LEX-FAOC089049

The Commonwealth of Dominica is pursuing a ‘green’ development path in keeping with the government’s pronouncement that declared Dominica the ‘Nature Isle’. Consequent upon this aspiration, Dominica is aligning its development agenda and biodiversity conservation strategy with the global biodiversity objectives. All of the goals and targets of the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan are therefore considered relevant and will be addressed to the extent possible within the development framework and as far as they amplify the Nature Isle concept and influence biodiversity management in Dominica. However, the country has selected the following five targets as national priorities to achieve by 2020 as follows: 1. at the latest, all residents of Dominica will be aware of the value of biodiversity, and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably. 2. at least 15% of areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity. 3. pollution, including from excess nutrient, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem function and biodiversity. 4. at least 20% of terrestrial, inland water and 15% of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem service, are conserved through comprehensive ecologically representative and well-connected systems of effectively managed, protected areas and other means, and integrated into the wider land and seascape. 5. ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stock has been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15% of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and to combating desertification. The following strategies are designed to give direction to biodiversity management at the national level in order to achieve local and international targets and national goals. These strategies seek to: 1. Improve the protection and management of the country’s natural environment. The Growth and Social Protection Strategy (GSPS) calls this the main challenge facing Dominica. This strategy will be supported by the evolving Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resource Bill, the proposed land use plan and the Protected Area (PA) system plan, all of which are expected to come into effect during the life of this NBSAP. 2. Establish a biodiversity knowledge network and coordinating mechanism with links to the various Ministries and Departments, academic institutions, professional organizations and non-state actors. The effort would be led by the ECU that should have wider jurisdiction and mandate under the evolving environmental legislation. 3. Improve public awareness and participation in decision making. The ECU will coordinate the development of a national environmental education and awareness program that will bring together the sectoral pieces that currently exist. 4. Improve stakeholder involvement in Biodiversity management. NGOs should be facilitated to participate in decision making surrounding resource management and exploitation. 5. Establish and utilize the Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) for more effective data dissemination. 6. Develop and implement an economic valuation system for Biodiversity resources and ecosystems services with the view to more accurately reflect their contribution to the economy. 7. Establish a financial mechanism or provide incentives to support biodiversity development. This should be linked to research opportunities and bio-prospecting. The resident Universities and other scientific bodies like CARDI would be encouraged to support control research. 8. Develop a built in reporting system for early warning of threats, periodic update for policy makers and support to the national reporting requirement under the convention, etc. The action plan represents issues to be addressed at the policy level that will lead to the success of the strategies. Actions are presented per objective with outputs, resource needs and risk factor. Objective 1 is seeking to conserve Dominica’s rich and diverse biodiversity resource. Dominica’s tourism product is its impressive biodiversity resource. Objective 2 seeks to position Dominica to get the best of both worlds. Its rich biodiversity resource is attracting researchers worldwide and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are entering the country as hybrid cultivars that threaten to replace indigenous species. Managing biotechnology to the benefit of Dominicans is the intent behind this objective. Objective 3 seeks to minimize loss of biodiversity. Objective 4 reiterates and emphasizes the reality that Dominica’s wealth is in its biodiversity. Objective 5 addresses the livelihood issues and dependence of human beings on the remaining biological resources of the earth. In mainstreaming biodiversity management into the national development agenda of Dominica, specific approaches and associated tools are being employed, such as: integration of biodiversity management into existing development programmes that are already part of the economic and social fabric of the country. One tool that would be used here is the poverty alleviation programme.