Member States of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are set to benefit from the implementation of two European Union (EU) funded projects: The Biodiversity Support Programme for ACP Coastal Environments (BioSPACE) and the Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS (ILM).
BioSPACE contributes to the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States and coastal countries within the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). It also supports the SAMOA Pathway through improving the management and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources.
The ILM project, which complements BioSPACE and officially commenced in 2020, aims to optimize the contribution of land to agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the preservation of ecosystems and the essential services they provide.
The project will contribute to climate smart and sustainable agriculture farming systems and enhancement of cross-sector approaches to land use planning and management. It will also support National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans. In addition, it will contribute to curbing deforestation and forest degradation by reducing deforestation and forest degradation emissions, and strengthen ecosystem management in general.
The first joint Project Steering Committee Meeting of the OECS Environmental Sustainability Division for the BioSPACE and ILM projects was held on 10 March 2021, with key decision-makers within the sector along with officials of the OECS Commission and the EU participating.
Trust me, Dominica as a country will not benefit from that EU funded projects. As we have seen the last 20 years, ONLY Roosevelt Skerrit, government ministers and a few top friends of the DLP will benefit. As for me a laborite, I know I will not get anything because Skerrit and his red Ants have their doubt about my loyalty so I know I won’t get anything. But such is life because I will not put a bowl of soup ahead of my country as Esau did when he was hungry.