Studies suggest that as many as 200,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre litter the seas of the northeastern Caribbean.
As part of efforts to address the issue here, representatives from a Virgin Islands non-profit organisation recently attended a regional summit in preparation for launching a related three-year project.
Green VI Executive Director Charlotte McDevitt and Operations Director Dylan Penn both attended the 2024 Prevention of Marine Litter in the Caribbean Sea Annual Meeting and Summit held Nov. 14-15 in Medellín, Colombia.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, PROMAR is part of growing international cooperation to tackle plastic pollution.
Eight Caribbean states are involved in the project: the VI, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
All share access to the Caribbean Sea and have economies dependent on tourism, fisheries and maritime transport.
Circular economy
The summit, themed “Experiences and Lessons Learned in the Prevention of Plastic Waste in the Caribbean Sea,” brought together all eight project member states and 25 experts to discuss the impacts of marine litter and strategies for advancing a circular economy, according to Green VI.
Additionally, Colombia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic — which have concluded their work on PROMAR — shared their experience with the rest of the participating countries and territories, which are now embarking on the project, the NPO stated.
Ms. McDevitt and Mr. Penn also met with leaders and experts from various sectors to share insights and strategies for tackling plastic pollution.
“The BVI is known for its pristine beaches and vibrant marine ecosystems, and this three-year PROMAR project will further environmental protection and sustainable tourism in the BVI and will facilitate active regional and international collaboration to address plastic pollution and promote a circular economy,” Mr. Penn said.
Details to come
He also noted that more detail on the VI aspect of the project will be shared next year.
Ms. McDevitt said the summit provided a valuable platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration.
“We are committed to working with our Caribbean neighbours and international partners to address the critical issue of plastic pollution in our shared waters,” she said.
For more information on PROMAR, go to www.promar.org.
British Caribbean News
