Ministry of Agriculture PS Harold Guiste says Dominica is vulnerable to Climate Change and its impacts

​Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Harold Guiste has stated that climate change has made Dominica vulnerable to climate change and its dangerous effects.
 
Guiste was speaking at an opening ceremony for two-day consultation workshop working towards the establishment of a National REDD+ strategy for Dominica, held on Wednesday 15 March 2017.
 
Guiste stated that Dominica, like rest of the Caribbean islands, continues to be very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and that is still “very mindful” of the devastating effects of Tropical Storm Erika.
 
He noted that the country has to deal with the effects and impacts of climate change, weather variability and unpredictability on a regular basis.
 
Additionally, he stated that deforestation and forest degradation contribute significantly to climate change as it is the second leading cause of global warming.
 
“In addition to mitigating climate change, stopping deforestation and forest degradation, supporting sustainable forest management has several benefits. It conserves water resources, minimizes flooding reduces run off, controls soil erosion reduces river and marine siltation, it protects fishes and investments in hydro power facilities, it provides bio diversity and protects the eco system services provided by the forest,” he indicated.
 
Guiste added that with all the services that the forests provide to humans and animals, we can conclude that forest is more useful to us when standing than when cut down.