Stakeholders were engaged this week in a five (5) day workshop featuring technical and practical applications of coral reef monitoring best practices and information sharing.

Representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the National Parks Trust and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College participated in the capacity building workshop on Coral Reef Monitoring that will enable the Virgin Islands to conduct its own monitoring in accordance with regional and global standards.

Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Honourable Vincent Wheatley addressed the workshop and stressed the importance of coral reefs to the Virgin Islands environmentally, economically and culturally.

Honourable Wheatley said, “I am especially pleased that this coral reef monitoring training is taking place in an environment of partnership between the Ministry of Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the National Parks Trust and the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.”

 “This is exactly the sort of partnership that is required to break down barriers and drive progress,” Honourable Wheatley said, adding, “I am confident in the ability of this “dream team” to utilise the learning from this training to set the Territory on the path to a sustainable and robust coral reef monitoring programme and I look forward to seeing others, including the NGO community and private sector brought on-board.”

The minister said the Territory’s story is not a dismal one of destruction and decline of its coral reefs, but a story of recovery and resilience.

“As such, as the Minister for Natural Resources, I will continue to work to ensure a wider package of tangible initiatives to ensure the protection and recovery of coral reefs, including passage of the draft Environmental and Coastal Zone Management Act,” he said.

The workshop was facilitated by the South Atlantic Environment Research Institute which includes, Marine Ecologist Doctor Daniel Bayley and Mr. Simon Browning.

The Coral Reef Monitoring Workshop was funded by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and builds on a Memorandum of Agreement made between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Government of the Virgin Islands and the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands that seeks to standardise the way that coral reef monitoring is done throughout the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, and ultimately conserve the environment.

NOTES:

Photo 1: Photo of Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration Honourable Vincent Wheatley giving remarks at the workshop

Photo 2: Group photo at the end of day 1 of the coral reef monitoring workshop

(Photo credit: Provided/Argel Horton)

Photo 3: Representatives engaging in the workshop