Caribbean News

TCI First in Caribbean for UKs Blue Belt Marine Protection program; gets $1M vessel for DECR

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2022

Deandrea Hamilton

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, June 6, 2022 – In an effort to get ahead of climate change and protect its oceans, the oceans, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government is leading the pack as the first Caribbean island to officially join the Blue Belt Program. Created bythe United Kingdom it is an initiative that seeks to protect millions of square kilometers of ocean and some of the most unique sea life worldwide.

The announcement was made at a press conference hosted by the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) on May 26th attended by Josephine Connolly Minister of Tourism, Governor Nigel Dakin and other representatives of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, DECR.

“The Program supports the UK overseas territories with the protection and sustainable management of their marine environment. The Blue Belt enhances marine protection over four million square feet of marine environment,” explained Lormeka Williams, DECR Director.

That four million square kilometers is home to the coral reefs of the Pitcairn Islands, the Green Turtles of Ascension Island, the Whale Sharks of St Helena, the world’s most remote human settlement in Tristan da Cunha, and the elephant seals and penguins of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands. And now it encompasses the clear Blue waters and migrating humpback whales of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Since its establishment in 2016 the Blue Belt Program has helped set up Marine Protection Zones (MPZ) or Marine Protection Areas (MPA) in every territory signed onto the program including the largest MPZ in the Atlantic Ocean (Tristan da Cunha). These zones limit or prohibit entirely fishing and other activities which could prove hazardous to marine life.

Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism with responsibility for the environment said she was ‘elated’ at the development.

“My government and I continue to prioritize the sustainable management of our marine environment. Our country’s flourishing tourism product, coastal protection and fishing resources are all hinged on the robustness of our marine habitats,” she said.

Connolly also noted that the program could directly benefit the Turks and Caicos Islands as it would ensure marine protection which would bring lasting benefits to the marine environment and local communities.

A brand new $1 million vessel will be purchased with funds from the UK that the minister says will be used to, ‘demarcate park boundaries and swim zones’. The boat will double as a research boat as well.

Governor Dakin added, “That vessel will help us understand the third biggest coral reef in the world, it will also help us understand a marine protected area that will be established that will protect sharks and rays in our waters, it’s another huge win for us.”

Come June 8th the TCI will be represented in London to mark World Oceans Day with a panel discussion under the theme “Small island Big Impact”.

The Turks and Caicos Islands will be guided by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which are partners of the Blue Belt Program.

Human impact including poaching and poor fishing methods and destruction of the coral reef, seagrass beds and mangroves are some of the major environmental issues affecting the TCI. The Blue Belt program will provide technology allowing the country to mobilize quickly and have surveillance capabilities in order to prevent poaching.

“We will strengthen the government, increase protection of biodiversity, carry out scientific studies in support of sustainment fisheries management, manage other human activities, improve compliance and enforcement and address international issues such as climate changes, biodiversity and marine litter,” Connolly promised.

Governor Nigel Dakin described the initiative as a ‘double win’ for the Turks and Caicos coming on the heels of the recent signing of the Climate Change Charter.

Related Topics:#bluebeltmarineprotection #DECR #magneticmedianews

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Caribbean News

CARICOM pushes need for Reparations Tribunal at Forum in Geneva

Published

6 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer

Words are in circulation in support for the establishment of an international tribunal, geared towards seeking reparations for centuries long transatlantic slave trade, after a CARICOM official made calls at the third session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

During day two of the gathering held from April 16 to 19, 2024, David Comissiong, Barbados Ambassador to the Caribbean Community, stated there is a need for the tribunal as there is currently no international court to deal with the issues of reparations.

Commision, like the other members that support his view, according to reports, are aware this won’t be an easy feat, as he expressed that establishing the tribunal would require a “positive decision” by the UN General Assembly, further calling on the officials at the Forum and the UN, to come together through international collaboration and “make this happen.”

The idea creation of the tribunal was born last year 2023, suggested by the PFPAD, now reiterated by Comissiong.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, in a video, addressing the opening of the forum, supported the ongoing calls for respiratory efforts, a sentiment not shared by many.

Mentioning that racism is still an issue in today’s society, Guterres said, “ now we must build on that momentum, to drive meaningful change by ensuring that people of African descent enjoy the full and equal realization of their human rights; by stepping up efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination, including through reparations.”

