St Vincent and the Grenadines stands to benefit directly from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) having officially launched the SVG Conservation Fund (SVGCF) recently.
The ceremony to launch the SVG conservation Fund (SVGCF) took place on Tuesday 12th February 2019 at the Paradise Beach Hotel, Villa and saw government officials and members of the Fund joining together to create a new platform for the conservation, protection and management of natural resources.
Chairman of the SVGCF Vanburn Harry disclosed that the fund was established in November 2015 with the goal of providing a “sustainable flow of funds to support the long-term management and expansion of the` SVG national system of protected areas and other activities that contribute sustainably to the conservation, protection and maintenance of biodiversity in SVG.”
Harry added that “the SVGCF functions on a set of core values: transparency and integrity, cooperation and inclusivity, conservation and sustainability, accountability and education.”
The Chairman noted that the fund is geared at allocating funds to a variety of projects including public sector agencies responsible for natural resource, protected areas and biodiversity conservation, local colleges, local or regional NGOs, private corporations and community bodies among others; all playing their part in environmental protection and conservation.
Harry disclosed that the SVGCF will support single grants lasting no more than two years, ranging from $5000 to US$50,000.
Featured speaker, CEO of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), Yabanez Bastista said, “they are looking forward to partnering with the SVGCF,” noting that part of the fund will exclusively benefit St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bastista revealed that the CBF currently manages US$70 Million and was formed 2012.
The CBF CEO emphasised his pride in being part of this joint accomplishment. Bastista noted that the SVGCF will be the fourth conservation fund on the national level that signed on to a partnership agreement; getting the CBF closer to its target of eight partnership agreements, which they hope will be signed by 2020 as part of the Caribbean Challenge initiative goals.
