ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, February 22nd, 2012 – A two-day workshop on Greening the Economy towards Sustainable Development in the BVI began today at the Treasure Isle Hotel.
The workshop, which is sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), is being held to better understand the economic value of the natural environment of the Virgin Islands and to help integrate that thinking into strategic decision making.
The workshop is facilitated by The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI). His Excellency the Governor Mr. Boyd McCleary, CMG, CVO, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith, OBE and Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Dr. the Hon. Kedrick Pickering delivered remarks at the opening ceremony.
In his remarks, His Excellency the Governor explained, “The Joint Nature Conservation Committee has been working together with regional environmental consultants, CANARI, and with a group of local stakeholders in preparation of this workshop, which has been funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP).
The Governor added, “The involvement of JNCC also reflects the strengthened commitment of the United Kingdom Government departments to do what they can to assist the Governments of British Overseas Territories such as the BVI in developing their policies and building their capacity in areas such as the environment.”
“We are all dependent on our environment. This is true whether we live in large cities or on small islands. The environment provides us with food and water. It protects us from extremes of weather and even protects us from ourselves by dealing with our waste products,” the Governor said.
He added, “On Caribbean Islands such as the BVI, where the beauty of the surroundings are one of the greatest assets, our dependence on the natural environment should be obvious and yet we sometimes take it for granted. Reefs not only attract tourists, but protect the coastline. Sea-grass beds and mangroves act as fish nurseries. Forested slopes protect property from flooding and protect reefs from being covered in sediment.”
The Governor concluded, “Good planning decisions and how to ‘green’ our key industry, tourism, will be essential components of the BVI’s economy in the future. Equally essential will be communicating the value of the environment to everyone who lives in these islands.”
At the conclusion of the workshop the governor hopes that a clearer picture of what is needed to ensure the Territory understands the importance of its natural environment and of striking the right balance between the environment and development.
Participants at the workshop include a wide cross-section of persons from the public and private sectors. They will spend the next two days discussing: Integrating the environment into decision making in the BVI, Communicating the value of the environment, Greening the BVI Tourism Industry and Improving Developmental Planning.
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