News Releases

UWI Professor Judith Gobin Recognized for Caribbean Conservation Efforts

For Release Upon Receipt - December 18, 2023

St. Augustine


Mrs. Brenda Boddie-John, Vice Chair of the CBF Board of Directors (at right of photo) presents the Excellence Award to Professor of Marine Biology Judith Gobin.

St. Augustine, December 18, 2023 – The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) celebrates the recipients of its inaugural Biodiversity Excellence Award for Caribbean Heroes (BEACH) Award, a prestigious accolade honouring outstanding individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving Caribbean biodiversity. At its inaugural award function, Dr. Judith Gobin, Professor of Marine Biology at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus received the Excellence Award (to an Individual), and Reef Check Dominican Republic (to an Organisation) during the organization’s Board Meeting in Panama City on Monday, November 27, 2023. 

The CBF BEACH Award, established in tribute to Mrs. Eleanor Garraway-Phillips and Dr. Jens Mackensen, seeks to recognize and applaud exceptional contributions to regional sustainable development. Therefore, recognition of Professor Gobin, as an esteemed marine scientist with over 40 years of expertise, is pivotal in advancing knowledge of marine biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean. As the pioneering female Professor in Life Sciences at the St. Augustine Campus, UWI, Dr. Gobin has played a crucial role in global conversations on ocean conservation and sustainable marine resource utilization. In acknowledging the significance of the CBF BEACH Awards, Professor Gobin stated, “The preservation of our biodiversity holds unprecedented significance today. Actions taken now will reverberate across generations in the Caribbean and beyond.”

In congratulating the Awardees, Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chair of CBF, praised their achievements, remarking, “Your passion and dedication set the standard for the sustainable future we envision for the Caribbean.” The biennial CBF BEACH Award serves as a platform to highlight extraordinary leadership, innovative strategies, and unwavering commitment to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development demonstrated by these deserving awardees. Their exemplary work serves as an inspiration for others to actively contribute to CBF's mission and underscores the crucial importance of safeguarding the Caribbean's diverse biodiversity.

About CBF: 

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) is a regional environmental fund established in 2012 with the mission of ensuring continuous funding for conservation and sustainable development in the Caribbean. Operating through three programs—Conservation Finance, Climate Change, and Advancing the Circular Economy—the CBF is committed to expanding its impact in the Caribbean. 

About the CBF BEACH Award:  

Named in honor of founding board members, Mrs. Eleanor Garraway-Phillips and Dr. Jens Mackensen, the CBF’s Biodiversity Excellence Award for Caribbean Heroes (BEACH) is a biennial recognition bestowed upon individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean. Launched in September 2022, the inaugural winners, Professor of Marine Biology Judith Gobin and Reef Check Dominican Republic were announced on World Nature Conservation Day in July 2023. The award aims to highlight Caribbean conservation heroes who make intangible contributions to conserving the Caribbean biodiversity hotspot. The Caribbean is home to more than 1,000 native species and is considered a biodiversity hotspot, however many of these species are now endangered. These regional conservation heroes are on the frontline to protect and preserve the Caribbean’s diverse ecosystems.

About The University of the West Indies 

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years. 

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. 

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world. 

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action. 

2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University. 

Learn more at www.uwi.edu    

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