FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Grenadian stakeholders finalise forestry, wildlife and protected area frameworks for the
tri-island state

St. Georges, September 19, 2018 – Practitioners, policy makers 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 integrity1.

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.

1Renard, Y. & M. Valdés-Pizzini. 1994. Hacia la participación communitarian: lecciones y principios guías en el Caribe.
Paper presented at the Workshop on Community Participation in Environmental Management and Co-management in
the Dominican Republic. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 27 – 29 October, 1994. CANARI Communication no. 55:8
pp.
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.

About iLAND Resilience - Promoting a Climate of Change: iLAND Resilience - Promoting a Climate of
Change is the brand for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Global Climate Change
Alliance project on Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Land Management in the Eastern
Caribbean. This project is funded by the European Union (EU). One component of this project
focuses on Technical Assistance for the Development of Frameworks aimed at Enhancing
Environmental Management. This technical assistance component seeks to develop institutional
frameworks towards improved environmental management and resilience to climate change in four
OECS Member States, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. CANARI is
implementing this component on behalf of the OECS and providing co-financing through its EU
funded project, Powering Innovations in Civil Society and Enterprises for Sustainability in the
Caribbean (PISCES). See here for more information on the iLand Resilience project:
http://iland.oecs.org/.

About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit
organisation which has been working in the islands of the Caribbean for more than 25 years. Our
mission is to promote equitable participation and effective collaboration in managing natural
resources critical to development. Our programmes focus on capacity building, policy planning and
development, research, sharing and dissemination of lessons learned, and fostering regional
partnerships. See here for more information on CANARI: http://www.canari.org/.

Connect with us:

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Natalie Boodram at CANARI at natalie@canari.org or call: +868 626 6062