The Caribbean Strong Summit: Building Resilience With Equity

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-157
Author(s):  
Leslie Maas Cortés ◽  
Melanie Z. Rodriguez-Rivera ◽  
James J. James ◽  
José F Cordero

ABSTRACTThe objective of the Caribbean Strong Summit was to plan an intersectoral summit to address the equity of community health and resilience for disaster preparedness, response and recovery and develop a set of integrated and actionable recommendations for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Region post Hurricanes Irma and Maria. A three-day meeting was convened with a wide range of community, organizational and private sector leaders along with representatives from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Americas, and global experts to generate recommendations for enhanced resilience based upon lessons learned and evidence-based approaches. More than 500 participants from the region gave 104 presentations with recommendations for resilience. Over 150 recommendations were generated and ranked for importance and actionability by participants. A representative sample of these are presented along with five major themes for building health resilient communities in the Caribbean. This summit was successful in compiling a set of integrated recommendations from more than 19 diverse sectors and in defining five major thematic areas for future work to enhance resilience for all types of future disasters. A follow-up meeting should be planned to continue this discussion and to showcase work that has been accomplished in these areas. A complete set of the recommendations from the Caribbean Strong Summit and their analysis and compilation would be published and should serve as a foundational effort to enhance preparedness and resiliency towards future disasters in the Caribbean.

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-377
Author(s):  
Luis Eduardo Rojas Murcia ◽  
Juan E. Carvajal Cogollo ◽  
Javier Alejandro Cabrejo Bello

<p>Con el fin de caracterizar la distribución horizontal (repartición de los hábitats) y la utilización del recurso alimentario (tipo y tamaño de las presas) del ensamblaje de reptiles del bosque seco estacional al norte de la región Caribe de Colombia, en el departamento del Cesar, se realizaron cinco salidas de campo con una duración de doce días cada una. Los muestreos se realizaron en jornadas diurnas y nocturnas, en un diseño de transectos replicados a lo largo de diferentes hábitats que incluyeron: pastizales, bordes e interiores de bosque. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos de uso de hábitat en un perfil de vegetación por cada época climática y análisis de amplitud y sobreposición de nicho. Se registraron 38 especies de 14 familias del orden Squamata. Las especies se distribuyeron de manera homogénea entre zonas abiertas y boscosas. Se encontraron registros de 31 categorías de presa en 109 estómagos de seis especies de serpientes (61 estómagos) y siete de lagartos (48 estómagos) con un porcentaje de estómagos vacíos de 38 %. Las presas de mayor importancia para los lagartos fueron Coleoptera y Araneae, y para las serpientes fueron los anfibios. La mayoría de las especies presentaron un amplio espectro de dieta y entre especies similares, como entre Anolis auratus y A. gaigei, se presentó uso de recursos similares. En síntesis, el ensamblaje de reptiles presentó una distribución homogénea en los hábitats evaluados (áreas abiertas y boscosas) y el recurso alimentario fue variado entre las diferentes especies; la estacionalidad de la zona presenta un papel fundamental en la estructura del ensamblaje de reptiles, presentándose menos abundancia durante la época seca, tanto en las áreas abiertas como en las boscosas.</p><p><strong>Reptiles from the Seasonal Dry Forest the Caribbean Region: Distribution of Habitat and use of Food Resource</strong></p><p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p>We assessed the horizontal distribution and use of the food resource of the reptile’s assemblage of the seasonal tropical dry forest in the North of the Caribbean region of Colombia, department of Cesar. Five fieldtrips of 12 days each were performed, sampling was diurnal and nocturnal, following a transect design replicated along different habitats including grasslands, edge and interior of forest. We performed descriptive analyzes of habitat use, using a profile of vegetation by each climatic period; we also did an analysis of amplitude and niche overlap. We recorded 38 species of 14 families of the Squamata order. Species distributed evenly between open and forested areas. Record of 31 categories of prey in 109 stomachs of six species snakes (61 stomachs) and seven of lizards (48 stomachs) with a percentage of empty stomachs of 38 % was found. The preys of greater importance for the lizards were Coleoptera and Araneae and for snakes, amphibians. Most of the species presented a wide range of diet and between similar species, such as Anolis auratus and A. gaigei, found a similar use of resources. In summary, the assembly of reptiles presented a homogeneous distribution in the habitats evaluated (forested and open areas) and the food resource varied among the different species; the seasonality of the area plays a fundamental role on the structure of this reptile assembly with less abundance during the dry season in both, open and forested habitats.</p>


