OECS TO HANDOVER ROYAL BASSETERRE VALLEY ARBORETUM; GOVERNMENT SECURES ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDING
Basseterre, Saint Kitts, April 30, 2026 (SKNIS): The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is set to receive the Royal Basseterre Valley Arboretum from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) under the EU-funded Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) Project on May 12, 2026.
Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, described the handover as a critical milestone in strengthening sustainable land use and environmental resilience.
“The `ILM project aims to strengthen sustainable land use across the Eastern Caribbean and is designed to optimise existing landscapes so that member states can improve their natural resource management and climate resilience,” said Dr. Clarke. “Our ministry’s focus for the Royal Basseterre Valley has always been on holistic landscaping that supports the interconnectedness of agriculture, water, nature, and the environment at large.”
In addition to the arboretum handover, the government has secured US $200,000 in grant financing from the Inter-American Development Bank through the Compete Caribbean Programme to support environmental management initiatives.
“These resources, these monies, will be directed towards the full operationalisation of the National Conservation and Environmental Management Act, NCEMA, which we debated and passed successfully last year in this honourable house,” she said. “Because of NCEMA, we have modernised and can modernise the way our Federation is able to treat, interact with, and carry out environmental management, protection, and conservation. This grant will allow us to move from legislation more decisively from written words to actual material delivery. We will now be better able to equip our institutions and ensure the enforcement of NCEMA through key elements, such as the establishment of our National Environmental Council, targeted capacity building and hands-on support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, and the integration of institutional and private sector reforms in alignment with international climate action and environmental obligations.”
Dr. Clarke said that the ministry continues to leverage international partnerships to advance the Federation’s environmental agenda and sustainable development goals.
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