We have been co-operating on a three-year biodiversity project to equip civil society organisations in Caribbean UK Overseas Territories with biodiversity conservation skills.
In common with many Caribbean islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, Turks & Caicos, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands are endowed with abundant biodiversity. But what they possess in natural beauty, they lack in resources for conservation.
In each of these British Overseas Territories, consultations with civil society and government stakeholders have identified a priority need to improve the ability of civil society organisations to take part in conservation work.
We have been working since April 2009 on a three-year project to train 10 civil society organisations and national trusts to play a more significant role in on-the-ground biodiversity conservation, policy development, research and monitoring as well as public awareness and education.
Conservation through civil society
Helping to identify the key enabling factors for effective civil society participation in local ecological activities, we are supporting information sharing, training, field visits and small grants to help build local capacity. We are also working to build a regional network of civil society stakeholders engaged in biodiversity conservation.
Funded through the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the Darwin Initiative, a multi-million pound environmental development programme, our three-year project is run in collaboration with the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute based in Trinidad and Tobago.