The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is promoting the restoration and protection of wetlands in several UK overseas territories in the Caribbean. In Montserrat, the project is being done in partnership with the Montserrat National Trust and the Department of Environment. Public consultation is key to the project, so we are launching a National Wetlands Survey to assess how much people residing on Montserrat know about wetlands, the importance of wetlands and how to maintain them. The survey will commence on 11 March 2022 and end on 18 March 2022.
Water and land meet in wetlands. Accordingly, a great diversity of flora and fauna also live and thrive in the rich environment of wetlands, so this special environment fosters and supports species which are unique and important to the conservation of biodiversity. Unfortunately, not enough is known about Montserrat’s wetlands and with inadequate conservation measures, Montserrat’s wetlands are continually being converted to other uses.
Director of the Montserrat National Trust, Ms. Sarita Francis, said, “Citizen science is increasingly being recognised as a valuable approach to improve the knowledge and understanding required for robust environmental management. So, the Montserrat National Trust’s Wetlands Survey will allow our team to obtain comprehensive information on Montserrat’s wetlands and serve as a basis for their conservation.”
To access the Survey online:
1. Click on the following link: bit.ly/mniwetlandssurvey
2. Visit www.montsererratnationaltrust.ms and select the survey in the menu tab.
Hard copies of the survey are also available at the following locations:
1. The Montserrat National Trust;
2. The Montserrat National Museum; and
3. The Montserrat Public Library
Hard copies of the survey can be submitted in the following ways:
1. Email your submission as an attachment (PDF or Word doc) to info@montserratnationaltrust.ms with ‘Montserrat Wetlands Survey Submission’ in the title; or
2. Post (Submit hardcopy) your submission to ‘Montserrat Wetlands Survey Submission’, Montserrat National Trust, Olveston, Montserrat.
Following the public consultation, the Montserrat National Trust will carefully review the feedback that we have received and a summary of the main findings will be published on our website (www.montserratnationaltrust.ms) and shared with our local and international partners.
To find out more about the Montserrat wetlands project, please contact the Montserrat National Trust on 1 664 491 3086 or via email at info@montserratnationaltrust.ms.
