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ST. GEORGE’S GRENADA- AUGUST 6, 2025- Grenadian Darron Williams, has highlighted
the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management’s (PISLM’s) Caribbean Small Island
Developing States (SIDS) multicountry Soil Management Initiative for Integrated Landscape
Restoration and climate-resilient food systems (CSIDS-SOILCARE) Project, as an example of
innovative projects that reduces the likelihood of drought.
Mr. Williams, a PISLM CSIDS-SOILCARE Postgraduate Scholarship awardee, currently
continuing his education in soil science at the University of the West Indies- St. Augustine, made
mention of the PISLM’s work at the Les Avocats Forest Reserve in Grenada, correlating work
done to restore 10 acres of degraded forests- to the reduction of drought in Grenada- as this Land
Degradation hotspot- also serves as a vital watershed.
“This restoration is essential to Grenada’s water security, helping safeguard both environmental
and economic resources,” Williams commented.
Despite its high economic and environmental value, the watershed has suffered significant
degradation, which includes widespread land degradation and the unchecked proliferation of
invasive plant species, particularly bamboo and blue and white mahoe. These invasive species
have contributed to reduced water availability, increased soil erosion, and overall deterioration of
the watershed’s capacity to support water quality and ecosystem resilience.

He was presenting at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in
collaboration with the Global Water Partnership (GWP)- “Latin America and the Caribbean
in the face of drought: Management strategies and resilience in action,” held virtually on
July 28, 2025.