Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture, Carlos James, is imploring regional governments to incorporate policies linked to the Blue Economy into their governance framework.
Minister James made the declaration while addressing the 3rd OECS Round Table Panel on the Blue Economy held in St. Lucia on Wednesday 6th March under the theme ‘Transitioning to a Model Blue Economy Region – Engagement, Acceleration, Impact’.
According to the Sustainable Development Minister, the Caribbean region is at the stage where it has to conceptualise and develop the appropriate model to harness the true potential of the blue economy
Noting that many of the regional governments are now moving in the direction of creating National Ocean Policies that create a framework for integrated spatial planning and management of our marine resources, Minister James expressed that pursuing a blue growth agenda in small, tourism-based economies requires building on natural assets, reinforcing climate resilience, strengthening fiscal buffers and ensuring macroeconomic stability.
According to Minister James, transboundary cooperation and greater capacity building in marine research and data gathering will enable small island states to better manage threats to marine eco-systems and allow for proper policy and spatial planning relative to ocean governance.
