CAMAC, a Caribbean Collaboration Project

The CAMAC project (Caribbean Marine Megafauna and Anthropogenic Activities) focuses on better understanding how large marine animals and human activities interact in the Caribbean. The goal is to give Caribbean governments and environmental organizations the knowledge, tools, and recommendations they need to reduce negative impacts on species such as whales, dolphins, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and rays.

CAMAC covers a wide region, including the entire Lesser Antilles, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica, as well as the exclusive economic zones of the countries and territories on the Guiana plateau. Because of this large scope, the project works closely with international partners.

Sperm whales © Jeroen Hoekendijk

To reach its goals, CAMAC has five main objectives:

• Improve knowledge about Caribbean marine megafauna
• Understand the environmental and socio economic impacts of interactions between human activities and these species
• Strengthen regional cooperation and build the skills of local stakeholders
• Encourage young people in the Caribbean to engage in marine conservation
• Provide recommendations to decision makers to support strong and effective policies

Why is this important?

Marine megafauna are particularly sensitive to the negative impacts that these interactions can generate. These can lead to changes in their vital behaviours but also to injuries. A large proportion of the species in the Caribbean are thus vulnerable. But these interactions can also be a problem for human activities. For example, bycatch can lead to loss of fishing gear, or reduced yield. In addition, some activities are directly dependent on the presence of marine megafauna species, such as scuba diving. In the Caribbean, the various interactions between megafauna and human activities are well identified, but poorly quantified or controlled.

Collaboration

The project consists of two phases: CAMAC1, which ran from February to December 2023, and CAMAC2, which began in May 2025 and will run until the end of December 2027. Co-financed by the Interreg Caribbean program through the European Regional Development Fund, CAMAC is coordinated by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) / Agoa Sanctuary (a marine protected area dedicated to the protection of marine mammals in the French West Indies). The project is implemented in partnership with:

• SPAW-RAC (Regional Activity Center for the SPAW Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife in the Wider Caribbean Region)

• WWF-NL

• WIDECAST Caribbean (Network of Caribbean organizations working for the conservation of sea turtles)