Saint Lucia celebrates its 25th anniversary as a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity with a series of activities over the month of May. May 22nd has been declared the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) by the United Nations. This is a day to raise awareness and appreciation of Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth.
Through coordination by the Department of Sustainable Development, activities for IDB 2018 kicked off with the launch of a photo competition on Earth Day, April 22. The theme for the competition, which is open to all Saint Lucians is “Me in Biodiversity.”
One of the feature activities is a series of visits to schools around the island.
“This is one of the most impactful ways we can spread the message of conservation to the young people who will be the next generation of caretakers for our environment. These interactive visits will solidify what they are currently learning as part of their curriculum,” said Dr. Gale Rigobert, Minister for Education and Sustainable Development. During the school visits, representatives from the departments of Forestry, Fisheries and the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority, in collaboration with non-government organisations and the private sector, including the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Saint Lucia National Trust and Sandals Foundation, will make presentations to the school students and plant trees to beautify the school grounds.
Other key initiatives are a movie day which will be observed on May 24, at the Derek Walcott House on Chaussee Road. Members of the public will be invited to view locally produced movies, documentaries and features related to biodiversity. On May 26, a beach clean-up and turtle watch are planned for the Grande Anse beach. Community groups, students and all interested members of the public will work together to restore the Grande Anse beach and protect the home of the leatherback turtles and endemic lizard.
For information on the activities scheduled for IDB 2018 and how you can get involved please log onto biodiversity.govt.lc, or visit the Department of Sustainable Development’s Facebook page (Sustaining Saint Lucia 411). For details, contact Jannel Gabriel, Sustainable Development and Environment Officer at jannel.gabriel@govt.lc, biodiversity@govt.lc, or 758.451.8746.
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