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Italy to help NPA with technical advice and training

by pointe team
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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.

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