Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis (UNESCO National Commission) – Mrs Telca Wallace, National Coordinator for the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve, and Ambassador David P. Doyle, the Federation’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO in Paris, recently participated in two significant UNESCO webinars. These webinars aimed to highlight how small island developing states (SIDS) are addressing biodiversity challenges despite limited institutional resources. They also sought to inspire stakeholders and provide actionable insights on achieving global biodiversity goals through collaborative and context-specific strategies.
The first webinar, titled “Building on COP16: From Global Goals to Local Action,” took place on November 15, 2024. It featured the St. Kitts and Nevis Biosphere Reserve as a case study in connecting international biodiversity commitments with local conservation efforts in UNESCO-designated sites. Other case studies from the Latin America and Caribbean region were also presented. Building on the momentum from the COP16 negotiations and utilising a publication by the Nordic Council of Ministers titled “Local actions for the new Global Biodiversity Framework: How do we develop coexistence with nature through UNESCO Biosphere Reserves?” the webinar aimed to translate global biodiversity targets into actionable strategies tailored to local contexts.
A second UNESCO webinar on December 10, 2024, focused on the unique challenges faced by SIDS regarding sustainable waste reduction. Under the theme “Taking Action in UNESCO-Designated Sites and Protected Areas,” Mrs Wallace emphasised the issues surrounding single-use plastics, highlighting the lack of awareness about the environmental impact of indiscriminate plastic waste disposal, the damage to ecosystems, and the threats posed to the tourism sector in the Federation.
In early 2025, UNESCO will collaborate with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to implement and fund a framework for eliminating single-use plastics in the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve (SMBR). This effort will have broader implications for the twin-island nation, especially with the government’s planned phased implementation of a ban on the importation, sale, and distribution of single-use plastics, set to begin on December 31, 2024. The Hon. Dr Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment, stated, “The ban on single-use plastics is a decisive step towards our government’s commitment to protecting the natural environment and fostering a sustainable future for our twin-island nation. The St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve will play a crucial role in this initiative, providing valuable UNESCO expertise in achieving our goals for a plastic-free future.”
UNESCO experts are expected to visit St. Kitts and Nevis in the first quarter of 2025 to engage stakeholders in transforming the SMBR into a ‘plastic bottle-free’ environment. This initiative is based on a similar model successfully implemented in the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe through extensive consultations and on-site events.
Antonio Abreu, Director of the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences at UNESCO, commented on the Federation’s biodiversity efforts over the past year: “The St. Mary’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis serves as a living model that demonstrates the importance of reconciling nature conservation, cultural identity, and the socio-economic development of local communities. This inclusive vision positions biodiversity conservation and sustainable use as pillars of community well-being, making the Biosphere Reserve an inspiration for other island territories within UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.”
Telca Wallace, SMBR coordinator and focal contact person expressed her thoughts on the initiative: “This project provides an opportunity to build capacity among the leading authorities responsible for implementing the national single-use plastics ban. Additionally, it allows us to use the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve as a test case for study and evaluation. I feel privileged to lead these efforts.”
Coordinating with Telca Wallace on UNESCO’s interventions is H.E. Nerys Dockery, Secretary-General of the Federation’s National Commission for UNESCO. Ms Dockery stated, “I am pleased that UNESCO can offer vital technical assistance to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, guiding its national strategies for the implementation of the single-use plastics ban set for 2025. This project once again emphasises the importance of partnerships in advancing the vision of creating a Sustainable Island State, where phasing out single-use plastics is a crucial and necessary component.”
Summarising the increased focus of UNESCO on biodiversity efforts at the SMBR, Ambassador David Doyle remarked, “Addressing biodiversity loss in small island states increasingly requires international collaboration and comprehensive strategies that account for the unique challenges we face.”