Making the Right Connections

[A E Pienkowski]

There have been a series of conferences to discuss environmental and conservation issues in the UK Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. Details of previous conferences can be found on the main UKOTCF website.

The last conference in Jersey benefitted greatly from the attendence of students. Their questions and comments HAVE had effects. This discussion forum was their idea!!

We are now at the UKOT Conference in Cayman, where we welcome many students from Cayman, and one of the students who came to our Jersey Conference - Piers.

We have opened up a discussion forum for the Conference, so that the people attending can let you know what is going on, and give their impressions. We hope particularly that our student participants can join in this discussion.

We look forward to hearing your views.

Welcome to the Cayman Conference, Making the Right Connections.

Ann

[Piers]

This is the first part of info from the confrence please free to comment and raise any questions you wish. (Most of the presentaions at the confrence will be put on the main UKOTCF website. www.ukocf.org )



Day 1 – Environmental Education
• Two presentations were made on environmental education programs that have been very successful at putting environmental education into the curriculum at the primary level – the Marvellous Mangroves program in Cayman (which originated in Canada and has spread internationally) http://www.mangroveactionproject.org...ove-curriculum
and Akrotiri Environmental Education & Information Centre (Akrotiri Centre) in Cyprus Sovereign Base Area (CSBA)
• It was expressed by all students at the conference, both from Cayman (UCCI Grand Cayman & Brac) & Jersey that there is a lack of student environmental organisations in secondary/high schools. There are very good existing programs but they all cater to primary school students - however, there is no follow through into middle and high school. Students therefore forget about and become disengaged from environmental issues in high school and after.
• Suggested: build opportunities for environmental education in high schools in the OTs either through the curriculum and classes or extracurricular activities. Perhaps a student environmental society, aimed at high schools in all overseas territories could be developed?

• More comments from panel: In Cayman Brac High School they make use of 2 weeks after exams (in June) and before the end of term, for environmental projects. St Helena uses the UN World Environment Day in June as an environmental education week which engages the entire community e.g. high school students design environmental education displays which all students visits and which is open to the entire community.

• A representative from the Cayman Education Department discussed the challenges of incorporating environmental education into the high school curriculum due to the high pressures of and preparations for exams. However there could be ways of choosing environmental exam options that would force environmental education into the system at that level. However - most potential for this at the high school level would be though extracurricular student activities and organisations.


More from the first days events will be uploaded soon.

[Piers]

Day 1 part 2 Climate Change

Opening with a brief overviwe of the genrally well known of statistics such as CO2 levels and rising temprature.
The first presentaion was to look at impacts and adaption. The general overviwe to come out of this was that there was not enough information for all of the territories where some of the islands may be well studied other of the smaller islands may not be.

The second presentaion was given from South Georgia looking at how with climate change the island is under threat of it's invassive species being able to be able to spread with the melting of the glaciers. Plans are already in place to remove some of the larger invaders (Reindeers) from the island.
Other problems that were raised for the island in direct relation to climate change was the sea temprature increasing around the island, pushing krill further away to the south of the island, Because of this in 2009 ther was 100% mortality of one population of penguin chicks.
Not all was bad news though as recently they have succesfully completed their Hydro project was completed this as ment that South Geogia is in effect completly green with their energy.

After this case studies were present from some of the other territories on how the effects of climate change have effected them.

[KatrinaJCayman]

We’ve just begun the afternoon session ‘Raising our profile – engaging policy makers and the public’. Samia Sarkis is now presenting on economic valuation of Bermuda’s Coral Reefs.

This morning topics covered included:
In the ‘Spatial Planning, Protected Areas and International Standards-assets or liabilities’ session
• The role of environmental democracy from the example of Turks & Caicos
• Marine Perspective on Spatial Planning, Protected Areas & International Standards – Isle of Man
• Declaring international protected areas in the OTs – the role of Ramsar & World Heritage Conventions
• Montserrat Centre Hills Plan: an example of planning and implementing protected areas at a site scale
• Challenges for a small isolated island group – progress on the Pitcairn Islands environment management plan
• BVI’s System Plan: an example of planning and implementing protected areas at a national scale

[Piers]

The after lunch session was to look at Raising the profile of projects with policay makers and the public.

