11th Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF2022)

 The OECS Commission recently held its 11th Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF2022) in Barbados. Representing Antigua & Barbuda at this meeting was Mr. Adriel Thibou, (Senior Forestry Officer – Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Barbuda Affairs) and the National Focal Point of the Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management (ILM) in the OECS project.

The CUF is an annual three-day Conference for land use practitioners, policy makers, academics and allied professionals interested in urban and land management issues within the Caribbean. The theme of this year’s event is “Beyond COVID: Recovery-Renewable-Resilience”. Professionals engaged in planning and development including land (resources) management were urged to recognize the significance of climate change adaptation and hazard vulnerability reduction measures for future sustainable development patterns.

The OECS Commission also utilized the opportunity to meet with all (Global Climate Change Alliance) GCCA-ILM Focal Points to coordinate, discuss and update on project activities. The “Integrated Landscape Approaches and Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the OECS” project, is funded under the European Union Global Public Goods and Challenges Programme to an amount of EUR 5 million. The overall objective of the project is to optimize the contribution of land to agriculture, food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the preservation of ecosystems and the essential services they provide. It is expected that initiatives under this project will contribute to; climate smart and sustainable agriculture farming system; enhancement of cross-sector approaches to land use planning and management; the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs); the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans; REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation & Forest Degradation) strategies and plans to curb deforestation and forest degradation; and strengthening ecosystem management in general.

The Specific Objective (SO1) of the OECS-ILM project is to strengthen the economic, social, and environmental resilience of Member States to the impacts of climate change and other hazards through the implementation of Integrated Landscape Management (ILM), Sustainable Land Management (SLM), Integrated Watershed Management (IWM), and other relevant approaches. Essentially, ILM seeks to integrate various economic, social, and biophysical considerations into a common framework for analysis and action.

Here on Antigua, through the execution of A Sustainable Approach to the Development and Management of the Body Ponds Conservation Area the expected Project Outputs under this objective are

 

Expected Output (SO1-1): Scalable physical adaptation initiatives that help conciliate different land uses, foster innovation and lessons learning are field tested and deliver multiple agricultural, climate and biodiversity-related benefits.

Expected Output (SO1-2): improved land governance and management systems are promoted, notably through better cross-sectoral coordination, enhanced participation of land users and local stakeholders, including local communities, women, and the private sector, in land-related decisions, and other appropriate land governance measures.

Expected Output (SO1-3): the capacities of actors and institutions for sustainable landscape management are enhanced.