BVI Officials Gain Knowledge at Climate Change Workshop

Government officials and delegates at the Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment Training Workshop held at Lambert Beach Resort on August 27 and 28, 2008.  Seated from left to right are Governor, Mr. David Pearey; Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Honourable Omar W. Hodge; Science Advisor to Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Dr. Ulric O’D Trotz; Deputy Premier, Honourable Dancia Penn-Sallah, Q.C.; Territorial At-Large Representative, Honourable Vernon Malone, Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer Mr. Bertrand Lettsome and Dr. Roger Pulwarty from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The officials were joined by their colleagues from other United Kingdom Overseas Territories including the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla for the workshop which focussed specifically on the tourism industry.

The workshop took participants through major steps involved in conducting vulnerability and capacity assessments such as collecting essential data, identifying challenges in the tourism industry and anticipating potential impacts of climate change in the region.

The vulnerability and capacity assessments which will come out of the workshop are intended to provide useable decision support information and tools that can feed into continuous planning for government bodies, business leaders, and civic society.  This will help the tourism industry prepare for and adapt to climate change impacts.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Honourable Omar W. Hodge said climate change has been identified by many as the defining challenge of our time.   Minister Hodge noted the impacts climate change, often referred to as global warming, has on the region not only from an economic standpoint but from a natural resources one as well.

 ~~Adz:Right~~ “The Caribbean is already suffering its impacts. We as a region, therefore, cannot afford to wait and hope for solutions from the global community.  The region is one of the most threatened by the impacts of climate change, and if we are powerless to stop its progression, we must seek to develop strategies to adapt to its impact,” Honourable Hodge said.

The workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and the Conservation and Fisheries Department in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) headquartered in Belize. The team from the Centre was led by Dr. Ulric Trotz, Science Advisor, and the main workshop presenter was Dr. Roger Pulwarty of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Virgin Islands (UK) team included representatives from the BVI Tourist Board, BVI National Parks Trust, Airport and Ports Authorities, Development Planning Unit, Disaster Management, Conservation and Fisheries, Town and Country Planning, Agriculture, and Survey Departments. 

The training workshop was conducted as part of the Enhancing Capacity for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Caribbean United Kingdom Overseas Territories (ECACC) Project.  The ECACC is a three year initiative funded through the United Kingdom and executed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre in Belize.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour is the government arm dedicated to preserving and protecting the abundant natural resources of the Virgin Islands while serving the tourism needs of its users for present and future generations.