On Friday, the Office of Insular Affairs announced that over $2.6 million in funding from President Biden's Investing in America agenda will go to four U.S. territories – American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands – to be spent on “vital biosecurity training opportunities and projects that improve island and coastal ecosystem resilience.”
In the USVI, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources will receive just over $400,000 for their biosecurity and community invasive species programs. An additional $50,000 will go to the DPNR for a comprehensive training program to address invasive species, while the Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation (COREVI) will receive $60,000 for their St. John coral nursery operations and research program.
“Funding provided under President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to make impactful contributions to ecosystem restoration and strengthening biosecurity measures for the U.S. territories,” said Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Carmen Cantor. “Strong coastal, coral and island ecosystems in the territories are critical to overall well-being for these communities.”
