Italy wants to provide technical advice to NPA

The government of Italy has reportedly shown interest in connecting the National Parks Authority with other heritage professionals in Italy who can provide technical advice and capacity building

According to a statement released by the National Parks today Wednesday, the decision follows a visit by the Special Envoy for the Caribbean Ambassador Gianni Piccato to the National Parks recently.

Piccato visited in November 2022, to connect the NPA with heritage professionals in Italy for technical advice and capacity building and reports are that during his visit he met with Parks Commissioner Ann Marie Martin along with Manager of the Heritage Department Dr. Christopher Water and Heritage Resources Officer Desley Gardner.

The hope is to build a relationship with experts at the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Venice and Pompeii. Climate Change mitigation and the creative application of renewable energy are among the areas of cooperation

Dr. Waters said “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,”

Meanwhile, members of the NPA had the opportunity to interact with Dr. Anna Paolini, the newly appointed Director of the UNESCO Office of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica.

Her presence there was primarily to look at the possible benefits that her new role can bring to the NPA

“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” the statement read.

Adding, “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”