Various persons in the public and private sectors in Anguilla have gained a considerable amount of useful information from a short workshop on “Marine Protected Areas and Sustainable Planning”.
The workshop was held by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources on Monday, April 29, at Cuisinart Golf Resort and Spa. The presenter was Dr. Kim Baldwin from the University of the West Indies who shared some of her research work in a number of Caribbean islands, particularly St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which she assisted to move towards sustainable development.
The Department’s Deputy Director, Scientific Research, KafiGumbs, who chaired the proceedings, said the three-hour workshop was designed to cover spatial planning, marine resources and other related subjects. “The workshop is an effort to educate members of the public about how marine protected areas should function and their overall purposes,” she further explained.
Director of Fisheries and Marine Resources, James Gumbs, said in part: “This workshop is important because it comes at a time when the inshore environment in Anguilla is showing dramatic declines in hard coral cover and reef fish numbers; when algae or seaweed is taking over our reefs by out-competing the slower-growing coral; when the invasive lionfish is rapidly establishing itself in our waters; and when our beaches are in a long erosion cycle, reminding us of the uncertainty of global climate change and its potential damaging effect on our coastline and our way of life.
“The workshop is indeed timely because it is time for us to act now. We can no longer continue to pay lip service to the conservation of our marine and natural environment in general…Now is the time for our decision-makers to take a bold stand by acknowledging the urgent need to protect our marine environment by strengthening agencies, such as the Department for Fisheries and Marine Resources, whose task is to manage and protect our natural national treasures.”
Minister of Home Affairs, responsible for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Jerome Roberts, stressed that the protection of the island’s marine environment was particularly important as tourism was the main industry of Anguilla. “Tourism on its own, however, has no weight and therefore looking at the sustainable development of marine life is critical,” he stated. “I wish to thank the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources for its foresight in holding this workshop. It is indeed timely as we see what is happening to our marine life. It is for us to be cognizant of the fact that time is not on our side – and we must act swiftly and correctly in moving this process forward.”
Mr. Roberts joined in welcoming Dr. Baldwin to Anguilla to conduct the workshop at the invitation of Kafi Gumbs, one of her former marine biology students.
