We’re coming up to the end of our second week in the British Virgin Islands and have finished our entire primary scoping so now its time to begin interviews. Having spent many days walking up the steep hills and driving along the unpaved roads of our chosen communities we have completed bounding, counting and numbering houses. Chatting to people along the way, we have discovered the best bakery in the East End, where to paddleboard in Cane Garden Bay and how to get between the two in the shortest time possible.
We got to know the Islanders at the legendary full moon party at Trellis Bay, tested out the rum punch and (some of us in particular) enjoyed the Caribbean dancing style.
Today we had our second meeting with officials in the government, freezing our butts off from the extreme air-con. We have spent particular time with the Department of Conservation and Fisheries and appreciate how welcoming they have been to our work.
In the coming weeks we are going to start our household interviews, continue to find resource users and identify key stakeholders. Our first community meetings are coming up fast, Wednesday 22nd in East End and Monday 27th in Cane Garden Bay. It’s a very exciting time for our project in BVI and we’ll keep you up to date with everything going on.