As already mentioned before WW2BW, also known as White Water to Blue Water, represents a partnership located in the Wider Caribbean that focuses the promotion of sound water and ecosystem management. Strictly speaking we are talking about a respectable initiative that tries to mobilize resources from all existing sources. So WW2BW is designed to foster the general practice of integrated watershed management and the marine ecosystem-based management – both with the aid of sustainable development. Consequently, sustainable tourism and environmentally sound marine transportation are two main aspects that do also play an important role in the whole context.
To sum up, integrated watershed management, marine ecosystem-based management, sustainable tourism and environmentally sound marine transportation do represent the four thematic areas for WW2BW to focus on.
1. Integrated Watershed Management
Fact is that water generally runs downhill and consequently results in a variety of different land-based activities. In most cases water is responsible for the pollution of oceans, diseases and health impacts. In order to avoid and prevent these consequences, the Integrated Watershed Management focuses those activities that mainly impact the general watershed. In this context we are talking about activities such as for instance forestry, land use, tourism and agriculture.
2. Marine Ecosystem-based Management
The Marine Ecosystem-based Management provides presentations and includes discussions considering the general structure of the Large Marine Ecosystem approach. This will make it possible to guarantee of the long-term productivity and sustainability of vitally important and essential resources as well as the general environment.
3. Sustainable Tourism
Considering the thematic area “Sustainable Tourism” WW2BW founded a so-called Sustainable Tourism Subcommittee which will be responsible for priority sustainable development issues within the tourism sector as a whole. Strictly speaking the Sustainable Tourism Subcommittee will focus topics such as master planning, destination management, education of tourists, general community tourism and the environmental management of hotels.
4. Environmentally Sound Marine Transportation
The thematic area of Environmentally Sound Marine Transportation represents an integral part of WW2BW because of the fact that influences and impacts from ships and / or boats do concern the coastal as well as the near shore environments and the general blue water. So we are talking about different impacts that can be divided into operational impacts (e.g. anchor damage) and accidental impacts (e.g. collisions).