Port of Spain, May 26, 2021 – The Council of Ministers for Environmental Sustainability in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) signalled their interest in National Ecosystem Assessments at their virtual meeting held May 20-21. These studies will enable Eastern Caribbean states to integrate the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into economic decision-making and support the OECS’ commitment to sustainable, inclusive and resilient development and COVID19 recovery.

National Ecosystem Assessments support decision making for biodiversity and ecosystems management, climate change mitigation and adaptation and disaster resilience, and are highlighted as critical tools in the OECS’ Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management Framework, which was endorsed by the Ministers in 2020.

Since 2019, the Government of Grenada has been undertaking a National Ecosystem Assessment with technical support from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), engaging scientists and local experts in the assessments.

This year, OECS Ministers were informed of a proposed collaboration between the OECS Commission and UNEP-WCMC to mobilise resources to assist other OECS Member States to conduct similar assessments. CANARI has been identified to provide technical advice and mentoring for this work in the OECS.

CANARI’s Executive Director, Ms. Nicole Leotaud, who was an observer at the OECS meeting, noted that “CANARI welcomes the work by the OECS Commission towards scaling out national ecosystem assessments across the region and confirms our commitment to supporting this critical work for the sustainable management of our region’s biodiversity.” __________________________________________________________________________________ About the Grenada National Ecosystem Assessment: The Government of Grenada, through the Environment Division of the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Climate Resilience and the Environment is currently executing this work with technical support from the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute. This is part of a global initiative, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), in support of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Funding is provided through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) by the Government of Germany, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety. For more information see: https://canari.org/grenada-ecosystem-assessment-linking-science-andpolicy/

About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit organisation which has been working across the Caribbean islands for over 30 years. Our mission is to promote and facilitate stakeholder participation in the stewardship of natural resources in the Caribbean. Our work focuses on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Equity and Justice, Participatory Governance, and Resilience. See here for more information on CANARI: http://www.canari.org/