Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has identified the National Beautification Project, the Clean and Green Initiative and the One Million National Tree Planting Project as critical to the work of her Government.
Ms. Mottley made the comments today at the virtual launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, where she shared some of Barbados’ ecosystem-based measures.
In speaking about the three projects, the Prime Minister continued: “We have significantly expanded the workforce to give these programmes life, while recognising that we have had to expand the timeframe for the tree planting project because of the pandemic.”
She added that national efforts include ecosystem-based measures of adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, such that they are enshrined in national policy, through the Roofs-to-Reefs Programme.
Ms. Mottley pointed out that restoration and management plans were developed for sensitive and or threatened ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands or the marine area.
“And of course, [we have] North-South and South-South cooperation agreements in the areas of technical cooperation, information transfer and financial resources.
“This Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is therefore critical, not only to the conservation and management of biodiversity and land resources, but also in the upkeep of national assets, which will assist countries in combatting the threats posed by the climate crisis,” she proffered.
In commemorating the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, Ms. Mottley said the green inclusive economic recovery is the message that should resonate with the globe.
“By green inclusive economic recovery, I am speaking of an economic recovery strategy which focuses on ultimately improving one’s well-being, bringing about social equality while reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities,” she explained.
The Prime Minister said the Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean sent a very strong message earlier this year, when a decision was adopted that called for a 10-year focus on restoring ecosystems across the region.
Barbados, she added, supports the decision to establish a network of restored ecosystems all across Latin America and the Caribbean, not just in the country’s individual space.
Ecosystems support all life on earth and the healthier the ecosystems are, the healthier the planet and its people will be.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.