Local Agriculture officials continue to welcome the launch of the Thriving Ecosystems and Communities in Montserrat: Agroforestry and Sustainable Land Management Solutions project.
Launched last Tuesday, in collaboration with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), under the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), the project aims to improve the understanding of the island’s forests and water resources, support ecosystem restoration, and explore opportunities for climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry and sustainable land management.
Speaking at the launch Director of Environment, Ernestine Corbett, said the initiative would help authorities make better-informed decisions about protecting and sustainably managing the island’s natural environment.
She explained that the Department had been seeking to advance the forest inventory and climate modeling initiative for some time, and welcomed the support of the RSPB in bringing the project to fruition.
She says the project provides facts and up-to-date data about the number of trees, “the species we’ve got, the condition they’re in, and the areas that we need to address in order for us to be more climate resilient.
Ms. Corbet says the benefits are clear with the “planning opportunities which will help us to know the areas to protect, restore, sustainably use, or restructure. Secondly, we have a better understanding of the value of what we have. It will help us to better understand the economic and environmental value of our forests and how it feeds into climate resilience. Thirdly, watershed management. This project will show how our forest is protecting our water resources, contributing to erosion control and soil fertility. And fourthly, an area that is dear to my heart, capacity building. This project promises to build capacity within our local teams.”
“Our officers will be trained in modern inventory techniques, data collection and analysis, leaving us with skills that will serve Montserrat for the foreseeable future,” she explained.
The new project will bring together local communities, land managers, farmers, government agencies and conservation specialists to better understand the island’s natural resources, and develop practical approaches to managing them sustainably.