the French Biodiversity Agency, led a series of participatory workshops that helped to:

✅ Map their expertise: Participants assessed the network’s existing skills and knowledge.
✅ Build a Roadmap for collective skills development: A five-year action plan with 15 priorities has been drawn up to guide future initiatives.
✅ develop practical capacity-building tools targeting key issues for the network:

• Climate change adaptation
• Scientific monitoring
• New technologies
• Law enforcement
• Data management

Participants also reflected on the network of players that surround and make up the SPAW network, by assessing the SPAW network ecosystem to better understand the collaboration and commitment of all stakeholders.

This work forms the cornerstone of the structuring support programme for protected areas in the Greater Caribbean 2026-2030 currently being developed by NatureXpairs and CarSpaw, which will involve, amongst many key partners the OFB, the managers of French protected areas in the region, the Conservatoire du Littoral and the Mediterranean Consortium for Biodiversity.

Learn more :

Lucie Labbouz (CarSpaw) : lucie.labbouz(@)developpement-durable.gouv.fr

Emmanuelle Sarat : emmanuelle.sarat(@)naturexpairs.org