Caribbean News

CARICOM sends warning as Oil prices creep higher in the Israel v Iran conflict; 14 regional states import energy

Published

7 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer

The recent attack on the Sate of Israel by the Islamic Republic of Iran, has delivered growing uncertainty across the Caribbean region, and the rest of the global economy.

Chief among the many concerns, is the free flow of oil from the Middle East, which stands at 31% of daily production for the global economy. At minimum, shipping costs are likely to increase based on the increased risk of military action in the Persian Gulf.

Pressure is also building on US and European insurance clubs to avoid any transaction, including those with China, that involve Iranian crude and additional rerouting of oil and gas shipments in response to Houthi threats, or Allied responses.

According to the Caribbean Community Council of Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), “these developments not only exacerbate the already tense situation but also pose significant threats to regional stability and international peace,” the group warned in a media statement.

It added that the continued cycle of retaliation, including the recent attack on Israel by Hamas, Israel’s “disproportionate response” in Gaza, and the “alarming new dimension of direct confrontations between Israel and Iran, leads to an untenable situation fraught with potential for greater regional conflict and global instability.

“The human toll of this conflict, highlighted by tragic incidents such as deaths and injuries to children, demand an immediate and empathetic response from the global community. It is imperative that there be no further escalation that can lead to more suffering and instability,” it said.

While calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, the regional body underscored that it strongly urges both nations to halt any further military actions that could worsen the situation, endangering not only their own populations but also the broader international community.

“We implore all parties to consider the severe consequences of further conflict and to commit to diplomatic solutions that ensure the safety, sovereignty, and dignity of all people involved,” the CARICOM statement said.

On October 6, 2023, the day before Hamas attacked Israel, the international benchmark Brent crude was trading at $85 per barrel and has been fluctuating at up to $96.

On Thursday, it traded at $91 per barrel. With the exception of gas-rich Trinidad and Tobago, the 14 other countries of CARICOM, are energy importers.

Approximately 93 percent of the region’s energy needs are met by oil imports, which average 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Caribbean News

Gov’t Committed to Seeking Reparations for Chattel Slavery – Minister Grange

Published

7 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Shanieka

KINGSTON, April 16 (JIS):

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the Jamaican Government remains committed to seeking reparations for the prolonged period of chattel enslavement endured by the African forefathers on the country’s plantations.

Minister Grange said that the historical events of the transatlantic slave trade continue to have a lasting impact on Black communities to this day.

She contended that the ongoing struggles to finance education and healthcare, address poverty and housing issues, respond to economic shocks and climate change impacts, and foster peaceful societies are all rooted in the historical legacy of enslavement.

Minister Grange was addressing a church service on Sunday (April 14) at the Webster Memorial United Church in St. Andrew, where an apology was issued on behalf of the United Reform Church (URC) in the United Kingdom (UK) by Moderator of the Assembly of the URC, Reverend Tessa Henry-Robinson, for the church’s historical involvement in slavery.

“We, the general assembly of the United Reform Church, mindful of our own history and that of our antecedent bodies, wish to confess and apologise for our role in transatlantic slavery and the scars which continue to blight our society, our church and the lives of Black people in our midst and around the globe today,” the apology read.

Minister Grange, in accepting the apology, urged UK churches, particularly those whose representatives were present for the historic apology in Jamaica, to communicate to their government the ethical imperative of admitting culpability through an apology and working with Jamaica to discern the potential avenues for reparations.

She said that the church’s role in the transatlantic slave trade has had significant and enduring effects on Black communities, impacting society, the church itself, and the lives of Black individuals worldwide.

“It is this complicity of the church that gave solace and comfort to the citizens and governments of UK and Europe as they endorsed and defended with their military project, that saw the capture, the torture, the dehumanisation, and devaluation of African people, legacies of which we experience today as racism, white supremacy, and discrimination,” she stated.

“We struggle to build peaceful, stable societies because of the perpetration of violence which was the platform on which enslavement was executed yet, in spite of this, we have been good converts to these same religions. Our people have adopted and adapted the doctrines and rituals of these new religions and in many instances have energised and revitalised them with cultural practices of African spirituality,” the Minister emphasised.

The URC is a community of Christians gathering in local churches across England, Scotland, and Wales, and is part of the global family of Reformed Churches, comprising more than 70 million Christians.

With approximately 42,000 members in around 1,200 congregations, supported by more than 600 ministers, the URC plays a significant role in the spiritual and communal life of its members and the broader community.

CONTACT: BRITNEY STEVENS