Environment – ZJB Radio

Montserrat Gets State-of-the-art Tissue Culture and Greenhouse Facility

Montserrat is set to construct a state-of-the-art Tissue Culture and Greenhouse facility as part of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States’ (OECS’) Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) initiative. This major agricultural development forms part of the OECS’ mission to drive sustainable development through regional integration, collective action, and development cooperation. The project, undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing, Environment and Youth and Sports (MALHEYS), is expected to take approximately five months to complete. Once operational, the facility will provide a reliable source of disease-free planting material, preserve genetic material for both agricultural and environmental purposes, and strengthen the Ministry’s capacity and efficiency. It will also allow for the production of food crops and native plant species, supporting Montserrat’s push for food security, climate change mitigation, and ecosystem preservation. In a press release, the Ministry stated that the initiative will also broaden opportunities in the agricultural and environmental sectors. It is expected to create alternative career paths for young people with strong backgrounds in science, particularly chemistry and biology. Additionally, the facility will foster closer collaboration with conservation specialists through the propagation and preservation of rare or endangered species. By enabling the consistent and reliable production of preferred crop varieties, the project will promote sustainable agro-business while reducing reliance on chemical pesticides by controlling and eliminating plant viruses in a controlled environment. Funding for the facility comes from the “Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS” (ILM project), supported by the European Union under its Global Public Goods and Challenges Programme.

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Montserrat Leading in Ocean Exploration with ‘Project Deepwater’

A local environmental advocate is promoting ocean exploration with the introduction of “Project Deepwater.” Owner of Fish and Fins, Veta Wade, is leading the project, using Maka Niu—an affordable, open-source deep-sea camera to add underwater images to the world’s ocean dataset. According to Wade, “Project Deepwater” is Montserrat’s answer to the call for more inclusive, data-driven ocean conservation. She says that for Montserrat, the barriers to participation in marine research have been daunting, and historically, local perspectives were left out. Wade adds that by co-designing and testing Maka Niu they are proactively changing that equation. Radio Montserrat (ZJB) · Veta Wade – Work of Fish N’ Fins on Maka Niu Deep Sea Camera Montserrat’s waters have been explored before by major oceanographic expeditions, such as those led by EV Nautilus, but the Deepwater project is the first to be powered by local efforts. While earlier expeditions mapped Montserrat’s ocean’s shape, this project brings real-time biodiversity monitoring and local stewardship to the heart of the process. Wade says this marks an historic shift from being subjects of external research, to leaders and narrators of Montserrat’s own ocean story.