*4.6.1 Strength*

The strength of the Caribbean is its diversity—plants, animals, microbes, and people. All Caribbean countries have National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (https://www.cbd.int/nbsap), FAO reports on PGRFA (http://www.fao.org/ plant-treaty/en/) and national environmental protection agencies. There are also many terrestrial (https://www.cepf.net/; https://www.thegef.org/) and marine initiatives for the Caribbean (http://caribbean.cepal.org/t/marine-resources). These reports carry a lot of information which are being under-utilized. The diversity of people has resulted in many innovations the rest of the world could benefit from. The databases on Caribbean medicinal plants are growing as is the research, development and innovation to develop useful products.
