Diving in a Coral Forest - click here to watch the video on YouTube!Since early 2019, the CATS Programme collaborates with CLEAR Caribbean on a coral restauration project in Soufriere, Saint Lucia. The project aims at propagating Staghorn Coral and Elkhorn Coral along the coastline in the Soufriere area, reaching from Anse Chastanet Bay to the Pitons.The corals are grown on trees made of PVC pipes and glass fibre bars and are anchored to the ground with ropes. So far, a total of ten trees have b...

Coral reefs are exceptionally valuable in terms of the ecosystem services they deliver. They provide food, livelihoods and economic opportunity to people in more than 100 countries around the world and protect shorelines from erosion. They are a source of enjoyment for national and international tourists alike. Hosting a quarter of all known marine species, they also play a critical role in the broader coastal ecosystem. (Source)The health of coral reefs is hence of great importance for communit...

A four-day training workshop in Nursery Management and Forest Ecology was successfully completed in Dominica on August 10th, 2019. A total of ten people were trained including seven men and three women from the local communities.Training participantsThe training workshop was geared to support the reforestation of the Soufriere Scotts Head Watershed. The goal was to improve the general ecological health and services of the watershed to maintain productive ecosystems in the adjoining Soufriere Sco...

The Sandy Island Oyster Bed Marine Protected Area (SIOBMPA) Office coordinated a youth summer camp held during the week of August 19th to 23rd 2019. This camp was focussed on raising the awareness of the Carriacou’s youth of the valuable ecosystems on their island and their waste management responsibility while also improving their snorkelling and swimming skills and stimulating writing and creativity.The SIOBMPA is a still generally pristine and very unique ecosystem on the island of Carr...

The Soufriere Scotts Head Village Council has been one of CATS key partners within the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve (SSMR) Watershed in Dominica. Together, we have worked collaboratively on the Alums Stream Project, beach clean activities, community sensitization programs and well as support to fishermen and other interventions aimed at improving livelihood support and adaptation to climate change. This partnership continues to blossom and bear fruit. During CATS' most recent engagem...

The use of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), more commonly known as Drone technology, is now becoming more accepted as a tool to enhance monitoring and management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The Caribbean Aqua-Terrestrial Solutions (CATS) Programme recognises that this technology is vital to the management of marine protected areas of watersheds, and has therefore embarked on a regional capacity building technical support initiative in its partner island territories of Saint Lucia, Grenada...

The Caribbean Aqua-Terrestrial Solutions (CATS) Programme Phase II (Building Climate Resilience from the Ridge to the Reef), during the period of November 19th – 30th 2018, as part of a regional capacity building initiative, trained 18 ecosystems management officers in the operation and application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS, "drone") technology, for environmental monitoring and management. The training also featured the participation of the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA)...

On October 16th, 2018, the CATS programme took part in the Saint Lucian TV talk show "What's happening now - with Laura". Our CATS colleague Dr. Camille David, expert for coastal and marine systems, discussed with several stakeholders from the Soufriere Watershed in Saint Lucia, how sustainable management and development of a watershed can be achieved. Alongside Dr. David, important partners to the CATS programme were on the show, such as the GEF UNDP Small Grants Programme , IWEco, Fruitage Jeu...

CATS interventions in Saint Vincent Kingstown watershed and marine ecosystem. CATS interventions in Saint Lucia Soufriere watershed and marine ecosystem. CATS interventions in Dominica Soufriere watershed and marine ecosystem. CATS interventions in Grenada Beausejour-Molinaire watershed and marine ecosystem. CATS interventions in St. Kitts and Nevis.  

Underwater Transect Analysis Training CATS2 February - April 2014The aim of this succession of five CATS2-supported National REEF Check Training and Certification Courses was to build capacity in underwater monitoring of coral reefs in five (5) Marine Managed Areas (MMA) in Dominica (DOM), Grenada (GDA), Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN), Saint Lucia (SLU), and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). CATS2 and its partner institutions in the countries realised and acknowledged that improved susta...