Liquid, chemical and solid waste have been the Achilles heel of several Caribbean countries partially driven by the dependency on imports and simultaneously the inadequate development of waste management systems. Solid and liquid waste can be converted to biogas which can be purified and bottled and use in the same way natural gas and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is used for cooking purposes in the Caribbean. This would offer a renewable and green source of energy that will aid in reducing our regional dependency on fossil fuels, saving valuable foreign exchange, creating green jobs and protecting human, animal and ecosystem health. 

But this initiative is not simply about waste generated but also wasted opportunities to extract the full economic potential of the rich Caribbean biodiversity to tackle major threats to Caribbean countries.   African green monkeys are viewed as pests in the Caribbean due to their deleterious impact on agriculture. These animals are however highly valued in the biotech sector and the AGM population in Barbados is highly desired due to the lack of epizootic diseases and infection histories (e.g. Yellow fever). This presents a unique opportunity for UWI Cave Hill to maximize the intrinsic economic value of this bioresource along with other bioresources (terrestrial and marine flora and fauna) to generate value added products to stimulate economic growth locally and regionally. This could be done in the form of a spin-off company that would help to create an R&D pipeline for several different types of value-added products. 
           
CBS has prepared a combination of step-by-step processes to position UWI Cave Hill at the very centre of a Biotechnology Development Ecosystem for the Caribbean with its CARIFOWARD plan. This CARIFOWARD plan is a pathway for the maximization of the Caribbean bioeconomy to develop sustainable solutions for several biosecurity threats to biological ecosystems and safeguard lives and livelihoods in the Caribbean. It will harness the waste streams generated and also the biodiversity in the Caribbean with the strategic implementation of cutting-edge technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) responsible for climate change by trapping CO­₂ and utilising it in sustainable ways, generate renewable energy from waste streams, water wastage through reclamation, rectification and reuse, and generating a research and development (R&D) pipeline for several value added products (including pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, flavours, fragrances, renewable biofuels, fertilizers, insect repellents, environmentally safe cleaning agents, insecticides and pesticides) designed in the Caribbean to target specific problematic biosecurity threats. 
 
SARS COV2 - Antiviral Studies 
A research study investigating the antiviral properties of extracts from local plant varieties against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), the causative agent of COVID-19 and other human viral pathogens will be conducted. This will be done through CBS collaborating with Dr. Nikolai Holder (Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences, UWI, Cave Hill Campus) and Dr. Byron Martina (Artemis One Health Institute, Rotterdam, Netherlands). CBS will facilitate the specialized temperature control transport of the plant extracts to the Netherlands and coordinate antiviral testing in the Netherlands with Artemis One Health Institute. The costs of the antiviral screening and the antiviral screening opportunities will be borne and conducted by Artemis One Health Institute in the Netherlands. The extracts are almost completed and are scheduled to be shipped in May 2021. 
 
In addition, the plant extracts will also be screened for activity against tropical pests in collaboration with CARIBVET. One project TIQTOK will screen plant extracts for repellent and lethal activity against ticks and mites.