|
Synopsis of Des Barras Sea Turtle Watch Group
Winner of the Bio-Community Award
for
Diverse and Sustainable Use of Biological Resources
This community group was established in the year 2000, and is made up of young persons
from the community. The program came about through the collaborative effort of the Nature Heritage Program of the Ministry of Tourism, the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Parliamentary Representative
of the area. The activities of the group provide income generating activities for the entire community. The Nature Heritage Program provided training in tour guiding, catering and craft making. Farmers benefit through the sale
of local fruits and vegetables. The group provides support to the community by utilizing persons from the area for food catering services to visitors on turtle watches, as well as T-shirt and craft vending. Through these
activities, it can be seen that the group is engaged in diverse and sustainable use of biological resources.
Synopsis of Talvern Watercatchment Group
Winner of the Bio-Community Award
for
Best Practices in Environmental Management
Covering - Solid Waste Management; Water Management;
Physical Resources/Chemical Use Management
This group came into existence because of intervention by the Forestry Department in 1997, as it worked to get communities to
help monitor and manage the conservation of the critical watercatchments that served them. The main focus of this group is
protection of the riverbanks and the education of farmers and the community with respect to the preservation of the Talvan river and its banks.
With assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Transformation and funding from the Poverty Reduction
Fund (PRF) and the Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS), the group has undertaken a number of activities geared
towards the preservation and conservation of water. Some of these activities include the reforestation of the river banks, placing
wattles along the river banks to prevent soil slippage, replacing the banana plants close to the river bank with fruit trees, in an
effort to reduce the level of chemicals finding its way into the river. The group has a schedule to maintain the trees that are
planted along the river bank and engages the community and schools in clean up and educational campaigns. The groups has also discouraged community members from washing their vehicles in the Talvan river.
The activities carried out by this group have helped in the provision of a more reliable water supply for most communities in and
out of the babonneau community. Since the group began its activities about seven years ago, WASCO (the Water and Sewrage
Company) has reported an improvement in the quality and quantity of water from the Talvan water intake. The group has a membership of twentyfive (25) persons, ten (10) male and fifteen (15) female.
Synopsis of Laborie Development Foundation
Winner of the Bio-Community Award
for
Community Participation in Biodiversity Management
The Laborie Development Foundation is a not–for-profit organization, registered under the Companies Act in St. Lucia on
December 11th, 2002. One of its objectives is to :
- To mobilize the community and involve all citizens in planning and implementation of development projects
The twelve members of the foundation are community organizations that have a primary focus on Laborie. The affairs of the
organisation are managed by an elected board of Directors chaired by Mr. Lucius Ellevic, representative of his Co-operative Credit Union.
This agency played a pivotal role in the execution of the People and the Sea Project which focused on the community of Laborie.
The project aimed at investigating the role of active stakeholder participation in sustainable coastal resource management by
assessing a range of coastal resources, their present and potential uses, user perceptions regarding these resources, local
experiences in resource management and how such resources could be better managed for sustainability, both by organizations
and by resource users. This project managed to produce a wide range of detailed information both biological and socio-economic
on a relatively small area of high relevance to a coastal community. Monitoring was undertaken with stakeholder (user/Community)
involvement for sea urchin stocks, water quality, coral cover, reef fishery activity and institutional change. Project outputs will
guide management and development decisions for the community, closely monitored by the Development Foundation and the people of the community.
Currently the Foundation is involved in a coastal water quality monitoring project and in a number of public education activities
aimed at raising awareness on the need for better waste management. The Foundation has also spearheaded a project to construct
two public toilet facilities for which it designed and used an innovative sewer treatment system to reduce the pollution of coastal
waters. The Foundation is currently working with the St. Lucia Heritage Tourism Program on a project aimed at promoting
community-based accommodation in the district. The foundation is also involved in a project called Capacity for Integrated Coastal Development in the community.
Synopsis of Soufriere Marine Management Area
Winner of the Bio-Community Award
for
Community Participation in Biodiversity Management
The Soufriere Marine Management Area is very actively involved in public education and sensitisation activities. This involves
visits to the schools and community organizations by the Public relations officer to lecture them on the work of the organisation
and to illustrate how certain behaviours impact negatively on the marine environment. The program also involves viewing of the
agency’s videos, distribution of brochures which are also made available at hotels, dive shops, yacht charter, tourist centres and the St. Lucia Air and Seaports Authority.
This awardee has a main objective of resolving user conflicts and ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources in these areas.
It has a continued process of consultation, communication and participation among users and stakeholders. The awardee works
hard at soliciting business for restauranteurs from tourists and visiting yatchtpersons. The agency helps divers observe rules and
regulations for management of the marine reserve. It provides guides to go with diving tourists. The divers pay a permit fee for
use of the resource by which the agency maintains itself. Snorkel and yacht fees are also used to maintain the agency. Water taxi
operators are encouraged to enforce the rules and regulations in providing services to yatcht personnel. They have to pay licences
to carry out the service. The boats are required to be equipped for water taxi services in conjunction with the St. Lucia Air and Seaports Authority and the Ministry of Tourism.
Stakeholders are also encouraged to send in their comments via the agency’s newsletter on the impact of the organization on their
business and the communities. Groups are also consulted with and given guidance on coastal issues. The rangers also provide
assistance to yatchters, divers, and fishermen and they are also special constables. The Department of Fisheries plays a major role in the management of this agency.
This agency recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. This celebration brought together resource management users from all over
the region to participate in a regional seminar on coastal livelihoods.
Synopsis of the Des Barras Community
Winner of the Bio-Community Award
for
Excellent Management of Biodiversity
This group has taken a leadership role with respect to sea turtle conservation and ecotourism in the Grande Anse Area. This
initiative assists the Department of Fisheries in the monitoring of one of the major nesting beaches on the island, especially in
terms of the leatherback turtle (D.coriacea). Data collected are submitted to the Department of Fisheries for analysis and
informed decision making and are also fed into regional databases (sharing of information on migratory species) such as that of the Wider Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST), coordinated from Barbados.
Under the supervision of the adjacent community, sea turtle watching at the Grande Anse Beach, is now done for several days a
week from about March to August. It was once done for over a decade by the St. Lucia Naturalists Society, a non-governmental
organization in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries only on Saturdays during those months.
Sea Turtle watching at Grande Anse involves community tour guides, local and overseas visiting guests. The one mile beach is
walked in group shifts, from the evening of one day to the following morning, with persons checking for nesting turtles, turtle
tracks or hatchlings. Basic sleeping accommodation/gear is available for guests. Guides are trained in the proper techniques of
turtle watching and pass this information on to guests in briefings. When a turtle is encountered, persons get the opportunity to
see it, dig its nest, lay its eggs, cover up the nest and return to the sea. Various data are collected during this time, such as size
and species of turtle, number of eggs laid etc. Turtles are also tagged before they return to the sea.
This activity allows community members to earn a living by sharing the turtle nesting experience with guests while actively
participating in the conservation of sea turtles.
The group and/or specific members have received training both locally and overseas in various areas including the appreciation of
marine and terrestrial resources, with a focus on Grande Anse, tagging of sea turtles, emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR), accounting and bookkeeping, tour guide certification and data management sensitization. Members have also
participated in international meetings such as the Annual Sea Turtle Symposium and exchange programmes involving a sea turtle watch group in Trinidad, “Nature Seekers”.
|
