CBS to provide training for BWA staff

THE Centre for Biosecurity Studies (CBS) at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus has entered an arrangement to provide specialised training to 500 staff at the Barbados Water Authority (BWA). The initiative will be led by Director of CBS, Dr. Kirk Douglas.
The 20-month exercise is scheduled to commence in the first quarter of next year and will be conducted in collaboration with the Campus’ Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) in particular, Dr. Karl Payne, a hydrological engineer.
“The training will seek to increase awareness and knowledge of the concepts of biosecurity and risk management and how the BWA can be informed of future risks due to the present and predicted climate change trajectories and take the necessary actions to safeguard water infrastructure in Barbados,” Dr. Douglas explained.
“Increasing the ‘future proofing’ capacity to tackle the deleterious impacts of climate change on the operational vulnerabilities of BWA is a tangible outcome of the training. This will be a full-day training programme for varied BWA staff. No more than 25 persons will be involved in a single training session at any given time.”
Upon successful completion, staff will receive a Water Infrastructure Vulnerability, Climate Change and Biosecurity Certificate. The US$100,000 exercise is being financed by the Green Climate Fund that is administered by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre. The CBS was established in 2019 to support regional efforts to tackle biosecurity vulnerabilities that threaten ecosystems, thereby impacting health, environment and climate. CBS has defined biosecurity as the science and practice of safeguarding lives and livelihoods through the reduction of systematic vulnerabilities to biological ecosystems.