Charlestown, Nevis
January 28, 2008
Security issues were high on the agenda when Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry met with British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, His Excellency Mr. Duncan Taylor last Friday January 25th, 2008 at his Bath Plain Office.
In a press briefing shortly after the meeting Premier Parry described the meeting as favorable.
“I had a very good meeting with the British High Commissioner to Barbados. We focused on security issues and I brought to his attention that we needed assistance with some of the problems we are having with our coast and coastal protection.
“The High Commissioner promised that he would get back to me and that someone would be coming to the region to discuss security issues and what can be done. It seems to be a priority of the British and they have been working with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States over the past few years. Their presence has been more in the Windward Islands and Antigua but I do believe they would be more active in St. Kitts and Nevis over the next year or two,” he said.
The British High Commissioner who was on a two-day visit to the Federation, was accompanied by non resident British High Commissioner to Antigua, His Excellency, Terence Knight and Honorary Consul for the United Kingdom based in St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Peter Allcorn.
Mr. Taylor took the opportunity to present educational packages for schools sponsored by the British High Commissioner’s Office in Barbados. The packages were designed for teaching sea turtle conservation and protection outlined in teacher activity manuals, full color slides and narrations.
Premier Parry, who also holds responsibility for Education, accepted the gifts on behalf of the Nevis Sea Turtle Group and highlighted some of the activities which he said the British government had assisted with on the island.
“I thank the British government involved through its High Commission Offices in Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados for continuing to show an interest in the island of Nevis. The British government has been involved in education; the Sixth Form as we know, in water projects, in road projects, primary school projects and a variety of activities over the past 20 years and it is good to see that they continue to show an interest on the island of Nevis.
“We thank you for this gift. We have been working for many years with the conservation and conservation issues and I’m sure the young people of the island will not only be more aware of conservation but will be able to enjoy the various species of turtle that we have here in the Caribbean and in the area of Nevis,” Mr. Parry said.
In handing over the educational material Mr. Taylor said he was happy to offer support to the project and that his government’s interest in the Caribbean Sea turtle Conservation project was in the environment and climate change which had been at the forefront of developed countries in moving that agenda forward.
He pointed out that the material would assist educators in the high schools to increase the understanding of students of the vulnerability of the ecological environment and biodiversity which he said was important in the Caribbean.
Coordinator of the Nevis Sea Turtle Group, Mr. Lemuel Pemberton thanked the British Commissioner and said that the eight-year old turtle conservation project appreciated the assistance, as it would help the student volunteers in their sea turtle monitoring efforts.
He said four Caribbean Nevis hawksbill turtles tagged Mango, Nevis, Ginger and Calypso could be tracked and monitored. A website www.seaturtle.org could also be accessed to track the movement of the Nevis tagged turtles.
The educational material was compiled by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) in conjunction with the Barbados Sea Turtle Project and the Department of Fisheries in St. Kitts, the Nevis Turtle Group and the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Group.
Mr. Pemberton said the material would be made available to the Charlestown and Gingerland Secondary Schools, Nevis Sixth Form College, the Teacher Resource Center, the University of the West Indies Distance Education Site, the Department of Fisheries and the Nevis Public Library Services.