 The St. Lucia race, a snake commonly known as the Kuwes, is a true gem of the island's natural heritage, but its survival is under threat. In a heartening move to safeguard this critically endangered species, the Department of Forestry in Union has unveiled a stunning new facility in partnership with the Flora and Fauna International, FFI, Durald Wildlife Conservation Trust and the St. Lucia National Trust. The aim is to provide a safe and controlled environment for breeding the St. Lucia Racer to ensure its survival in the wild. With expert guidance and the latest technological innovations, the facility aims to increase the population of this beloved snake and protect it from the dangers of habitat loss and invasive species. Currently, there are less than 20 racers on Maria Island Major. Country manager of Flora and Fauna International, Adams Toussaint, says providing a secure and supportive environment for the breeding and reintroduction of the St. Lucia Racer in the wild will be favorable for the species to thrive once again. Conservation always has two sides to account, a coin, like a coin, it has two sides. One side, and I'm just going to get a bit technical, is to say that it is in situ conservation and that is where conservation of the species where it exists. And that's Maria Island with regards to the Racer facility. The other side is exit to conservation, is conservation where you take it out of the natural habitat and bring it into some form of captivity for conservation. And this was really needed for the Racer because of the fact that it was critically endangered and if nothing was done, the species would have been breached, demised and be extinct. And the national forest strategy, the national biodiversity strategy and action plan all make mention of the goals of reducing the extinction, avoiding extinction of our species. Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Alfred Prospe, underscored the importance of this groundbreaking project in the conservation of the St Lucia Racer, saying the collaboration between the organizations is a shining example of the government's unwavering commitment to work with conservation stakeholders and partners in preserving St Lucia's biodiversity. That this Maria Island we have with those 20 or so races can be wiped off tomorrow because climate change is having a very negative impact on our forest resources and we do not know when that day will come when that entire island or islet will disappear. Do we say at that time we should be putting measures in place to protect the species? Our entire forest reserve can be destroyed in one natural disaster. Is that the time we should be going about saying we should have taken a proactive measure to create a safety net for our parrots? No. And so this conservation effort with the Racer is very significant for us today and I feel very good as a minister having to make a contribution towards this when I was the Chief Forestry Officer. The official handover of the St Lucia Racer facility is a significant step in protecting the St Lucia Racer from extinction and the milestone realised by the partner organizations is an attestation of what can be achieved in the name of conservation. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.