Environmental Protection In The Caribbean Incorporated

The Black-capped Petrel Program - The Black-capped Petrel is the rarest seabird in the Caribbean. This iconic bird nests in some of the last known ancient forests on Hispaniola as well as potentially on Dominica in the Lesser Antilles. The intersection of human development and petrel nesting habitat has led to the rapid decline of the species population and has been a major call to action for EPIC to turn its focus to conserving this keystone bird. Over the last decade, EPIC has tracked populations of this species throughout the Caribbean,located new nesting areas, worked with communities to reduce human impacts on forests, removed introduced predators out of nest areas, and reduced threats to flying petrels through the removal of dangerous strike hazards. Additionally, we have increased the capacity of local organizations to direct their conservation efforts on protecting the petrel through training programs focusing on research, sustainable agriculture, youth education, and grant writing. Furthermore, we founded the only Black-capped Petrel focused festival in the Caribbean.Our research shows that Black-capped Petrel nesting populations have stabilized in locations where we work, a clear indication of the successful impact of our conservation efforts. This year, fundraising and administrative costs were a higher overall ratio of expenses than usual due to COVID-19 impacts, which curtailed some program implementation and expenses.

The Grenadines Seabird Program is protecting the highly significant seabird breeding populations in the transboundary archipelago of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, covering a total of 74 sites, including 3 sites of global significance and 18 significant to the Caribbean. Seabirds are experiencing worldwide populations declines estimated at 70% so addressing the impacts of poaching, plastic pollution and introduced predators is essential. This program focuses on research, monitoring, education, and conservation planning. A total of 70 citizen scientists are currently trained as members of the Grenadines Seabird Guardians, a group that monitors populations at remote, uninhabited islands. This year trainees included law enforcement personnel who learned how to use drones for environmental monitoring in addition to improving their seabird identification and survey skills. The program has reached over 3,000 outreach participants with demonstrated increases in knowledge, concern, and pride regarding seabirds. A seabird nesting survey of nearly all the Grenadines islands was completed as well as an innovative pilot project using a thermal imaging camera on a drone to count nesting seabirds from the air. In collaboration with partners, EPIC presented at the Birds Caribbean/American Ornithological Society conference on the topic of using artifical intelligence to detect non-native mammals in remote camera footage. The Grenadines Seabird Conservation Plan Working Group, comprised of local stakeholders, met virtually during the year to prioritize conservation actions for protecting these imperiled populations. COVID-19 impacts continued this year, which curtailed some program implementation and expenses.