Chantal Comte Supports the Caribaea Initiative

The CARIBAEA INITIATIVE logo is now featured on the back label of all Chantal Comte rum cuvées, as part of our commitment to supporting this association, which operates in the Caribbean islands to protect biodiversity and train young Caribbean scientists.

Founded in 2014 with the support of the MAVA Foundation, CARIBAEA INITIATIVE (www.caribaea.org), headquartered in Guadeloupe, is today the only non-governmental nature conservation organisation whose work extends across all the Caribbean islands, beyond linguistic, cultural, or political barriers. The association stands outfor its focus on training high-level local experts, who collaborate in a scientific network to develop relevant recommendations for wildlife and environmental management.

To achieve this CARIBAEA INITIATIVE, chaired by Alain Sandoz, raises funds to implement a variety of conservation and educational actions. In close collaboration with local institutions, the association develops scientific research programmes on Caribbean wildlife, enabling students to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in environmental studies. Additionally, it runs educational programmes in secondary schools, raising awareness among young Caribbeans about the importance of biodiversity conservation, aiming to inspire future careers in environmental science.

The Insular Caribbean is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots, home to a vast number of endemic animals and plants that cannot be found anywhere else. However, this exceptional biodiversity is extremely fragile and is threatened by climatechange, the introduction of invasive exotic species, deforestation, and urbanisation. In this context, the primary mission of CARIBAEA INITIATIVE is to help Caribbean nations—many of which have limited resources—to manage and protect their invaluable natural heritage, particularly by strengthening local scientific expertise.

Since 2016, CARIBAEA INITIATIVE has been developing research and education projects focused on studying and protecting Caribbean biodiversity. These projects have already contributed to the training of 23 master’s students and 10 doctoral students from nine different countries and territories. The research conducted by these students has led to major scientific advancements, including:
• The discovery of a new freshwater fish species in Haiti.
• The identification of key factors leading to the extinction risk of various Caribbean species.
• The estimation of demographic parameters of endangered species.
• The demonstration of the crucial role of urban green spaces in biodiversity conservation.

These findings are regularly published in leading international scientific journals and are actively shared through communication campaigns to ensure broad dissemination of results.

Gradually, CARIBAEA INITIATIVE is building a network of local experts with complementary skills, who serve as trusted role models for local communities and are capable of advising governments on natural resource management and conservation.The journey ahead is still long, but the path is set. 

To finance its activities, CARIBAEA INITIATIVE regularly appliesfor national and international funding grants and also relies onthe generosity of dedicated and aware donors, who recognise the importance of equipping Caribbean populations with the means to protect their unique natural heritage. 

Chantal Comte, whose family business has been established in the Caribbean for 60 years, has developed a deep passion for the association’s work, especially in supporting the training of young researchers.

By donating a portion of the sales from each bottle of rum to CARIBAEA INITIATIVE, Chantal Comte wishes to actively contribute to the protection of Caribbean wildlife and the training of future Caribbean experts.

www.caribaea.org