The British Virgin Islands, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, has received a grant from the European Union’s Regional Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marina Biodiversity Programme (RESEMBID), to finance the advancement of the Territory’s Water Quality Monitoring Programme.
Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Honourable Melvin M Turnbull broke the news at a press conference on Tuesday Morning.
According to Turnbull the grant received builds on the EU’s continuing support for Environmental Management in the Virgin Islands.
He went on to stress the relevance and importance of proper marine maintenance and care for the Territory’s water sources.
Turnbull said that this grant has come at an opportune time due to rapid coastal development across the territory which has resulted in stressed marine ecosystems, evidence of which can be found in degrading reefs and coastlines. All in need of strategic intervention.
The project seeks to accomplish this through institutional strengthening, capacity building, acquisition of equipment, hardware and software, and the establishment of a baseline for new priority areas and water quality parameters.