CAR-SPAW-RAC

What CAR-SPAW-RAC does

CAR-SPAW-RAC is the Regional Activity Centre designated under the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention for the Wider Caribbean Region. It operates as an intergovernmental coordination body hosted by the French government's DEAL Guadeloupe in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, under the umbrella of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme. The centre's mandate is to promote regional cooperation for marine and coastal biodiversity protection across 17 Contracting Parties through implementation of the SPAW Protocol's four program axes.

The organization's core products and platforms include the SPAW Protected Areas Database (38 listed sites covering 1,500 km²), species databases for Annexes I, II and III of the SPAW Protocol (covering marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks, rays, parrotfish and Nassau grouper), the OBSenMER marine mammal observation database, photo-identification tools integrating Flukebook and NAHWC, and the GCRMN Caribbean coral-reef monitoring node that produced the 1970-2024 regional status report. Operational platforms include the CARI'MAM marine mammal network (200+ persons, 70 organizations, 20 countries), the SPAW Protected Areas Managers Network, the ongoing CAMAC project on marine megafauna and anthropogenic activities (2023-2027), and the annual Small Grants Programme that has funded over 75 Caribbean conservation projects since 2020 with grants of up to €10,000.

The business model is non-commercial and grant-funded. Core institutional funding flows from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition via DEAL Guadeloupe, project-level co-financing comes from the European Regional Development Fund through Interreg Caribbean (up to 85% on initiatives such as CAMAC), and additional support is drawn from UNEP-Spain LifeWeb, EC DG DEVCO B4Life / BEST 2.0+, IUCN, NFWF, and the Government of Spain. All services are provided free of charge to end users (governments, protected-area managers, NGOs, research organizations), and the centre does not publish financial statements. With a staff of approximately five, the organization combines a small executive team with a broad network of project partners and expert contributors across the Caribbean.

Name

CAR-SPAW-RAC

Legal name

DEAL of Guadeloupe (Directorate for Environment, Development and Housing) - CAR/SPAW

Website

https://car-spaw-rac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAR-SPAW-RAC is the Regional Activity Centre for the SPAW Protocol of the Cartagena Convention, coordinating marine biodiversity protection, species databases, and protected-area management across 17 Caribbean Contracting Parties and 38 listed sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Governance and Marine Conservation Coordination

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Decarbonization Strategy & Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Advisory (EUABAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (BPAEAPAA), Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB)

Keywords

• Marine biodiversity conservation
• Protected area coordination
• Regional environmental governance
• Intergovernmental conservation services
• Species protection databases

Headquarters

HQ city

Basse Terre

HQ country

Trinidad & Tobago

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core funding from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition through DEAL Guadeloupe, supporting the regional activity center operations and protocol implementation.
2. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): Co-financing from EU Interreg Caribbean programme for projects such as CAMAC (up to 85%), CARI'MAM, and other regional conservation initiatives.
3. Small Grants Programme: Annual calls for proposals funding Caribbean biodiversity conservation projects with small grants up to 10,000 euros for 4 months to 1 year duration. Since 2020, over 75 projects supported across 26 countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CAR-SPAW-RAC is the Regional Activity Centre for the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention, coordinating implementation across the Wider Caribbean Region. It manages species and protected area databases, animates regional conservation networks (such as CARI'MAM), administers a small grants programme, and produces regional ecosystem status reports for 17 Contracting Parties and 38 listed protected areas.

Product overview

CAR-SPAW-RAC is the Regional Activity Centre for the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention for the Wider Caribbean Region. The organization operates primarily as an informational and coordination platform rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings include a comprehensive website portal providing information about marine species conservation (parrotfish, sea turtles, sharks, rays, marine mammals), coral reef ecosystems, and 38 listed protected areas across 16 Caribbean countries. The center manages several databases including marine mammal observation data (OBSenMER) and photoidentification systems. Through its small grants programme, it funds short-term biodiversity conservation projects. The organization also coordinates regional projects such as CAMAC (Caribbean Marine Megafauna and Anthropogenic Activities) and the CARI'MAM network, while facilitating coral reef monitoring through the GCRMN Caribbean node. All services are provided free of charge as part of the UNEP-CEP regional environmental cooperation framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAR-SPAW-RAC Website Portal
• SPAW Protected Areas Database
• Marine Mammal Observation and Photoidentification Databases
• CARI'MAM Network Coordination
• CAMAC Project Platform
• Small Grants Programme
• GCRMN Caribbean Coral Reef Status Reporting

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 protected areas listed and actively managed under SPAW Protocol
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and regional.

