Regional Caucus and Priorities

The Regional Conservation Caucus in the Eastern Caribbean officially launched in Saint Vincent & the Grenadines on May 31st, 2022, in a celebration of culture and the environment. The five priority agenda items of the Caucus were announced as:

Sustainable Financing for Conservation & Climate
Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Waste Management
Sustainable Water Planning & Integrated Watershed Management
Protected Areas Designation and Management

Launch of the Regional Conservation Caucus

The Launch was held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines during the 9th Meeting of the Council of Ministers: Environmental Sustainability (COM:ES9) under the theme "Shifting to More Integrated approaches for Sustainability, Resilience and Prosperity in OECS SIDs". The three-day session was chaired by the incoming chair, Hon. Carlos James, Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

The Project in Antigua & Barbuda

Like many nations in the Caribbean, the archipelagic state of Antigua and Barbuda is seen as a biodiversity hotspot with a high level of endemism. The activities of man, originally for agriculture, and now for tourism, have greatly threatened the biodiversity of the islands. Much of the habitats were originally cleared for the cultivation of sugar-cane and cotton. The array of habitats, including wetlands, beach and coral reef ecosystems, as well as extensive watershed systems, marine ecosystems of coral reefs and seagrass beds, host a variety of rare flora and fauna. Specifically, the islands host the largest frigate bird (Fregata magnificens) nesting ground in the Caribbean.

Codrington Lagoon is a key biodiversity area measuring 3,600 hectares on Barbuda Island that encompasses vast wetlands, seagrass, algae, and coastal marine ecosystems, including the Magnificent Frigate bird Sanctuary.

Designated nationally in 2005 as a National Park under the management authority of Barbuda National Parks, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified it as a “Protected Area with Sustainable Use of Natural Resources,” defined as, “generally large, with most of the area in a natural condition, where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-industrial use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims of the area.” The Codrington Lagoon National Park area contains a great biodiversity of bird, reptile, and fish species, most notably including breeding sites of the frigate bird, two endemic species of anolis, Hawksbill, Green, and Leatherback sea turtles, and red footed tortoises (G. carbonaria).

The National Park hosts important resources, including an important lobster fishery, coral reefs, and the largest frigatebird colony in the Caribbean, and the site accounts for approximately 60% of the Barbudan economy. Major threats to the park reflect threats to the biodiversity of the country as a whole, including overfishing, solid waste disposal, and land degradation.

The project engages policymakers from Antigua & Barbuda through the Regional Conservation Caucus. It has further provided on-the-ground expertise to develop an Implementation Plan for the Management Plan for Codrington Lagoon National Park.

The Project in Dominica

This small mountainous island of volcanic origin hosts some 155 families, 672 genera and 1,226 species of vascular plants, with a number of plant species considered endemic. Although habitat loss from development is a threat to biodiversity, an impressive sixty-five percent of the island area is covered by natural vegetation. Challenges include overfishing, water/marine pollution, and increasing deforestation.

Cabrits National Park encompasses a peninsula and the surrounding marine environment on Dominica’s Northwest coast, about 2 kilometers from the nearest town of Portsmouth; it contains 531 hectares of marine environment of coral reefs and seagrass beds, and 35 hectares of swamp wetlands, including mangroves, swamp forest, and marshlands.

The park, while currently not designated a key biodiversity area, harbors significant marine diversity in terms of coral reef biodiversity, dominated by a variety of soft corals, sponges and hard corals, sea grass ecosystems, nesting sites of critically endangered Hawksbill and Leatherback sea-turtles and mangrove wetlands. Its UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fort Shirley, adds historical significance to the Park. Marine mammals such as dolphins and sperm whales can also be seen in its waters most times of the year, particularly due to a resident pod of sperm whales offshore, contributing to Dominica’s reputation as the “whale watching capital of the Caribbean”. The park faces many threats, primarily to its wetlands and reefs from hurricanes, land-based pollution, illegal dumping in wetlands, impacts of cruise ship and yacht tourism, and illegal harvesting.

The project engages policymakers from Dominica through the Regional Conservation Caucus. It has further provided on-the-ground expertise to develop a Business Plan for Cabrits National Park.

The Project in Grenada

The country’s three main islands cover 348 sq km and a 121 km coastline. The ecosystems of mangrove swamps, coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches, lagoons, dry woodlands and cactus shrub host 233 marine species, 69 marine/brackish water species, and several species of seabirds as well as 17 freshwater species on the main island. Challenges include overfishing, water/marine pollution, and deforestation.

Grand Anse MPA is a marine protected sea- and landscape that covers a total of 1,783 hectares, and is an important biodiversity area encompassing coral reefs, coastal areas, and a fish sanctuary.

The area hosts numerous recreational activities and waterfront hotels, as well as local populations that rely upon the park’s resources for livelihood, particularly fishermen. At the time of its designation in January 2017, the area and its iconic Grand Anse beach hosted over 100 visitors and up to 140 yachts per day.

This project engages policymakers from Grenada through the Regional Conservation Caucus and the newly launched Grenada Conservation Caucus. It has further provided on-the-ground expertise to develop a policy on the co-management of Marine Protected Areas in Grenada.

The Project in Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia’s mountainous landscapes and tropical location support a variety of biologically diverse creatures. Even though Saint Lucia is only 616 sq. km, this small island hosts “1,300 plant species, 160 birds, 250 reef fish and 50 coral species”. Charismatic endemic species include the Saint Lucia parrot and the Saint Lucia whiptail lizard. Unfortunately, the biodiversity of the marine and coastal ecosystems is threatened by water contamination from the land such as sewage and agrochemical water pollution, rapid deforestation and associated sedimentation that have threatened mangroves, and overfishing.

Saint Lucia’s Iyanola National Park, a key biodiversity area, has yet to be formally designated, but is proposed to include preservation areas Fond D'Or, Grand Anse Marine Reserve, and Esperance Harbour, encompassing 5,090 hectares in total of marine, coastal, dry forest, and mangrove wetlands.

The area is crucial to protecting not only the last remaining expanse of undeveloped coastline in Saint Lucia, but also the survival of rare and endemic species, including the Iyanola sea turtle and iguana. The dry forests provide important resources for local populations, as well as habitats for pollinators. Together with the mangrove stands and coral reefs, these terrains provide protection against soil erosion and increase resilience to hurricanes. The Grand Anse coastline within the park is home to fifty-three species of birds, seven of which are endemic. It contains thirteen rare plant species, four of which are believed to be endemic, and is the site of the only nesting ground for the masked duck in Saint Lucia, as well as the most important nesting ground of Leatherback and Iyanola sea turtles. The Fond D’or proposed protected landscape also contains cultural and historical significance, with architectural remnants from the colonial age and artifacts that date back to the Amerindian tribes that once inhabited the area located at the interpretation centre and museum.

This project engages legislators and Ministers from Saint Lucia through both the Regional Conservation Caucus and the Saint Lucia Conservation Caucus (SLUCC), launched in June 2023. The project has further provided on-the-ground expertise and capacity building by identifying privately owned land that might be successfully (and voluntarily) co-managed with the Saint Lucia Sustainable Development and Environment Division. By assisting in the development of a co-management plan for the privately owned Dauphin Estate, the goal is to replicate these efforts at other sites and scale up interventions nationally.