Lynda Varlack Director (Acting) National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands. Photo: Provided

A project aimed at boosting the Virgin Islands' capacity in protecting its threatened species has been launches and will see the training of staff of the National Parks Trust. Photo: Provided

By the end of the project it is expected that threatened species and their habitats are well maintained and monitored, the territory's capacity is strengthened and a new plant conservation strategy implemented. Photo: Provided

The project is entitled Building Systems and Capacity to Monitor and Conserve BVI's Flora and is funded by Darwin Plus. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is playing the lead role in the project in terms of research but the main partner is the National Parks Trust. Another project partner is the University of Puerto Rico.

The launch of the project took place on Wednesday June 17, 2015 at the Fishlock Hall of the Botanic Gardens in Road Town.

By the end of the project it is expected that threatened species and their habitats are well maintained and monitored, the territory's capacity is strengthened and a new plant conservation strategy implemented.

According to the project background, threatened species and their habitats are not adequately monitored and existing botanical collections do not represent the diversity of wild plants.

It said due to staff changes several of the current staff now require training on how to maintain and monitor threatened species and their habitats.

Speaking to this news site about the project, Lynda Varlack Director (Acting) National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands said, “The Trust has enjoyed a long and fruitful collaborative relationship with Kew over the years through a number of successful Darwin-funded projects. Each past partnership has brought the Trust steps closer to achieving the vision of the Trust’s original Chairman, Mr Joseph Reynold O’Neal to promote soil conservation, reforestation (of native and endemic) trees, and build Territory-wide support of the Trust’s plant conservation initiatives."

She said that as a partner in this project, "we look forward to greatly increasing our present capacity to monitor, conserve and extend the Virgin Islands’ existing populations of native, endemic and threatened plant species, through the active development of key Trust officers in this focused transfer of training and knowledge.”