Anguilla is in the course of developing a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) which will have positive results for the island’s tourism industry. A workshop towards that end was held at Paradise Cove on Tuesday, February 21 under the auspices of the Department of Environment, an arm of the Chief Minister’s Office. The participants were drawn from various disciplines in the public and private sectors.

Environmental personnel and others at workshop

Chief Environment Officer, Karim Hodge, said the aim was to ensure that the environment that supports or sustains Anguilla’s economic development is not compromised by that development. He stated that there would be other workshops later on to focus on such matters as cultural heritage.

The workshop facilitator was Dr. Floyd Homer, a consultant with Biodiversity Conservation Inc. According to him, the action plan is for the management of biological diversity. “It is multi-sectoral, involving all government ministries, agencies, private sector, land owners and civil society groups with responsibility for or jurisdiction in any aspect of biological use or management,” he explained.
Dr. Homer further said: “The NBSAP is needed to guide the integration of biodiversity conservation with national development priorities to ensure that key components of Anguilla’s natural heritage are not irreversibly or extensively degraded. The NBSAP can also be used as a wider policy and planning document to attract funding from international donors to assist in Anguilla’s conservation efforts.”

He made the point that out of the plan could come more sites for guided tours or hiking, bird-watching and other ecotourism opportunities.
The plan is part of a requirement of the Anguilla Government to discharge its obligations under the St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental Sustainability in the OECS, 2001.

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