Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

The Federation has embarked on a project that aims to expand and strengthen the terrestrial and marine protected area system and reduce habitat destruction in areas of influence that negatively impact ecological functioning [ ] 191 Reducing habitat degradation in protected areas Current Government efforts are focused on strengthening the protec- tion and management of an expanded PA Estate, including operationali- zation of existing and new sites. By the end of 2019, an operationalized Terrestrial Protected Area Estate will comprise Central Forest Reserve Na- tional Park, Royal Basseterre Valley National Park, Nevis Peak National Park, Camps River Watershed Area and Booby Island Nature Reserve. In addition, three declared Marine Management Area (MMA) Con- servation Zones contribute to this marine Estate. The Government of SKN, through the Conserving Biodiversity project, is also focusing its efforts on im- proving ecosystem representation in designated areas. The project will establish and strengthen manage- ment operations at key sites as well as institutional, policy, legal/regulatory, information and financing frame- works. These existing and recently operationalized sites will be managed by a new institutional structure dedi- cated to management of PAs. Some of the Government’s efforts through the project are to establish a baseline biodiversity and ecosys- tem baseline, through terrestrial and marine ecological inventories. The Environment Awareness Group (EAG) will conduct scientific research for the justification and compilation of a list of terrestrial habitats, flora and fauna in need of national con- servation and protection in St. Kitts and Nevis. EAG has designed and is implementing the ecological and bio- diversity inventories at Booby Island, Central Forest and Nevis Peak. During the coming months a team of scientists from the United Kingdom will be working with the Department of Marine Resources, Department of Fisheries and De- partment of Environment along with other organizations to assess the ecology and biodiversity of three proposed conservation areas around St. Kitts and Nevis. Using underwater video, they will record information on the flora and fauna which inhabit the seabed. The project will assist the Federation in strengthening its com- mitment to the requirement of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11. At the local level, public sensitization and capaci- ty development are assisting residents in becoming more knowledgeable about their environment while giving them a forum to share their local knowledge on biodiversity. St. Kitts and Nevis St. Kitts and Nevis A key economic pillar of the Caribbean twin-island Federation of (St. Christopher) St. Kitts and Nevis is tourism, which has a reciprocal relationship with the environment. The Federation has embarked on a project that aims to expand and strengthen the terrestrial and marine Protected Area (PA) system, and reduce habitat destruction in areas of influence that negatively impact the ecological functioning of these areas. The St. Kitts and Nevis Conserving Biodiversity Reducing Habitat Degradation in Protected Areas and their Areas of Influence Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Resources, Human Settlement, Cooperative and Environment, through the Department of Environment. Mark Yokoyama