British Virgin Islands to Host Mangrove Restoration Workshop to Promote Climate Resilience
ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands – The British Virgin Islands will host a three-day regional workshop and scientific symposium on mangrove restoration as a nature-based solution for climate resilience in the Caribbean.
This event is organized by several regional and international organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Coastal Habitat Restoration Team (CHRT), the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society (JVDPS) and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF).
The organizers said that the objective of the March 1-3 event is to share new scientific developments, in both ecosystem assessment and in mangrove management and restoration practices, including nursery and planting techniques, specific to Caribbean island contexts.
It is also intended to highlight lessons learned and results of the collaborative restoration work in the British Virgin Islands as well as accelerate the uptake, resourcing and implementation of Caribbean mangrove restoration, harnessing the best of science and nature.
The organizers said they are also hoping that the three-day regional workshop and scientific symposium will promote new long-term resourcing and financing mechanisms for the protection and restoration of mangrove ecosystems in the Caribbean as well as building new partnerships among national, regional, and global actors.
They said mangrove ecosystems play a vital role in the Caribbean by providing a multitude of ecosystem services such as prevention of coastal erosion, protection from wave energy and storm surges, carbon storage, water filtration, and key nursery habitat for many local and commercial fisheries.
Post-hurricane damage also has the potential to impact tourism by affecting the natural beauty of coastal ecosystems and beaches in addition to decreasing water quality and impacting fisheries. Mangroves not only directly benefit the communities who live near them, but also local and national economies.
“The climate crisis is both leading to increased incidence of natural disasters and exacerbating their impacts. Low-lying islands, including those in the Caribbean, are particularly vulnerable to these effects. However, the restoration and sustainable management of natural ecosystems (also known as ecosystem-based adaptation) can increase resilience to climate change at both local and national scales.”
