Connections 5 September 2003

An electronic bulletin about interdisciplinary research, teaching and outreach at the
Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES)

About CERMES Connections
Fisheries Biology and Management
Welcome to the first issue of CERMES Connections.
The Value and Conservation of Biodiversity
It is an occasional and informal electronic bulletin
Sustainable Tourism in the Coastal Zone
distributed by the Centre for Resource Management
Climate Dynamics and Modelling
and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the Cave
Policy Response to Climate Change
Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies
Vulnerability to Climate Change and Impact
(UWI) in Barbados. We hope that you would like to
Assessment
keep up to date with what is happening at CERMES
Climate Change Impacts: Mitigation and
within our international network of students, alumni,
Adaptation
staff, associates and collaborating organisations. We
want to share your information as well, so give us
Professional skills come first
some feedback and news.
The Professional Skills Course starts students on the
Let the 2003 programme begin ...
road towards their MSc in Natural Resource and
Environmental Management. This course is designed
September 8th will see the start of teaching in the 12-
to ensure that students leaving the programme are
month Natural Resource and Environmental
not only technically proficient as resource managers,
Management MSc programme at CERMES for the
but also well on their way to being truly professional
2003/2004 academic year. This year CERMES has
in their approach. The course covers fundamental
students enrolling from Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana,
issues of verbal and non-verbal communication,
Jamaica and the UK to study. The Cave Hill Campus
geared at enhancing the students' ability to share
currently offers students two specialisation streams:
information in a range of informal and formal
Coastal and Marine Resource Management
settings. It seeks to improve their writing skills,
Climate Change.
introduces them to the wonderful world of research,

and instructs them in the preparation of proposals
Courses to choose from
and reports. The course also has strong emphasis
on data handling and analysis.
In addition, it
In each specialisation stream there are courses to
provides a basic introduction to group dynamics in
choose from. All of the MSc courses at CERMES are
order to facilitate the students' ability to function
delivered in short 2-3 week modules, and individual
effectively in team settings.
courses will be available, subject to space, to the
general public for a fee (US$150 per credit). A list of
Internships are becoming popular
the available courses is given here:
MSc students from the 2002/2003 academic year are
2-Credit Courses
currently undertaking their 3-4 month research
Introduction to Environmental Planning and
projects and/or internships. Internships are with the:
Management in Natural Resource
Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) in
Management
Barbados
Concepts and Issues in Natural Resource
Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)
Management
in St. Lucia
Environmental Impact Assessment
Department of Fisheries and Conservation in
Resource Economics
Tortola
Environmental Law and its Administration
Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and
Geographic Information Systems
Hydrology (CIMH) in Barbados
Project Management

Coastal Resources Co-management Project
3-Credit Courses
(CORECOMP) of CERMES assigned to Belize
Professional Skills for Natural Resource
Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism
Management
(CAST) in Puerto Rico,
Coastal Ecology and Management
OECS Environmental Sustainable Development
Unit (ESDU) in St. Lucia

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Caribbean Marine Institute (CMI) in Jamaica
fishes and corals. Governance will require
United Nations Development Programme
strengthening of capacity to generate technically
(UNDP) in Jamaica
sound advice as well as the mechanisms for
Hydromet department in Guyana
decision-making and implementation of decisions.


Also, research projects are being undertaken on:
The project, submitted by IOCARIBE, the Caribbean
Trade and the environment in Trinidad
arm of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Climate change data management capacity in St.
Commission (IOC) will engage all Caribbean states,
Lucia
and a wide range of institutions, with an interest in
Impacts of El Nino on sugar cane yield in Belize
living marine resources.
Wind energy in Barbados

Climate change impacts in coastal zone in
For further information contact Dr. Robin Mahon,
Guyana.
CERMES, Regional Project Coordinator for the

CLME Project via rmahon@uwichill.edu.bb.
For more information on what CERMES has to offer
through this programme you can send a message to
UWI at Green Expo 2003
nrm@uwichill.edu.bb.
The Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences will 'strut
its stuff' at the upcoming Green Expo 2003. CERMES
New specialisation streams coming
is coordinating this booth and the displays that will
This MSc has recently been expanded to become a
highlight teaching and research programmes. There
university-wide programme under the UWI School for
will be posters and continuous slide shows, as well
Graduate Studies and Research, and will be offering
as displays. If you are at Cave Hill, not yet involved in
additional specialisation streams
the Expo but want to be, contact Dr. Robin Mahon at
CERMES via rmahon@uwichill.edu.bb.
(1) At the Mona Campus (from September 2003) in:
Integrated Urban and Rural Environmental
Co-management scene on the
Management
Caribbean coast of Nicaragua
Water Resources Management
Tropical Ecosystems Assessment and
Nicaragua is a fascinating country. Researchers
Management
working with the Coastal Resources Co-management

Project (CORECOMP) of CERMES have visited
(2) At the St. Augustine Campus (from September
fisheries management authorities in Managua, and in
2004) in:
Bluefields on the Caribbean coast, to discuss co-
management. Of particular interest is the watershed
Pollution Control and Abatement
and coastal area of Pearl Lagoon, which has been
Land Use, Forestry and Biodiversity
the scene of research and other initiatives concerning
Management
community-based coastal resource management.
Water Resources Management
Tropical Ecosystems Assessment and
A few years ago a Dutch-funded project wrote a
Management
fisheries management plan for the Pearl Lagoon area

that was basically similar to a plan developed over
3) At Cave Hill (from September 2004) in
several years of community participation by the
IDRC-funded CAMP-Lab teams. The former plan
Solid Waste Management.
received approval from the authorities in Managua
who have little presence and capacity to work on the
IOCARIBE Caribbean Large Marine
Caribbean coast. The community-based plan has
Ecosystem Project
received some approval at the local level, but here
too the lack of capacity for implementation is an
Work continues on the preparation of the proposal to
obstacle. Yet, the stakeholders on both coasts have
be submitted to the GEF for Block B funding for the
expressed interest in promoting co-management.
Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME) Project.
This project entered the GEF Pipeline in May 2003. It
In the latter half of September researchers from
will focus on governance of transboundary living
CERMES will be offering short workshops on coastal
marine resources in the wider Caribbean. These
resource co-management to partner organisations in
include migratory species such as tunas and
various locations in Nicaragua.
dolphinfish, as well as those that are transported by
Next issue: More on projects and outreach
ocean currents as eggs and larvae, such as reef

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

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