CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC—The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission says efforts are being made to establish a World Heritage Sites Network in the subregional grouping.
The initiative aims to enhance the management and preservation of the region’s invaluable cultural and natural heritage, the statement said.
Currently, five OECS member states have sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List:
They are Antigua and Barbuda with the Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites; Dominica with the Morne Trois Pitons National Park; Martinique with the Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique; St. Kitts- Nevis with the Brimstone Hill Fortress; and St.Lucia with the Piton Management Area.
The tentative list includes 11 sites in Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The OECS said that a workshop was held earlier this month that focused on several key objectives:
- Establishing a network of World Heritage Sites.
- Strengthening site management.
- Increasing income generation opportunities to support livelihoods and encourage community involvement.
- Sharing best practices and lessons learned.
- Contributing to preserving biodiversity and minimizing threats to biodiversity loss within these sites.
According to UNESCO, listing in this prestigious category raises awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation, leading to increased protection and conservation efforts. This recognition may also result in financial assistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee.
Dominica’s Environment, Rural Modernization, and Kalinago Upliftment Minister Cozier Frederick has emphasized the importance of preserving heritage for future generations and highlighted the role of World Heritage Sites in maintaining culture and natural spaces.
“The trust assets passed on to us by ancestors can be kept in good standing for future generations … We’ve realized that preserving our heritage and natural spaces is important for several reasons. We’ve realized that the World Heritage Sites help to preserve our culture as a critical part of our movement, and it’s essential for us as post-colonial Caribbean States.”
Chamberlain Emmanuel, head of the OECS Commission’s Environmental Sustainability Division, underscored the benefits of establishing a network of sites in the OECS, including raising awareness, enhancing protection and conservation, and potentially receiving financial assistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee.
He urged those attending the workshop to “fully participate, share your thoughts, experiences, doubts, and ideas that will contribute to effective co-creation, as we seek to operationalize the vision of a network that can have a tremendous impact on the world heritage sites and the critical biodiversity and other natural and cultural features contained in them and many benefits that support sustainable livelihoods in the region.”
The three-day workshop was funded through the European Union’s Biodiversity Support Programme in ACP Coastal Environments (BioSPACE), which aims to support and improve the management and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources in the region.
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