Earth Today | New CANARI chair commits to address COVID-19, climate change

ELECTED AT the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute’s (CANARI) annual general meeting held last month, new board chairman Dr Howard Nelson has confirmed the institute’s commitment to being a part of the COVID-19 recovery in the Caribbean.

“It’s a real honour to serve as chair for this organisation that has done so much for conservation and human development in the Caribbean over the past 30 years. As our Caribbean community struggles with COVID-19, climate change and the biodiversity crisis, it will be organisations like CANARI that will help us find a uniquely Caribbean solution to these challenges,” he said.

Nelson is a Trinbagonian wildlife biologist and forester, who has worked in the Caribbean for 32 years in roles for government, academia, intergovernmental agencies and non-profit organisations such as CANARI, BirdsCaribbean and the Asa Wright Nature Centre. His specialities include wildlife, forest and protected areas policy, planning and management, sustainable wildlife use, endangered species conservation, ecotourism and conservation training.

He currently serves as a member of the Darwin Expert Committee of the UK Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and is a member of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ task force on knowledge and data.

Currently based in the UK, he is the lecturer in Conservation Leadership at Fauna & Flora International, an Affiliate Lecturer at the Department of Geography at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow at Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge.

Also appointed at the AGM were two new directors, Cletus Springer and Steve Bass, who both bring rich international sustainable development experience to leadership of the institute. In addition to Dr Howard Nelson, Steve Bass and Cletus Springer, other elected directors currently on CANARI’s board are Zakiya Uzoma-Wadada (outgoing chair), Dr Michael Witter, Dessima Williams, Ericq Pierre and Lisa James. Nicole Leotaud, CANARI’s executive director, serves as managing partner and Anna Cadiz-Hadeed serves as staff partner.