The marine aspect of the Cabrits National Park is to be highlighted as part of the regional awareness campaign on the value of marine managed areas.
Dominica is one of six regional countries taking part in the campaign organized by the Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network (ECMMAN).
The campaign’s goals include activities to raise awareness of the park’s resources, celebrate the value of the Cabrits Marine Section, connect people to the environment and create national pride in the Cabrits Marine Section of the Cabrits National Park.
Team member of the ECMMAN campaign project, Makeda Warner said at an information session held at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme office in Bath Estate that Dominica will be raising awareness about the value of the Cabrits National Park.
“ECMMAN has launched a campaign called ‘This is Who We Are’ to raise awareness of the value of marine managed areas in six different Caribbean countries, so it is actually a regional competition and in Dominica we will be raising awareness about the value of the Cabrits National Park, more specifically the marine section of the Cabrits National Park because as you know the Cabrits National Park has two components, the terrestrial component and the marine component…” she stated.
She stated that the campaign will focus awareness on the marine section only at the Cabrits.
“What we are trying to do is raise awareness about the value of the Cabrits Marine Section and the biodiversity of the area, about the livelihoods associated with the marine section,” she added.
Warner noted that the campaign team wants Dominicans and users of park to understand that it has some ecological, as well as, economic value.
“We also want them to be able to appreciate it as a natural component of the island and possibly use it as a tourism product so that other people coming to the island can use it,” she stated.
Another member of the ECMMAN Campaign team, Cherese Ferreira, said as part of the awareness campaign a number of activities will be held in the communities around the Cabrits.
“Upcoming activities include our Tan Tan village environmental song splash on the 29th of August … also we plan on having a fisher folk night where we have different fisher folks from the area coming in to talk about their experience, how long they have been a fisher folk, what they are affected by, the biodiversity that they see, the changes, what they want, what they expect from the community,” she explained. “We also plan on having a Cabrits Lion Fish hunt…we really want to get rid of that species.”
Other activities planned include mural painting in Cottage, Tan Tan and Toucarie.
“Also we have a few advertisements and programs that we want to get aired by radio, internet and newspaper column…” Ferreira said.
The awareness campaign is being held under the theme: “Cabrits! Se La vie Nou”.
You guys are a bunch of contradictors…the terrestrial is more important than the marine at this time if we are talking cabrits..bullcrap!
Ms. Warner excellent move with so much work to be done. You are a champion and a courageous one to add!!!! What comes to mind is the state of awareness within the cabinet which led to 15 acres of land being carved out from the Cabrits for.. The MARINE aspect of the NATIONAL PARK has somewhat been sidelined without mention. How will the construction of not 1 but 2 hotels impact on the marine environment, designated as an area of CONSERVATION? Where and how will waste water be disposed? What policies are currently being drafted to address simple but important issues such as laundry and cleaning detergents? What monitoring programmes are currently being drafted to address concerns such as coral degradation? These are some of the questions that the cabinet should have addressed and made public in their uproar!!! Ms. Warner I can only support your efforts because this atrocious act which was committed against Isle of Beauty via de ayes have it is just starting to show its ugly face.
I wish you all well and good luck with the campaign.
are they going to persuade the government to give the 15 acres back?
A special awareness campaign should target Skerritt and his DLP Gov’t. They have unilaterally carved out 15 acres of our land from our Cabrits National Park and gave all that to the foreigner Range development. To do what? To build hotel? That so-called “investor” came empty-handed. Gov’t gave him our 15 acres of land plus passports to sell to make millions. Who cares about the environment and the negative impacts?
Where is the Environmental Impact assessment (EIA)? When was it done? By whom? Are Dominicans concerned about the environmental impact on our Marine life and on the Cabrits National Park? Are some so dumb and short-sighted to see that our beloved country is being given or sold piece by piece to foreign concerns?
How much sensitising will it take to make our Leaders, in particular, realize that we should not flirt around with our fragile environment, in the attempt to please those who wish to further prostitute our Nature Isle.
Good campaign, which should be well supported
after they gave fifteen acres of the cabrits national park. those people should protest that…