The first National Parks Day was celebrated on Monday October 31st, 2022 with an appreciation ceremony held at the Amphitheatre of the Botanical Gardens.
To open the event, Director (Ag) of the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPRBA) Andrew Lockhart said the organisation’s focus revolves around public awareness, Education and Climate Change.
Lockhart stressed that the organisation aims to preserve ecosystems, the environment and culture by ensuring that “biodiversity and cultural diversity are kept intact.”
Lockhart further commended the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Conservation Fund and the SVG Environmental Fund for their role in providing financial assistance for many recreational sites which needed enhancement and upkeep.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of NPRBA Gideon Nash, said that recreational sites continue to be maintained by the Organisation, namely the Dark view Falls, Wallilabou Falls, the Botanical Gardens and there are plans to establish a Biodiversity Centre in the future.
Nash added that the intention has always been for these sites to be profitable and generate their own revenue. “We are not only self-sufficient in revenue but we are also self-sufficient is our human resource,” Nash insisted.
In his remarks, Minister of Tourism and Sustainable Development Hon. Carlos James announced that this year is going to be a record cruise season with over three hundred vessels arriving, and many tourists will be visiting the recreational sites.
The Minister stated the government allocated over one million dollars in site rehabilitation, Dark view Falls being one of those sites which, when it’s completed, will have an area for massage therapy or a hot stone massage.