The UWI through CERMES, an IUCN member, hosts and operates the Caribbean Protected Areas Gateway (Caribbean Gateway). Established through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme, the Caribbean Gateway was developed to cater to the requirements and needs of the Caribbean region regarding the conservation of its biodiversity, specifically through Protected Areas. The Caribbean Gateway is comprised of a number of web interfaces (see web application section) which promote data and knowledge sharing, serves as a data repository, provides a forum for network development and communication and ultimately functions as a decision support system.

The BIOPAMA programme is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) financed by the European Union's 11th EDF and is implemented jointly by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC), on behalf of the ACPS.

The programme aims to address threats to biodiversity in  OACPS countries, while reducing poverty in communities in and around protected areas by improving data availability and developing capacity to strengthen protected area management.

To better cater to the uniqueness of each region, regional observatories were established. The Caribbean Protected Area Gateway (Caribbean Gateway); https://thecpag.org was established for the Caribbean region and:

• consists of a suite of tools (see Web Applications)
• functions to facilitate effective conservation and management of biodiversity within Protected Areas (PAs)
• aims to provide the best available protected area data for decision making

Implemented by:

Partners:			Donors:
			An Initiative of the ACP Group, funded by the European Union under the 11th EDF