As Barbados continues to build out its blue economy sector, officials are taking advantage of opportunities to network and learn best practices from countries worldwide.
This was one of the main outcomes following a trip made by Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde, to the Our Oceans Conference in Panama City, Republic of Panama, from March 2 to 3.
He was accompanied by Permanent Secretary (Green Economy), Charley Browne; Chief Fisheries Officer, Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, and Deputy Project Manager of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, Allison Wiggins.
In a release, the Ministry noted that Barbados placed great importance on the protection and preservation of its ocean space, which is 400 times larger than its land space.
During the visit, Minister Forde and his delegation met with Vice Minister for Oceans and Fisheries of South Korea, Song Sang-Keun, to discuss areas of cooperation.
South Korea has made several advances in the area of protection and sustainable use of the ocean, and is well versed in the use of the latest technology in monitoring marine environments.
“Barbados can stand to benefit from the offer of their expertise in this area to improve the monitoring of its maritime area,” the release noted.
The delegation also met with Director of the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at the Polytechnic University of Marche in Italy, Roberto Danovaro, and Italian Ambassador resident in Panama, Fabrizio Nicoletti.
During that meeting, possible areas of cooperation between Barbados and Italy were discussed. It was also noted that Italy has made great strides in the areas of green shipping, aquaculture, and wind farming. The country has also offered assistance in these areas to Barbados.
Meanwhile, Mr. Danovaro, a marine biologist, expressed an interest in having Barbadian students study marine biology and other subjects at the University of Marche.
Similarly, Barbados also offered South Korea and Italy its expertise in the area of coastal zone management and planning, as it has trained several persons across the region and assisted with the setting up of units in other countries.
During the two-day event, Minister Forde also participated in a High-Level Panel where the topic A Sustainable Blue Caribbean: Advancing opportunities towards unlocking new and effective large-scale ocean protection in the Caribbean by 2030 was discussed.
The panel included ministers from Panama, Aruba, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. Dr. Cox presented during the Sargassum Information Hub.
The Barbadian delegation also met with the representatives from the United Nations Environmental Programme’s Latin America and the Caribbean Office, which is based in Panama.
Minister Forde thanked the United Nations Environment Programme for its support over the years and requested assistance on a number of initiatives being executed by the Ministry.