• UNEP-CEP (United Nations Environment Programme - Caribbean Environment Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner providing the framework for the Cartagena Convention and SPAW Protocol. UNEP provides oversight and coordinates the Caribbean Environment Programme of which SPAW-RAC is a regional activity centre.
• DEAL Guadeloupe (Direction de l'Environnement, de l'Aménagement et du Logement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench government directorate hosting the SPAW-RAC headquarters in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. Provides administrative infrastructure, staff hosting, and core funding for the regional centre's operations.
• Agoa Sanctuary (OFB - Office Français de la Biodiversité)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench marine mammal sanctuary serving as lead organization for the CAMAC project (Caribbean Marine Megafauna and Anthropogenic Activities). SPAW-RAC leads Work Package 1 on socio-economic assessment of fisheries-megafauna interactions.
• National Natural Reserves of Grand Connétable Island (French Guyana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-pilot of the CARI'MAM project (2018-2021) alongside SPAW-RAC and Agoa Sanctuary, focusing on marine mammal preservation network in the Wider Caribbean Region.
• BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organization for the CARIB'COAST project on Caribbean network for prevention of coastal risks. SPAW-RAC contributes on axis 3 (ecosystem monitoring) and axis 4 (decision-making tools for coastal risk management).
• Haiti Ocean ProjectregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CAMAC project phase 1 (2023), contributing to Caribbean marine megafauna and anthropogenic activities research in the region.
• GRID-ArendalmajorTechnology or IntegrationProduced mapping outputs for the LifeWeb project on marine mammals corridors, including critical habitat maps, migration routes, and socio-economic information overlaid with human activities data.
• Whales and Dolphins Conservation SocietyregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in LifeWeb project contributing to species distribution and richness maps for marine mammals in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
• ICRI (International Coral Reef Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPAW-RAC is an active member of ICRI steering committee, contributing to global coral reef conservation coordination and the Regional Lionfish Committee addressing invasive species in the Caribbean.
• GCRMN (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPAW-RAC serves as GCRMN Caribbean node coordinator, contributing to regional coral reef status assessments and the 2024 report on Caribbean coral reefs (1970-2024).
• Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPAW-RAC is an active member contributing to coral restoration knowledge sharing and best practices for Caribbean reef ecosystems.
• WIDECASTregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Caribbean marine protected area managers dedicated to improving sea turtle conservation. SPAW-RAC is a partner supporting regional coordination and capacity building.
• IUCN InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead of the BEST 2.0 consortium implementing the biodiversity programme across 7 European Overseas territories regions, with SPAW-RAC as Caribbean regional partner.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WIDECAST: Caribbean-wide network for sea turtle conservation in which CAR-SPAW-RAC is a partner supporting regional coordination. Both convene protected area managers, researchers, and NGOs around marine species conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region.
• GCRMN (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network): Global coral reef monitoring network for which CAR-SPAW-RAC serves as the Caribbean node coordinator. Both produce regional coral reef status reports and coordinate monitoring methodology across multiple jurisdictions and research institutions.
• UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CEP): Parent regional body under which CAR-SPAW-RAC operates as a Regional Activity Centre. Both coordinate multilateral environmental cooperation across the Wider Caribbean under the Cartagena Convention, with overlapping mandate on biodiversity, pollution, and governance.
• Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC): Active member organization where CAR-SPAW-RAC contributes to coral restoration knowledge sharing and best practices for Caribbean reef ecosystems. Both facilitate regional coordination of reef restoration practitioners and researchers.
• Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF): Regional endowment fund providing sustainable financing for Caribbean biodiversity conservation. Both organizations channel conservation funding to Caribbean nations and operate as regional coordination mechanisms for biodiversity programming across the same geography.
• ICRI (International Coral Reef Initiative): International partnership where CAR-SPAW-RAC is an active steering committee member addressing invasive species and coral reef conservation in the Caribbean. Both coordinate global-to-regional coral conservation efforts with similar multi-stakeholder models.

Broad incumbents

• Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB): French biodiversity agency that manages the Agoa Sanctuary and leads the CAMAC project alongside CAR-SPAW-RAC. OFB is a broader national biodiversity authority with marine mammal and protected area management responsibilities that overlap with SPAW-RAC's Caribbean coordination mandate.
• IUCN International: Lead of the BEST 2.0 consortium implementing biodiversity programmes across European Overseas territories with SPAW-RAC as Caribbean regional partner. IUCN is the global authority on species conservation status (Red List) and protected area standards, providing the broader framework within which SPAW-RAC operates.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC): Large global conservation NGO that operates marine conservation programs in the Caribbean, including coral reef and protected area work. While broader in geographic and thematic scope, TNC targets many of the same Caribbean MPAs and species that CAR-SPAW-RAC coordinates at the policy level.

Others

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): Multilateral environmental agreement that sets global biodiversity targets (Kunming-Montréal GBF) which CAR-SPAW-RAC's SPAW Protocol implementation directly supports. CBD provides the higher-level policy framework and reporting obligations that drive regional coordination work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/car-spaw-rac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CAR-SPAW-RAC