 Hello, St. Lucians. Today marks an important day in our history. Today, the Pito Management Area celebrates its 18th anniversary. As a World Heritage Site under the theme, the Pito's Management Area, protecting our property for our prosperity and posterity. The Pito's Management Area, or the PMA located in the southwest of St. Lucia, is a multiple use conservation and management area of 1,154 hectares of land and 875 hectares of sea, respectively, totaling 2,909 hectares. The majestic Pito's two towering volcanic peaks are the major iconic landmarks of the island. These spectacular twin pinnacles, Gopito and Piti Pito, rise side by side from the sea to 770 and 743 meters above sea level, respectively. They are bridged by an inland ridge and towering above an accessible caldera-like formation known as the Kualibu Depression. The PMA finds itself within the Soufre Volcanic Center and then compasses a wide range of its diverse geological features, including a site of geothermal activity with fumaroles and hot springs known as the Sulphur Springs. Petroglyphs and diverse artifacts bear witness of the Amerindian carry population, which historically inhabited what is now the PMA. Despite the small extension, there is a high diversity of terrestrial habitats, flora and fauna. The dominant vegetation is comprised of various forest types, including rare elfin woodland on the summits. Small belly-disturbed patches of natural forest remain preserved by the steepness of the land. The marine management area within the PMA is a strip of roughly 11 kilometers long and about 1 kilometer wide along the shore. It comprises a steeply sloping continental shelf with healthy fringing and patched rifts covering more than 60 percent of the marine area, boulders and sandy plains. The diverse marine and coastal habitats have an important marine life. Hawksbill turtles are seen inshore and whale sharks and pilot whales offshore. The government of Zendushia became a signatory of the World Heritage Convention on October 14th, 1991. Subsequently, the PMA became a World Heritage Site on June 40th, 2004, under criteria 7 and 8 of the UNESCO World Heritage Center operational guidelines, which present precise criteria for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List. Additionally, the PMA was declared an environmental protected area in 2003 and a special enforcement area in 2011. The PMA office, which has the name implies, bears the responsibility of managing our World Heritage Site. Established in 2006, the office has the vision to achieve a well-managed area in which the natural and cultural assets and landscape quality are protected through a participatory management approach which is guided by the principles of sustainability, equity and participation and in which benefits are generated for individuals, the community and the state. Key areas of focus include conservation of natural, cultural and historical resources, landscape management, monitoring and reporting, public education and awareness, research, surveillance and enforcement, and marketing and promotion. In an effort to commemorate this momentous occasion, the PMA office has planned a series of activities including a jingle competition, open house days, a panel discussion and radio interviews, PSAs and the launch of the PMA Did You Know series. The main goal of these events is to create an awareness of and by extension a deep appreciation for the PMA. Slightly more than half of the PMA is on governmental land with the remaining portion in private hands. While the conservation area and the marine portions of the PMA are uninhabited, there are approximately 1,500 residents living within the terrestrial multiple-use zones. The zonation responds to the different demands on a property that explicitly attempts to strike a balance between resource use and nature conservation. The marine boundary about one kilometer offshore is the 75-meter depth contour which circumscribes the coral reef. Within the PMA, the Sufrem Marine Management Area or SMMA is a multiple-use marine area in its own right. Other challenges include on-plan development, encroachment, erosion, deforestation and climate change. Despite these challenges, the government of Saint Lucia remains committed to maintaining the outstanding universal value of the PTA's management area. The government continues to work with all stakeholders, including the Sufrem Marine Management Area and the Sufrem Regional Development Foundation, to ensure that it remains in compliance with the obligations of the World Heritage Committee. Ongoing initiatives include plans to delineate and demarcate the boundaries of the PMA, in cooperation of disaster risk reduction into the PMA management plan, reforestation using the endemic pencil cedar and the removal of the invasive species wandering drew on the Gopiton nature trail. In closing, I would like to remind us that the PTA's management area does not just belong to the residents of Sufrem but to the people of Saint Lucia and by extension the rest of the world. Let us each continue to play our part faithfully in protecting our natural and cultural heritage, not just for ourselves but for our children. The PMA protecting our property for our prosperity and posterity. Happy 18th anniversary to the PTA management area.