The protection of biological diversity and the sustainable use of resources has become a major preoccupation for the international community, evidenced by the fact that over 150 states signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Jakarta Mandate. The potential impact of climate change on the world’s biological resources has become a priority and was most recently highlighted in relation to global food shortages, food price rises, and disease and vector transmission. The importance of climate change in biological diversity issues was further highlighted when the CBD urged the UN Framework Climate Change Convention to take all possible action to reduce the effects of climate change on ecosystems and natural resources.

The Caribbean’s extensive biological diversity is intimately and delicately woven into the region’s economic, environmental and social heritage. However, the limited geographic area these small island developing states (SIDS) and the competing, conflicting demands for land and marine resources mean that many resources are still being over-exploited, as evidenced by the most recent UN Millennium Development Report (2007). Their conservation and sustainable use therefore requires urgent attention, especially in order to attain the Millenium Development Goals of ensuring environmental sustainability and of developing a global partnership for development.

Consequently there is a clear demand in the Caribbean for qualified professionals with specific skills in taxonomy, environmental monitoring, assessment and modelling, information and environmental management to inform policy makers on issues of sustainable development. However, there is currently no formal, cohesive and cost-effective training scheme leading to a recognised qualification in the area of Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development. Due to their small geographical size, few SIDS have the critical mass to individually develop a teaching and research capacity in this specialist area.

This three-year project is designed to address this pressing need by building a regional capacity in the area of biodiversity identification and monitoring, conservation and sustainable development, and will accomplish its goals specifically by establishing a regional network and formally training individuals in the environmental sector.

Developing a Joint Programme

The University of the West Indies, the University of Guyana, the Anton de Kom University of Suriname and University of Belize in the South Caribbean, together with the University of Oxford, will combine their knowledge of tropical biodiversity and management issues to create a network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which will design, develop and deliver a joint web-based MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development, with the delivery of sub-components of the programme as continued professional development (CPD) courses.

The network will include academics and professionals committed to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development and to the delivery of the MSc by distance learning. They will be trained to develop the existing skills in biodiversity conservation in the participating HEIs, emphasising a common region-wide approach in content and pedagogical methods. This training will ensure that academic staff gain appropriate technical knowledge and become familiar with proposed teaching and assessment methods. They will be provided with teaching support materials that can be tailored to meet their specific needs and will be trained in the use of all on-line resources.

The jointly taught MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development will be developed and implemented during the timescale of the project. A network of associated stakeholder institutions will provide information through detailed needs analyses conducted in the early stage of the project, from which MSc modules and CPD courses will be developed.

The MSc course will train professionals from the environmental sector, as well as graduate students, in aspects of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development including taxonomy and molecular biology approaches, species and population monitoring, assessment of impacts on populations and ecosystems (including habitat loss, over-exploitation, climate change, pollution and introduced species) environmental economics, environmental law, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, data management and environmental policy issues, conservation methods and natural resource use policy and sustainable development. It will comprise of nine months of taught courses plus a three month research project, with stand-alone modules offered as CPD courses. This will allow professionals within the sector to develop a portfolio of training relevant to their specific requirements. In addition, a credit accumulation and transfer system (CATS) will also allow these professionals to complete the MSc over a longer time-frame around their work commitments.

The student-centred programme modules will be available on-line and will benefit from the anticipated discussion exchanges with e-tutors that are built into the delivery system. Because the programme will use a web-based delivery system, students will be able to learn without leaving their home islands or their current employment.

Creating Expertise in Sustainable Development for the Caribbean Region

This project will contribute to the overall targeted aims of the EDULINK Programme. By creating the conditions needed for effective networking of Caribbean HEIs in research and science related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, the programme will improve academic and teaching excellence at the participating HEIs and, in doing so, strengthen inter-institutional networking between Caribbean and EU HEIs. This will further the development of the participating HEIs as regional Centres of Excellence for biodiversity and sustainable development.

Furthermore, the project will enhance the knowledge of professionals working in the environmental sector. It will enable them to establish regional contacts in their field and share best practice with professionals from other countries that face similar economic, social and environmental issues. This will ensure that the partner countries develop expertise in sustainable development, which is inextricably linked to the socio-economic development of the country and region vis-à-vis the Millenium Development Goals particularly as they relate to ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.