BASSETERRE – The advantages as well as the disadvantages of St Kitts & Nevis being home to the green vervet monkey were analysed at a Monkey Summit coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and attended by diverse stakeholders over the past three days.
Director of Agriculture, Melvin James, noted some of the benefits of being one of only two Caribbean countries that is home to the green vervet monkey.
“We would recognise that the monkeys have been with us for several hundreds of years, and over the years they have moved from a state of oblivion to a point of significance.
“Significance because they have become a part of our country . . . . They in more ways than one, bring economic benefits to tourism, to the visitor experience and to what makes St Kitts unique,” he said.
The negative aspects of having the monkey resident in the Federation could not be overlooked.
“They have not only had positive influences, but we have come to a point where there seems to be, as it were, a conflict as it relates to the tree species and agriculture,” James said. “It has become necessary for us to continue our dialogue and to formalize our discussions on how best to deal with our situation, and that is why we’re here.”
Presenters at the opening of the summit also included Minister of Agriculture Eugene Hamilton, local monkey task force coordinator Gene Knight, Kiron Phillip of the Nevis Department of Agriculture, and Xyomara Carretero-Pinzon, a biologist and member of a three-person team of experts from Colombia sent to assist with the monkey situation. The two additional Colombian consultants are Robin Andres and Marta Lucia Bueno Angulo.
Summit participants included representatives from the sectors of tourism, education and health, as well as institutions involved in research along with local entrepreneurs. (SKNIS)