THE Saint Lucia National Trust hosted a three-day law enforcement training workshop focusing on protected areas management.
The training sessions were designed to provide agencies with responsibility for monitoring and enforcement within the Point Sable Environmental Protection Area (PSEPA) in Vieux Fort (both marine and terrestrial protected areas) the opportunity to review pertinent legislation and become more oriented with best practices in protected areas enforcement.
The sessions, which began from March 3 also facilitated discussions among these agencies on how best they could complement their respective roles and strengthen their collective efforts to protect and support the sustainability of Saint Lucia’s natural resources.
The workshop was led by natural resources law enforcement expert Mr. Jayson Horadam of MPA Enforcement International, with training sessions conducted by public officers from local government agencies. Participants included officers from the Fisheries Department, the Forestry Division; Soufriere Marine Management Area, the Royal Saint Police Force including the Vieux Fort Marine Unit; National Conservation Authority, and the Saint Lucia National Trust.
“This training is particularly significant to the Trust having recently recruited two rangers to support surveillance, monitoring and enforcement activities within the PSEPA and one at the Pigeon Island National Landmark,” commented Mr. Craig Henry, Programme Officer for the Saint Lucia National Trust – South.
Prior to this on-site training activity, an evaluation and assessment of enforcement needs to enhance protection of PSEPA was conducted with support from the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Programme.
This training was made possible through assistance from the Eastern Caribbean Marine Management Areas Network (ECMMAN) small grants programme supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Programme.