ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — Practitioners, policymakers and civil society groups participated in the second national workshop to complete the updating of the National Forest Policy and Strategic Plan, and Protected Area, Forest and Wildlife Act for Grenada.
The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) facilitated this second national workshop along with the ministry for climate resilience, the environment, forestry, fisheries, disaster management and information.
At the workshop opening segment, acting chief forestry officer Anthony Jeremiah noted the importance of the participatory approach utilised thus far. CANARI defines participation in the context of natural resource management as a process that:
• Facilitates dialogue among all actors;
• Mobilises and validates popular knowledge and skills;
• Encourages communities and their institutions to manage and control resources;
• Seeks to achieve sustainability, economic equity and social justice; and
• Maintains cultural integrity.
The year-long process to update the environmental frameworks was supported by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Global Climate Change Alliance Project on Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Land Management in the Eastern Caribbean (iLAND Resilience – Promoting a Climate for Change), funded by the European Union (EU). It was also supported by a CANARI/EU grant funded project, on Powering Innovations in Civil Society and Enterprises for Sustainability in the Caribbean (PISCES). Specifically, the PISCES financial contribution supported the engagement of civil society in policy development.
The refreshed forest policy and strategy focuses heavily on climate change resilience, and also addresses related issues such as fires, invasive species and watershed management. Effective watershed management including forest conservation and restoration is critical to protect Grenada’s water supply. This, in turn, is important considering the reduced rainfall levels predicted for the Caribbean region under current climate change scenarios. Key issues for Carriacou and Petit were also considered, such as animal grazing in forested areas.
The policy and strategy also focus on overarching concerns such as the need to improve human resource capacity for the effective – management of forested areas. Legislative revisions include the updating of protected trees and wildlife species for Grenada.
