1. Few States are able to undertake scientific research in the half of the planet that lies in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. Capacity building is therefore a key part of the development of a new international legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (BBNJ Agreement).2. The final negotiations for the BBNJ Agreement are scheduled for early 2022, after almost two decades of development. There is an urgent need to address remaining questions relating to capacity building to secure an effective and equitable outcome from this process and safeguard the global ocean commons.3. Persisting gaps in scientific capacity cast doubt on the adequacy of past and current approaches to implement long-standing international commitments. There is a need to build equitable partnerships for long-term outcomes.4. As an international legally binding instrument, the BBNJ Agreement is a critical opportunity to change the course of capacity building by strengthening the international legal framework, including funding, information-sharing, monitoring and decision-making.5. This rapidly closing window to develop international legal obligations, collaboration frameworks and funding mechanisms is relevant not only to the conservation of the global ocean commons, but also for ocean sustainability more generally as the UN Ocean Decade begins.

In many countries of the Caribbean, tourism is a mainstay to economies. Semi-autonomous Tobago's Buccoo Reef Marine Park (BRMP) was established as one of the island's premier tourist attractions. However, the increasing and poorly regulated activity in the coastal zone that is taking place to complement the burgeoning tourism industry, threatens the ecological integrity of the Buccoo Reef. This paper investigates the synergies between conservation, sustainable tourism and improving societal economic and social well-being. Within a framework that recognises the strategic importance of a competitive tourism product, it examines how the Buccoo Reef impacts the livelihoods and ongoing development in Tobago. It explores the extent and probable causes for the Reef's decline. Proposed is how the Park can better achieve conservation of the reef ecosystem while encouraging economic and social growth on the island, with a goal of more effectively managing and sustainably exploiting the coral reef resources of Tobago.

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