Is it possible to use plants in the wastewater treatment process in the Caribbean? That is the question the CARIBSAN 2 project—led by several stakeholders from the fields of water, wastewater treatment, and biodiversity—is seeking to answer. Building on the initial success of CARIBSAN 1 in 2023, CARIBSAN 2 is moving forward step by step until it finds all the answers needed for the final implementation. And Martinique plays a key role in this project, thanks to the Martinique Water Authority.
Committed to the Environment
Started on the 1ster As of January 2024, the CARIBSAN 2 project continues to move forward until its scheduled completion date of December 31, 2027. The first phase of the project—CARIBSAN 1—took place between 2021 and 2023.
The project, which receives financial support from Interreg Caribbean and the French Development Agency (AFD), «aims to promote constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment in the Caribbean. »This ecological engineering technique is climate-resilient, well-suited to the tropical environment (enhancing the local natural heritage), cost-effective, and highly efficient,« program officials emphasize on their website. »The goal is to encourage the gradual implementation of VPFs in the Caribbean.”
New Milestones Ahead
The CARIBSAN 2 project is a long-term initiative, and its development will continue in the coming months through the end of 2027. A new milestone was reached during the week of February 2–6, 2026, when the Martinique Water Authority hosted the CARIBSAN 2 Technical Forum, which marked the transition from the experimental phase to concrete action. The forum included a visit to a FPV station in Saint-Joseph.
The CARIBSAN 2 project is therefore a purely ecological initiative designed to harness the environment—and plants in particular—for wastewater treatment. This win-win partnership requires a thorough understanding of biodiversity and the characteristics of the flora, as well as the mechanisms by which it adapts to serve a mission essential to humanity: wastewater treatment, while avoiding the use of synthetic chemicals. «A collaborative botanical research program focused on FPV technology should result in a technical guide to local plants for use in the Caribbean,» conclude the project leaders.
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