The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Conservation Fund (SVGCF), on Thursday, June 8th, 2023, signed a Grant Agreement with the National Parks Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPRBA), for the project titled “Restoration and stabilization of the leeward and windward access trail of the La Soufriere Volcano”, for the amount of $274,905.59 Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD), under the SVGCF Volcano Recovery Grant with financing from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF).
The Project will provide a quality visitor experience in line with safety, security, enjoyment and conservation awareness.
The project has the following objectives:
Develop methods for conservation and trail re-establishment.
Enhance the capacity of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority to develop and conduct monitoring and restoration plans for the trail. This will include the acquisition of equipment and tools to rehabilitate the trail and to continue site maintenance.
Develop an integrated and holistic communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) resource database, trail guides and virtual components on the historical and recent impacts of La Soufriere.
The project is expected to have a life cycle of 4 months and will be executed in collaboration with the SVG Forestry Department and National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).
Since 2020 the SVGCF has financed 9 projects in areas related to pollution reduction, Coral Reef Restoration, enhancement of resource management, Vetiver Systems Technology for farmland restoration, biodiversity conservation and education, and rehabilitation and restoration of national recreational parks including the La Soufriere trail following La Soufriere Volcanic eruption in April 2021. To date the SVGCF has provided 1.2M Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD) in grant funding.
Additional funding with the Inter American Foundation valued at USD $360,000.00 is being provided, with approximately 88% of the funds allocated for grant making for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to increase their capacity to help solve ongoing environmental and sustainable livelihood challenges.
