Seafood Fiesta Is Back On November 8th

When the second Seafood Fiesta opens on the afternoon of November 8th, Urlings Wharf, judging from the past event, the ministry of Agriculture is expecting a large turn-out.

Organizers of the festival, which is fast becoming Antigua’s biggest seafood Fiesta, have added new elements to the already action packed schedule.

Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & the Environment Hilson Baptiste said his expectations are high and is anticipating a 100-percent increase with regards to patrons showing up to enjoy culinary delights from the sea, while being entertained.

Panos Caribbean
The article below is a production distributed through Panoscope, a series of Panos Caribbean. It is made freely available to your media and we encourage publishing and redistribution, giving credit to Panos Caribbean. We appreciate feedback.

For further information contact: Indi Mclymont/Jan Voordouw, Panos Institute.
Tel: 920-0070-1
E-mail: jamaica@panoscaribbean.org

Adaptation Fund could start funding projects by April
- Hope for Caribbean countries threatened by climate change

By Anna Scarlett, Writer

Kingston, February 18, 2009, (Panos) - IN the race against the fallout from climate change, developing countries, such as those of the Caribbean, could soon see themselves ahead, thanks to the Adaptation Fund.

Cleansing the Caribbean of Toxic Chemicals Takes Centre Stage at UN Environment Programme Meeting

Plans to Rid Islands of Persistent Organic Pollutants Focus of Review

Kingston, Jamaica, 30 January 2009 – A sub-regional workshop on toxic chemicals is now set to assist Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to maintain their pristine and chemical-free environments.

Support will be provided to Government and private sector delegates on the handling and disposal of toxic substances in a four-day training session starting on Monday, February 2 at the Courtleigh hotel in Kingston . The workshop is designed to spotlight certain toxic chemicals that exist in daily life and to increase knowledge of the potentially harmful effects of these substances.

Panos Caribbean

The article below is a production distributed through Panoscope, a series of Panos Caribbean. It is made freely available to your media and we encourage publishing and redistribution, giving credit to Panos Caribbean. We appreciate feedback.

For further information contact: Indi Mclymont/Jan Voordouw, Panos Institute.

Tel: 920-0070-1. E-mail: jamaica@panoscaribbean.org

HEAR,HEAR
Jamaican entertainers get exposure to climate change threats

By Anna Scarlet, Writer
Kingston, Jamaica. January 29, 2009, (Panos) - The word is out on climate change and its many harmful effects, current and prospective, and Jamaican entertainers are beginning to hear it.

ByOnikaCampbell

President of Antigua & Barbuda Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) Dr Brian Cooper disclosed that migratory bird numbers plummeting globally are warning signs of a changing environment.

Dr. Cooper in an interview draws attention to the link between migratory birds and wider biodiversity as well as the overall state of our environment, yesterday.

According to the EAG president birds are considered to be some of the best indicators for the status and trends of wider biodiversity as they connect, and are inhabitants of, virtually all ecosystems in the world.

This year, the twin island state joins the rest of the to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day "Migratory Birds - Ambassadors for Biodiversity"

Small Island States Vulnerable To Climate Change

By Onika Campbell

Small Island States, Jamaica and the wider Caribbean are vulnerable to the disastrous effect of hurricane worse than Katrina, as well as other environment hazards, this according to the National Communication to the United Nation Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) consultant, Dale Rankine.

Rankine, in explaining why the region is susceptible to such devastating effects disclosed that there is a serious problem bridging the gap between science and policy.

He also said Katrina is a ‘stalk reminder” and warned the region to “do better to prevent another Katrina disaster.”

Caribbean: No more sun, sea and sand for tourists
Thursday July 10 2008

by Precious Mills

Tourism in the Caribbean region is no longer about marketing sun, sea and sand to tourists. Efforts should be made to conserve, preserve historic fortresses, monuments and sites which appeal more to travellers who prefer to learn about the historical richness of the islands.

This disclosure was made by tourism researcher and owner of Strategic Solution Inc. (Barbados) Dr. Kerry Hall at yesterday's Heritage Conservation Symposium put on by the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture. The event which was held at the National Emergency Management Agency headquarters saw a wide cross-section of over 30 stakeholders.

African dust poses threat to Caribbean reefs?

A coral colony (file photo)
FLORIDA, United States, July 16, 2008 - Dust from Africa's arid Sahara and Sahel regions could be polluting oceans in the Caribbean and harming the coral reefs in these islands.
The suggestion has been made in a National Geographic report which said that the dust clouds carry contaminants such as metals and microorganisms, as well as pesticides - which can interfere with the animals' reproduction, fertilisation, or immune function.
Virginia Garrison, an ecologist with the United States Geological Survey in St. Petersburg, Florida, said that when samples are taken in the Caribbean during African dust events, the tests show that there are two to three times as many microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, as samples taken from the same spot during other periods.

Management Plan for North-West Coast of Antigua

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is seeking to develop a comprehensive, holistic, and multi-sectoral management plan for the North-West Coast of Antigua.

Antigua and Barbuda is one of thirteen countries in the region participating in the Global Environment Facility-funded Integrating Watershed and Coastal Areas Management (GEF-IWCAM) Project which has a Demonstration Project at McKinnons Pond; the work planned complements this.

With the support of the GEF-IWCAM Project, the Government of Cuba’s Centro de Estudios Ambientales de Cienfuegos (CEAC) is providing technical assistance to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda for environmental modeling of the north-west coast of Antigua.

Subject: Mandatory ethanol content for vehicle fuel

FAO-Carib-Agri is a service provided by the FAO Sub-Regional Office, Barbados

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said that under the agreement, less of the country's sugar cane will be going into sugar and more into ethanol, to take advantage of the growing market demand for ethanol as oil prices climb. (File photo)

KINGSTON, Jamaica , August 8, 2008 - Prime Minister Bruce Golding says that from next month, it will be mandatory for motor vehicle fuel to include 10 per cent ethanol, as Jamaica enters an agreement with a Brazilian company to use more of the country's sugar cane for ethanol production.