Wallings Nature Reserve Antigua and Barbuda
Commonwealth Point of Light 226. Refica Attwood
Refica Attwood, representing Antigua and Barbuda, aged 33, is Executive Director of ‘Wallings Nature Reserve’, the country’s first community-managed national park spanning 1,680 acres of rainforest.
Refica hiked around Wallings in her teens and began to notice that locals were hosting large events and destroying the area with rubbish. She started documenting the damage and put forward a business plan to government officials giving recommendations on how to save the space. In 2016 Refica successfully gained a $50,000 grant to regenerate the area and has since led multiple reforestation projects, created safe trails for hiking, and built sanitary restroom facilities and outdoor events spaces.
Refica said:
“I am elated to have been awarded for my hard work and dedication and making an impactful difference in those that are around me. Nothing is impossible once you decide to get it done.”
Lindsy Thompson, Resident British High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, said:
“I’d like to congratulate Refica Attwood on her well-deserved award. Her efforts to revitalise, protect, and promote the environmental treasures around Wallings Nature Reserve are an inspiration and have captured the hearts and imaginations of all those who visit the area.”