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Basseterre, St.Kitts (February 1st, 2024) In a significant move towards safeguarding national ecosystems, the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Department of Environment, officially handed over a series of Biosecurity bins to the St. Christopher Air & Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) and Nevis Air and Sea Ports Authority (NASPA). The ceremony took place on Thursday, February 1, 2024, in the Arrival Hall at Port Zante.

These bins are a crucial component of the “Declare, Deposit or Pay” campaign, integral to the ‘Preventing the Costs of Invasive Alien Species in Barbados and the OECS’ Project (IAS). Aimed at preventing the inadvertent introduction of invasive species through international trade, the Biosecurity bins will streamline the declaration process, ensuring the proper handling of items arriving at the ports.

The IAS Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has garnered widespread support from participating countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and The Grenadines. This collaborative effort underscores a commitment to environmental sustainability and the protection of biodiversity in the region.