The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 1397-1406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Rice ◽  
Jaime A. Collazo ◽  
Mathew W. Alldredge ◽  
Brian A. Harrington ◽  
Allen R. Lewis

Abstract We report seasonal residency and local annual survival rates of migratory Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico. Residency rate (daily probability of remaining on the flats) was 0.991 ± 0.001 (x̄ ± SE), yielding a mean length of stay of 110 days. This finding supports the inclusion of the Caribbean as part of the species' winter range. Average estimated percentage of fat was low but increased throughout the season, which suggests that birds replenish some spent fat reserves and strive for energetic maintenance. Local annual survival rate was 0.62 ± 0.04, within the range of values reported for breeding populations at Manitoba and Alaska (0.53–0.76). The similarity was not unexpected because estimates were obtained annually but at opposite sites of their annual migratory movements. Birds captured at the salt flats appeared to be a mix of birds from various parts of the breeding range, judging from morphology (culmen's coefficient of variation = 9.1, n = 106). This suggested that origin (breeding area) of birds and their proportion in the data should be ascertained and accounted for in analyses to glean the full conservation implications of winter-based annual survival estimates. Those data are needed to unravel the possibility that individuals of distinct populations are affected by differential mortality factors across different migratory routes. Mean length of stay strongly suggested that habitat quality at the salt flats was high. Rainfall and tidal flow combine to increase food availability during fall. The salt flats dry up gradually toward late January, at the onset of the dry season. Semipalmated Sandpipers may move west to other Greater Antilles or south to sites such as coastal Surinam until the onset of spring migration. They are not an oversummering species at the salt flats. Conservation efforts in the Caribbean region require understanding the dynamics of this species throughout winter to protect essential habitat. Tasas de Supervivencia Anual Local y de Residencia Estacional de Calidris pusilla en Puerto Rico


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Gregorio Rosario Michel ◽  
Santiago Muñoz Tapia ◽  
Fernando Manzano Aybar ◽  
Vladimir Guzmán Javier ◽  
Joep Crompvoets

In recent years, a growing number of stakeholders have been taking part in the generation and delivery of geospatial information and services to reduce the impact of severe natural disasters on the communities. This is mainly due to a huge demand for accurate, current and relevant knowledge about the impacted areas for a wide range of applications in risk-informed decision makings. The aim of this paper is to identify users’ requirements for emergency mapping team (EMT) operations in the Dominican Republic (DR). An online survey was applied to collect data from key users involved in the Inter-Institutional Geospatial Information Team in DR. Our findings suggest a set of users’ requirements for EMT operations: (1) standardization; (2) establishing and maintaining a spatial data infrastructure; (3) partnership; (4) effective communication among stakeholders; and (5) capacity building. A better understanding of the users’ requirements and the associated information workflows will lead to a superior level of readiness for EMT operations in DR. This knowledge will support future studies/practices at the local and national levels in the Caribbean region, which share similar challenges in terms of natural hazards and development issues.


