The MVO works to reduce the impact of volcanic activity in the following ways:

• Monitoring
• Researching
• Communicating
• Educating
• Advising

Read more: What we do

The MVO receives a subvention from the Government of Montserrat(GoM) to cover its operational expenses. Although the majority of the MVO's operating expenses are met by the GoM with a limited contribution from merchandise sales, the MVO operates as a statutory body. This independence may allow it to attract funds from donors who might not otherwise wish to support an official Government body.

The MVO operating budget and capital expenditure are protected by strong policy commitments from GoM and Her Majesty's Government (HMG) to maintain high quality scientific monitoring. This includes potential funding to meet any additional monitoring required by heightened volcanic activity.

The MVO works closely with the following committees and Government agencies:

• National Disaster Preparedness and Response Advisory Committee (NDPRAC)
• Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA)
• Government of Montserrat (GoM)
• Governor's Office
• Montserrat Police Service
• Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)

Read more: Who are our partners

The MVO is a statutory body of the Government of Montserrat(GoM). Overall policy and objectives are determined by a Board of Directors, which is co-chaired by the Governor and the GoM Chief Minister. The Director of the MVO manages the day to day operations of the Observatory, reports to and is Secretary of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors meets at least twice a year. In the interim, authority for MVO administration is delegated to a Board of Operations currently chaired by the Head of the Governor's Office.

The MVO's monitoring programme and the quality of the information it provides is reviewed every six months by an independent scientific group - the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

Since April 2008, the GoM has contracted the UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC) and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) to manage the Observatory.

The staff of the MVO is composed of geoscientists, electronics and computer specialists, science technicians and administrative professionals drawn from Montserrat, the Caribbean and other parts of the world. Local personnel have provided the mainstay of the monitoring operations from the inception of the MVO.

Since April 2008, the MVO has been jointly managed by the UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC ) and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP).