“There is a lot of work to do and we all must do our part,” Secretary of the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries, and the Environment Kwesi Des Vignes said following the Tobago Environmental Partnership Conference. The event was held May 13-14.

Strategies to conserve Tobago’s ecological assets and protect the environment, as well as identifying the priorities for future initiatives were among the agenda. Attendees at the conference included environmental stakeholders and members of civil society, the public, and the private sector.

During the post Executive Council media briefing Des Vignes indicated some stakeholders within the sector had been working in silos. “It became apparent at the end of the first day that partnership was the only way forward,” he said.

“We don’t have the luxury of time as regards to our environment. We have to take action now,” he said. “We are committed as the Tobago House of Assembly, to do all we can to empower those partners who are working with us.”

Topics at the conference included waste management, climate change, investment in the blue and green economy, sustainable tourism, and environmental stewardship.

The event was held at the Mt. Irvine Bay Resort where 175 attendees gathered to learn about furthering the protection of our environment.

Des Vignes praised the work of the Castara Tourism Development Association (CTDA), noting initiatives like moving toward a plastics-free village. He said that in the village of Castara, community members had adopted a “culture of conservation and respect for the environment.”