Connections 13 October2006

An electronic bulletin about interdisciplinary research, teaching and outreach at the
Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)
Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus

The new semester has started. Our students are here
already PADI certified divers, had a refresher dive on
and are well entrenched in the Masters Programme.
Tuesday, and then
This issue focuses mainly on them and their activities to
went on a fun dive at
date and of course we continue to keep you updated on
the end of the week.
staff activities.
By the end of the
week, all of the
New academic year, new students
students were able
CERMES continued to offer its MSc Programme in
to snorkel at the
Natural Resource and Environmental Management
wrecks in Carlisle
welcoming 14 new students from Antigua and Barbuda,
Bay marvelling at the
Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and
wonders under the
St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These students will be
sea. Our students
Onboard the `UWI-Chill' and eager to get
specialising in Coastal and Marine Resource
also learned how to
into the water
Management (8), Climate Change (3) and Applied
make basic knots
Meteorology (3). They come from diverse backgrounds
and splices, how to row a dinghy and also basic motor
which include biology, geography, computer sciences,
boat handling. They are all now more knowledgeable
electronics, mathematics, meteorology and forestry
and prepared to work in and around the sea!
engineering.
Strengthened links between the UWI
Our new students had the chance to meet CERMES
and UNDP
staff as they participated in an adventurous
environmental education land and sea tour of the
At the start of the 2004-2005 academic year, the United
island. On the tour, specific environmental concepts
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a
and issues discussed in courses are highlighted by the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UWI,
lecturers.
under the UNDP's "Caribbean Risk Management
Initiative", the purpose of which was to increase

capacity building at the tertiary level for the

development of regional professionals in the field of

climate change risk management in the Caribbean; and
strengthen the links between the University of the West

Indies and the United Nations Development

Programme. Under the initial agreement, the UNDP

provided funding for four scholarships and teaching
support to CERMES, in the climate change

specialisation stream. Total funding was US $60, 000.

Four MSc students ­ one each from Belize and St.
CERMES students on tour with Dr. Leonard Nurse
Vincent and the Grenadines, and two from Guyana ­
We wish our new graduate students the very best in
benefited from the scholarships. They all successfully
their Programme and welcome them to the CERMES
completed their course work and research in the
family.
following areas:
Learning to swim, tying knots, boat
· The impact of climate change on the water
resource sector in Belize;
handling and fun in the sun
· The influence of climatic factors on malaria
This year's CERMES Aquatic Skills training week from
endemicity in Guyana, Region 8;
18-23 September at Underwater Barbados, Carlisle
· An assessment of climate and weather-related
Bay, was a resounding success in which ten of our
events on rice production on Leguan Island,
students learnt to swim. Three other students who are
Essequibo, Guyana; and

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· An analysis of the vulnerability and capacity
environment, gained a broader understanding of
assessment methodologies with special emphasis
environmental education and insight into education for
on the agriculture sector in St. Vincent and the
sustainable development. On

Grenadines.
the second day of the workshop
An amendment to the MOU between the UWI and
the teachers were taken on a
UNDP was agreed to and signed in September 2006.
field trip to Sandy Island where
This new phase of the agreement, funding to the tune of
they participated in a field
US $55,000 strengthens UWI's relationship with the
activity to demonstrate coastal
UNDP and makes a great contribution to the capacity
drift.
building effort in climate change, which poses a major
On completion of the workshop,
threat to the region's sustainable development. On 5
each participating school
October 2006, Professor Hazel Oxenford received the
received 25 copies of the
first tranche of US $40,000 in a brief handing over
workbook donated by the Sustainable Grenadines
ceremony hosted by CERMES. Further disbursement of
Project. The teachers agreed to use the workbook
US $15,000 will be made in due course. The UWI, and
during the school term and were eager to share their
in particular CERMES, looks forward to continuing
knowledge with the other teachers. This workshop is
meaningful collaboration with the UNDP.
only phase 2 of the Coral Conservation in the
Towards Global Environment
Grenadines Project which aims to promote and improve
coral reef conservation in the Grenadine Islands by
Outlook (GEO) 4
introducing coral reef conservation concepts and
approaches at the primary school level. The evaluation
Maria Pena, CERMES Project Officer, participated in
of the use of the workbook is proposed to be conducted
the second meeting of the Global Environment Outlook
during December 2006/January 2007.
4 (GEO 4) Biodiversity Chapter in Cambridge, UK, 22-
23 August 2006. This meeting addressed external

reviewer comments for Draft 1 of the report and

resulted in the production of Draft 2. With one more
review session to go and another Production Authors

Meeting scheduled for November, the publication of the
report in 2007 is fast becoming a reality.





"People and Corals" Teacher Training Workshop participants


The workshop was coordinated by Alexcia Cooke

(Sustainable Grenadines Project), Virginia Fleary-Noel
(Carriacou Environmental Committee) and Katherine

Blackman (CERMES) and was funded by National Fish

and Wildlife Foundation, CERMES, UNEP and the
Lighthouse Foundation.

Where are they now?
Biodiversity chapter working group. Front row: GEO Fellows
attached to the Chapter ­ Andres Guhl, Maria Pena, Yoseph
To highlight our alumni and share the news of their
Assefa and Souvik Bhattacharjya

achievements with you, in the next few months we will
Back row: Coordinating lead authors and experts
begin to feature some of our graduates in the CERMES
Teacher training in coral reef
Connections. So please stay `connected' to learn about
our shining Caribbean stars.
conservation
You alumni who we have not heard from in a while are
Twenty-eight primary school teachers from across St.
invited to send your recent biographies and photos of
Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada participated
yourselves to Maria Pena at mpena@uwichill.edu.bb.
in the much anticipated "People and Corals" Teachers
Training, 26-27 September 2006 at Sea waves,
Next in the December `Connections'
Hillsborough, Carriacou.
In our next issue, CERMES participation at the 59th Gulf
The workshop was facilitated by Cherrie Parris who
and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI), 6-10
introduced the teachers to the workbook: People and
November 2006 will be featured. Preparations are
Corals: An Education Pack for Caribbean Primary
already underway to highlight staff and student
Schools. The teachers were educated about the reef
research at this conference.

CERMES Phone (246)-417-4316; Fax (246)-424-4204; cermes@uwichill.edu.bb; www.cavehill.uwi.edu/cermes
Mailing address: CERMES, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, St. Michael, Barbados

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