The Virgin Islands’ end of a three-year project to fight plastic pollution across the Caribbean kicked off last week with litter sampling at Long Bay, Beef Island.
The local effort — a partnership between the non-profit Green VI and the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change — launched the VI chapter of the regional Prevention of the Marine Litter in the Caribbean Sea Project (PROMAR).
“Green VI is honoured to spearhead this next chapter in our islands’ sustainability journey,” said Dylan Penn, Green VI director of operations. “For over 15 years, we’ve worked hand in hand with communities, schools, government and businesses to turn environmental challenges into opportunities for education, behaviour change and innovation.”
The results obtained from the plastic samples will be fed into a regional database as part of the “monitoring” prong of the four-prong PROMAR Project.
Other prongs
The effort will also include “circular economy solutions” including a recycling system at Long Bay; policy support for legislation to reduce imports of single-use plastics; and public engagement such as school outreach and coastal clean-ups, according to Green VI.
“By preventing marine litter, we protect what drives our economy, nourishes our culture and shapes our BVI identity,” said Angela Burnett Penn, climate change environmental officer in the ministry.
Regional pollution
Studies suggest that as many as 200,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre litter the seas of the northeastern Caribbean, and the World Bank has said plastic on Caribbean beaches far exceeds global averages.
Project members
PROMAR, which is part of growing international cooperation to tackle the problem, now includes eight Caribbean states: the VI, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
All share access to the Caribbean Sea and all have economies dependent on tourism, fisheries and maritime transport.
The VI came on board after Mr. Penn and Green VI Executive Director Charlotte McDevitt attended the 2024 PROMAR Meeting and Summit last November in Medellín, Colombia.
For more information, go to promar.org.
