Environmental Visit by Dr Vin Fleming
13 November 2009
Dr Vin Fleming from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, or JNCC, is visiting the Island from 8 to 16 November.
The JNCC is an environmental group which advises the British Government on conservation matters affecting the UK and the rest of the world and the organisation is keen to help the Overseas Territories.
Isabel Peters, Environmental Coordinator, explained that the support from the JNCC for St Helena is helped by the Island’s uniqueness and its importance to the global environment as a whole.
To this end, the JNCC provides the Island with advice and support free of charge and last year, Tara Pelembe, Overseas Territories Officer, was on the Island to look at how the JNCC could help even further. This resulted in Dr Fleming’s visit and he is helping the Island in three key areas.
The first relates to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species which St Helena signed in 1976. 175 states have signed up to this convention which tries to ensure that the survival of wild animals and plants is not in any way threatened by using them in international trade. St Helena is keen to comply with the convention and Dr Fleming will advise on how the Island can continue to do so using the resources it has.
Dr Fleming is also giving advice on how to assess the economic value of the environment. St Helena should benefit from understanding this approach to environmental economics since it will allow the Island to place a more accurate value on the environment in its broadest sense, for example land, plants and animals. As an example, one piece of land might be worth more economically for one particular use over another so this could help when deciding on whether that piece of land should be used for house building or pasture land.
In addition, Dr Fleming is providing training, specially designed for Overseas Territories, on how to make applications for money to fund conservation-type projects. In the past St Helena has secured money to implement a number of these projects and to increase the Island’s chances of securing more of this much-needed funding for future work, Dr Fleming is advising on how to work through the bidding process.
Dr Fleming is working closely with Darren Duncan, Chief Agricultural and Natural Resources Officer and with Isabel Peters, Environment Coordinator in the design of his programme and training sessions. These are being attended by government officers and staff from the St Helena National Trust.
While on the Island, Dr Fleming is also taking the opportunity to view the Island’s unique fauna and flora.
Public Relations/Information Office, Office of the Chief Secretary, 13 November 2009