The UWI Hosts Workshop to Promote Nature-Based Solutions in the Region

UWI Hosts workshop to advance practical strategies for promoting the adoption of Nature-based Solutions for the region.

A team of researchers from The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine Campus, recently brought together stakeholders from across the Caribbean to promote the adoption of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the region.

The NBS-ENGROSSED (Nature-based Solutions – Engineered for Sustainable Development) project, led by Dr. Deborah Villarroel-Lamb from UWI’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, hosted a two-day workshop on October 8 and 9, 2024, at the Hilton Trinidad & Conference Centre, aimed at identifying strategic intervention areas to facilitate the broader uptake of NbS throughout the Caribbean. This initiative was funded by Future Earth and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC).

Future Earth is the primary funder of the broader NBS-ENGROSSED project, which is supported through the Program for Early-stage Grants Advancing Sustainability Science funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Science Program, and facilitated by The UWI’s Office of Global Affairs.

Over 70 participants from various sectors, including government, academia, civil society, the private sector, and international and multilateral organizations attended, representing rJamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Belize, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama, Suriname, Saint Lucia, the USA, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago, among others.

Building on Foundational Insights

This recent workshop followed an initial meeting held in Panama in June 2023 during the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI), which was also supported by Future Earth. At the June 2023 event, the focus was on identifying barriers to the uptake of NbS in the Caribbean. This year’s gathering aimed to deepen these discussions by bringing experts and practitioners together to collaboratively map out actionable strategies for enhancing NbS adoption.

A Cohesive Regional Effort

The workshop began with welcome remarks from Ms. Lois St. Brice on behalf of PVC Sandrea Maynard from the Office of Global Affairs, Ms. Gina Sanguinetti Phillips, a Consultant with the Technical Assistance Manager and Corporate Communications Manager teams for CCRIF SPC, and Dr. Erica Key, the Global Hub Director for the USA Hub at Future Earth. Prominent regional organizations represented included The University of the West Indies (Mona and Cave Hill campuses), the University of Guyana, the University of Suriname, the National Environment and Planning Agency (Jamaica), the Saint Lucia National Trust, the Environmental Awareness Group (Antigua and Barbuda), Smith Warner International, the Association of Protected Area Management Organizations (Belize), Conservation International Guyana, The Nature Conservancy, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, Sustainable Grenadines, and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, among others.

Local stakeholders included The University of Trinidad and Tobago, the Environmental Management Authority, Nature Seekers, the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Coastal Protection Unit, the Water Resources Agency, Coastal Dynamics, Ansa Merchant Bank’s Natural Capital Hub, and the Institute of Marine Affairs.

Towards a Sustainable Future

The NBS-ENGROSSED team expressed optimism for continued partnerships and actions in these intervention areas. Key takeaways included the need for improved transdisciplinary, trans-sectoral, and multi-level engagements to enhance understanding of necessary interventions to promote NbS. A significant point highlighted in the proposed strategies was the necessity to strengthen the technical capacity of current and future regional practitioners and decision-makers.

Future efforts should also aim to better inform future generations while continuing to raise public awareness to shift ideological mindsets. The project team looks forward to ongoing collaboration with stakeholders to further develop and implement Nature-based Solutions across the Caribbean, ultimately safeguarding and enhancing lives, economies, and ecosystems in the region.

For more information about the project, visit the website at www.nbs-engrossed.com or email Dr. Deborah Villarroel-Lamb (Principal Investigator) at deborah.villarroel-lamb@uwi.edu or Simone Ganpat (Research Assistant) at simone.ganpat@uwi.edu.