The Caribbean region has earned its fame from its waters, both fresh and marine. Billboards and advertisements proclaim the beauty of the Caribbean waters, from spectacular waterfalls to breath-taking reefs with its marine life, wildlife, and invite thousands of people each year to visit and revisit to enjoy this valuable resource.

Tourism is by no measure the only sector that makes demands on water resources in the Caribbean. Water is also valuable to industries such as the fishing, agriculture, construction, petroleum and craft industry. It is also valuable to the people for domestic purposes and to the environment for environmental maintenance. Yet, despite the dependency on this limited resource, the Caribbean region lacks proper strategies to manage the many demands on water supply and quality.

There is therefore a need to improve the present water management systems for better balance between competing demands and for long-term planning and sustainable development. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process which promotes the co-ordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems (Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Water Partnership Background Paper No. 4, 2000). Through IWRM, the Caribbean region can begin to realize its water management potential and properly deal with its present issues.

The Caribbean Water Network (Caribbean WaterNet) is concerned with this lack of Integrated Water Resources Management across the Caribbean region and is committed to provide technical support and resources towards the development of IWRM capacity in the Caribbean.