environment

A Voice for Caribbean Hotels in Europe

St Kitts Launches New Coral Reef Monitoring Program

By Dana Niland CJ Contributor St Kitts has launched an important new program to study the state of coral reefs. The St Kitts Department of Environment, in collaboration with the Department of Marine Resources, has installed a Coral Reef Early …

Jamaica Launches “Adopt a Beach” Cleanup Program

By the Caribbean Journal staff Jamiaca’s National Environment and Planning Agency has launched a clever new environmental initiative: “Adopt a Beach.” The beach cleanup drive aims to encourage people of all ages to become “directly involved in cleaning the coastlines.” …

Barbuda’s Marine Conservation Push

Barbuda is celebrating the third anniversary of the creation of its marine sanctuaries. In 2014, the Barbuda Council established the marine reserves and no-net zones to protect and replenish the island’s marine environment. Three years ago, the council adopted a …

St. John’s Cinnamon Bay Has Big Green Plans

By Dana Niland CJ Contributor Cinnamon Bay, the campground and resort located on Cinnamon Bay Beach on the island of St. John, has unveiled a 10-year environmental plan for the property’s future. With a system of environmental initiatives newly in …

Why Caribbean Marine Reserves Matter

The importance of marine reserves in the region By Shenique Smith CJ Contributor Effectively managed marine managed areas in the Caribbean are life-sustaining for both people and wildlife. They protect critical habitats like coral reefs and mangroves. They harbor and nurture sharks, …

Tracking Sea Turtles in the US Virgin Islands

By Kemit-Amon Lewis CJ Contributor Nesting sea turtles at The Nature Conservancy’s Jack and Isaac Bay Preserve on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands have been monitored since 1994 through beach patrols during nesting season, which occurs primarily in summer and …

Bahamas Creating 15 New Marine Parks As Part of Major Expansion

Major expansion of protected areas By the Caribbean Journal staff The Bahamas is launching a major expansion of its marine protected areas. As part of its commitment under the Caribbean Challenge Initiative, the country has announced the creation of 15 …

St Kitts and Nevis Launches Pair of New Environmental Projects

A new green push By Dana Niland CJ Contributor St Kitts and Nevis is launching two major new environmental projects. The country’s Department of Environment has unveiled projects directed at conserving biodiversity and adapting to climate change in the twin-island …

9 Interesting Facts About the Caribbean’s Natural Environment

Above photo: Tim Calver By Kimberly John CJ Contributor 1. The Caribbean Sea is our ‘bread-and-butter’ and the main source of food and livelihoods for most of the region’s 41 million people. But, we also need protection from the sea’s …

Making the Caribbean Blue

By Deodat Maharaj Op-Ed Contributor CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES face a variety of serious economic challenges which act as major impediments to their growth and development. The continued reliance on one major export product with associated vulnerability to economic shocks as well as …

These are Four Clear Ways to Stimulate Development in Jamaica

By Dennis Chung CJ Contributor MOST times when we speak about economic and social development, many of us think about the cost of infrastructure or costs associated with the government providing stimulus to the economy. Or if we talk about …

Jamaica’s First LEED Hotel

Above: Kingston (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff The under-construction Courtyard By Marriott in Jamaica will be the country’s first-ever LEED-certified hotel. The Kingston hotel will also be the first-ever LEED certified building in Jamaica. LEED, which stands for …

The Mangrove Problem

Above: mangroves By the Caribbean Journal staff There are mangroves in 123 countries around the world, including across the Caribbean. These maritime forests store carbon, clean water, protect against erosion and even against extreme weather. But the world’s mangroves are …

Op-Ed: Restoring Haiti’s Environment

By Stephane Vincent Op-Ed Contributor THERE IS a bit of irony in the fact that June 5, 2014, World Environment Day, fell on a Thursday. In the social media sphere, there is a popular hashtag, #ThrowbackThursday, also referred to as …

Haiti, Dominican Republic Sign Agreement on Environmental Protection

Above: Haitian and Dominican officials signing the agreement (Photo: OPDR) By the Caribbean Journal staff Haiti and the Dominican Republic have signed a memorandum of agreement to protect the environment of the island of Hispaniola. The agreement was signed during …

Eastern Caribbean Environment Ministers to Meet in Anguilla

Above: Anguilla By the Caribbean Journal staff Ministers of Environment and Sustainable Development from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States will meet in Anguilla next week. The meeting is the seventeenth annual conference of Environment Ministers from the region. Bentley …

The Caribbean’s Greatest Challenge

By Zhivargo Laing CJ Contributor WE FACE many challenges in the Caribbean, but we need to pay special attention to the region’s most serious challenge – employment. Many thousands of our people are unemployed. Thousands more are under-employed. And many …

Trinidad Agrees on Environment Initiatives With European Union

Above: Port of Spain (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Trinidad and Tobago has signed a financing agreement for $10.67 million with the European Union for an environment programme. The funding, which was announced this week by Sustainable Development …