2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Angeles ◽  
J. E. González ◽  
D. J. Erickson ◽  
J. L. Hernández

Assessment of renewable energy resources such as surface solar radiation and wind current has great relevance in the development of local and regional energy policies. This paper examines the variability and availability of these resources as a function of possible climate changes for the Caribbean region. Global climate changes have been reported in the last decades, causing changes in the atmospheric dynamics, which affects the net solar radiation balance at the surface and the wind strength and direction. For this investigation, the future climate changes for the Caribbean are predicted using the parallel climate model (PCM) and it is coupled with the numerical model regional atmospheric modeling system (RAMS) to simulate the solar and wind energy spatial patterns changes for the specific case of the island of Puerto Rico. Numerical results from PCM indicate that the Caribbean basin from 2041 to 2055 will experience a slight decrease in the net surface solar radiation (with respect to the years 1996–2010), which is more pronounced in the western Caribbean sea. Results also indicate that the easterly winds have a tendency to increase in its magnitude, especially from the years 2070 to 2098. The regional model showed that important areas to collect solar energy are located in the eastern side of Puerto Rico, while the more intense wind speed is placed around the coast. A future climate change is expected in the Caribbean that will result in higher energy demands, but both renewable energy sources will have enough intensity to be used in the future as alternative energy resources to mitigate future climate changes.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Nicole Jennings ◽  
Jamison Douglas ◽  
Emrys Treasure ◽  
Grizelle González

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1093-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Tamsitt ◽  
Irving Fox

Twenty-eight species of ectoparasites, including one flea, one chigger, two ticks, six mites, and 18 streblids, are listed for 18 species of bats from Colombia, Guyana, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Most are new host or geographic records. Distributional observations are included when available.


Author(s):  
David Eduardo Barreto Sánchez ◽  
aura Gutiérrez Escobar ◽  
Catalina Toro Pérez ◽  
Line Algoed ◽  
Pambana Bassett ◽  
...  

Through an interdisciplinary conversation in the context of the project: Food Insecurity in Times of Climate Change: Sharing and Learning from Bottom-up Responses in the Caribbean Region, we expose the voices, history and knowledge of local communities and activists in Barbuda, Belize, Colombia (San Andres and Providencia), Jamaica and Puerto Rico to the food insecurity and ecological crisis in the Caribbean. The composite effect of climate injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic is outlined as anthropogenic crises that thrive on inequality and dependency in the Caribbean. The community experiences of the project countries reveal an emergence of knowledge and diverse ways of producing food and relating to the environment as alternatives to development. It is a criticism of the solutions imposed from above that ignore the knowledge, needs and practices of popular ecologies in the Caribbean.


Author(s):  
Lisa Saum-Manning

Abstract Communities have a vital role to play in managing the risks associated with natural disasters. As such, their strengths, weaknesses, and priority concerns must be factored into policy decisions to ensure local recovery efforts reflect community needs. Regular engagement with community members provides opportunities for emergency managers and first responders to tap into a reservoir of local knowledge to build a shared understanding of how to foster local preparedness and help communities reduce the impact of a disaster. Not all communities are alike; needs can differ for a variety of reasons and can help determine the best ways to galvanize an appropriate response. The methods of engagement should also be tailored to ensure communities are willing and able to participate in the types of interactions emergency managers wish to initiate. In this paper, we used a mixed method approach to examine several different community engagement and data collection strategies conducted, observed or examined by our research team during six months of post-Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico from February to July 2018. The aim of this study is to assess whether different outreach approaches used illuminated different perceptions about disaster preparedness and recovery and to identify what works and what does not work when engaging communities in emergency preparedness and recovery activities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 528-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyson Volkmann ◽  
Martine Chase ◽  
Ann M. Lockard ◽  
Deborah Henningham ◽  
Rachel Albalak

In the Caribbean region, HIV prevalence is high among key population (KP) groups, such as sex workers and men who have sex with men. However, there is a lack of high-quality, population-level data estimating HIV prevalence and population sizes of KPs. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has funded and completed five bio-behavioral surveillance (BBS) surveys using respondent-driven sampling methodology to target KP in the English-speaking Caribbean region. We describe the experience of implementing bio-behavioral surveys in the Caribbean region and document the context, processes, successes, and challenges, and make recommendations for future survey implementation. Successes include the provision of estimates of nationally representative HIV data and KP size estimates to improve HIV programming and provision of tools for routinization of BBS. Challenges include small KP sizes, the legal context, and the cost and speed of implementation. Future bio-behavioral surveys should include well-planned formative assessments and stakeholder involvement.


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