We had a breifing over some of the problems that conservationists are faced with. The biggest being that no one see's the world from the same perspective. There are always those who will jump in to make a profit off the destruction of the environment.
Fllowed by a quick whip through of how programes can raise there profile such as just promoting the day to day work.

This was followed up by examples of how it has been implemented in diffrent territories

How Bermuda has premoted the economic profile of it's reef and in this way gainning protection of the reefs. And the campagin of buy Back Bermuda which is being done to buy back the open space.

We had a shot talk from Paul Keetch MP on how the UKOTs should try and raise there profile within UKs parliment.

Following this the British Virgin Islands presented how the environment had been used in gaining surrport in their last local election thus premoting the environment and it's issuses.

We also had presentation on how the Grand Cayman had managged to prevent the destruction of their Ironwood foresset but for how long.

The afternoon was finished off with a very insightfull presentation of how the church needs to come round to help premote the issuses of conservation and premoting the environment.

[Piers]

This mornings session was focusing on Invassive species.

Introduction was given from the South Atlantic Invasive Species (SAIS) Project

Which is in its third and final year. The project has seen cooperation between both Goverment demartments and NGO's

The main focus of the talk was on St Helena where they face trouble with human population decline due to people moving off the island which in turn is leading to a lot of land use abondonment. But the botanical surrveys of St Helena and Asension have been completed in 2008, the outcome of this is a complete database on which decisions for the island cajn be based.

We then had an update from Turks and Caicos on their problem with the pine tortoise scale Toumeylla parvicornis The recovery project was launched in September 2008 to safegaurd the Caios pine Pinus caribaea vaiety bahamensis which has suffered a 90% mortallity due to the invasion of the North American plant pest ( belived to of been brought acroos on christmas trees) The project has had major set backs including two hurricanes and a large fire in one of the pine yards. The project is a ten year recovery programme. The inital part to set up a ex-situ conservation populations is now well on it's way even after the intial hic-ups.

Presentaion was also given on how the OT's and CD's have recently had a surrvey carried out to establish the range and problems of Invasive species, which is now been compilled into a data base. Collecting the informationon on what is being done is a first step into identifiying what else needs to be done and how limited resources can be best applied.

To round off the morning we had a presentation on awareness-raising and education - getting rid of stuff that people like with little or no money.
This was looking at how you control invasive species which people do not rellay want removed such as ferral cats and invassive birds. Examples of this where given from cayman of how they have been removing these type of invaders while at the same time raising awarness with the locals of why they are doing it. To do this they have had to change the aproach of how they remove the animals the most taken method is to dissable the animal in question breeding ablity so even if they escape again they will not add further problems by increasing the population again.

part 2 later

[LILIAN]

Thank you Piers for an excellent summary of several days UKOT conservation presentations.
Please register if you have any feedback to give to us about the Cayman Islands UKOT Conservation Conference. I will be reporting at more length soon.

[JanineWade]

Thank you all for reporting back on what is happening there, for those of us unable to attend!

[LILIAN]

www.caycompass.com of 12 June 2009 gives a short summary of the University College of the Cayman Islands Biology student attendees at the June 2009 UKOTCF - Making the Right Connections for conservation.

This one and only University - UCCI - has had a Grand Cayman campus for more than 10 years, and a smaller, newer Brac campus, barely 2 years old, both of which teach Environmental Science courses to Associate Degree level [American semester credit system of education].
Students are aged from 17 to 72, mostly Caymanian, with a sprinkling of expats. As well as biologists, the Environmental Science students also managed to get to many of the UKOT 'Making the Right Connections' sessions and presentations, despite having other course classes to attend at College during the day, evenings and Saturdays, and in many cases, working full-time as well. The fees aren't exactly low, and many students earn to study and support their families.

UCCI has keen SCUBA and Earth Day Island Clean-up groups, an Ironwood Forest Interest group, as well as some recycling efforts carried on from High School club members.
Fund-raisers , like bake-sales and steel pan playing, for club activities, happen on campus from time to time. Final exams, Graduation on 9 July and the summer break are round the corner. UCCI will resume most classes in September, but the campus is active with professional courses throughout the year. See www.ucci.edu.ky for more.