Lead Private sector donates to CERMES

THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS and "invaluable" media services were donated to the Marine Resource Governance Project (MarGov) public outreach programme by three private companies.

The Simpson Oil Limited (SOL) Group and Island Heritage Insurance donated $20 000 and $10 000, respectively; while CaribVision committed to providing media programmes across 23 Caribbean islands in the region.

All three companies have committed to providing further assistance until 2011.

This was announced at the Press conference disclosing the partnership with the Centre for Resources Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies recently.

The four-year project has already received funding from the International Research Development Centre based in Canada to the tune of $960 000, with the aim to influence marine resource management decision-making at the national
policy and individual levels.

Project director Robin Mahon said the companies' commitments would enhance the programme since "neither the public or the policy-makers can be willing to make a change unless they care about the issues and they will not care unless they are aware of the needs to change".

SOL's general manager for the Southern Caribbean, Roger Bryan, said: "SOL recognises the value of a regional project to strengthen the networking capacity of fisheries stakeholders and coastal marine resource users across communities."

CaribVision's regional sales and marketing manager Dale Miller noted that it was an opportunity to be creative and innovative"to disseminate the vital information to the public".

Heritage Insurance chief operating officer Paul Inniss added that there was still a need to develop the industry through organisation and education on how to play a more meaningful and proactive role in marine resource governance.

(AH)