The management of the heritage and environmental assets within Antigua and
Barbuda’s national parks, continue to win the admiration of friendly governments
and strategic partners.
The Italian government is showing keen interest in connecting the National Parks
Authority with heritage professionals in Italy for technical advice and capacity
building.
In this connection, Italy’s Special Envoy for the Caribbean, Ambassador Gianni
Piccato, recently returned to the National Parks after his initial visit in November
2022 in an effort to connect the NPA with heritage professionals in Italy, for
technical advice and capacity building.
During his visit he met with Parks Commissioner Ann Marie Martin along with the
Manager of the Heritage Department, Dr. Christopher Water and Heritage
Resources Officer, Desley Gardner.
One of the major opportunities being pursued is developing relationships with
experts at the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Venice and Pompeii, in areas like
sensitive Climate Change mitigation and creative application of renewable energy.
“Threats from Climate Change, like rising sea levels, are of a major concern, and
learning from other heritage sites in how they are preparing for the same issues
while maintaining their UNESCO inscription will go a long way to securing ours
for the future,” noted Dr. Waters.
Park officials also got the opportunity to meet with Dr. Anna Paolini, the newly
appointed Director of the UNESCO Office of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica.
She visited the NPA as part of her tour of Antigua and Barbuda, to help identify
the potential benefits her new position would be able to bring the National Parks in
the future.
During her first visit, she experienced Antigua and Barbuda’s UNESCO World
Heritage Site and was shown the stewardship of the site, and the wider Nelson’s
Dockyard National Park (NDNP), under the management of the NPA.
She was impressed by the ability of the NPA to manage the Park’s diverse
stakeholders to create a functioning, living and economically sustainable space
while preserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.
One of the key takeaways was that the NPA and our World Heritage Site have a lot
to offer the region in terms of heritage management practices, and opportunities.
