ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT UNIT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES FOR OPAAL DEMONSTRATION SITES NORTHEAST MARINE MANAGEMENT AREA (NEMMA), ANTIGUA SITE REPORT ECO REPORT No. 10/2007 July 31, 2007 PREPARED BY ECOENGINEERING CARIBBEAN LIMITED 62 EASTERN MAIN ROAD ST. AUGUSTINE TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES TELEPHONE: (868) 645-4420 FAX: (868) 662-7292 e-mail: [email protected] 1 ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ESDU FOR NORTH EAST MARINE MANAGEMENT AREA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OVERVIEW Ecoengineering Caribbean Limited was authorised by the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU) of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to undertake Environmental and Socio-Economic studies under the OECS Protected Areas Associated Livelihoods (OPAAL) Project. The OPAAL project global objective is, “to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity of global importance in the Participating Member States by removing barriers to the effective management of protected areas (PAs), and increasing the involvement of civil society and the private sector in the planning, management and sustainable use of these areas.” As part of the establishment of PAs under the OPAAL Project, two types of environmental and socio-economic studies were commissioned. Baseline environmental and socio-economic studies were used to determine the status of the resource base, its use and the nature of communities associated with the site, and, detailed site preparation studies were used to identify adverse environmental or socio- economic impacts associated with the development, identifying safeguards and / or mitigation measures. This report documents findings of a site visit to the Northeast Marine Management Area (NEMMA) in Antigua during the period February 20 to March 02, 2007. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The NEMMA encompasses an area of over 30 square miles and is located in the Atlantic Ocean, on the windward side of Antigua. The area is bounded seaward by: · lat. 17? 10' 14"N and long. 061? 48' 16"W to · lat. 17? 12' 09.26"N and long. 061? 48' 14.87"W to · lat. 17? 06' 34.72"N and long. 061? 38' 36.59"W to · lat. 17? 02' 47.07"N and long. 061? 38' 36.89"W to · lat. 17? 02' 48.23"N and long. 061? 40' 26.74"W Landwards it is bounded by the edges of the mangrove and wetland systems from Beggars Point in the Parish of St. Peter to Friars Head, in the Parish of St. Phillip, where they exist and the line of permanent vegetation at the coastline where they do not. There are over 30 islands, islets and rocks, (named and unnamed), in the NEMMA. Environmentally appropriate Ecoengineering ES - 1 development for the Caribbean ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ESDU FOR NORTH EAST MARINE MANAGEMENT AREA There several existing protected areas and other proposed areas located within the NEMMA. The northeastern areas of the island experience a mean annual rainfall between 900 to 1015 mm. The coastline bordering the NEMMA is very indented with numerous islands, creeks and inlets and associated sand bars and wetlands at their inland end. A large portion of the east, north and south coasts are protected by fringing reefs. Areas of sandy bottom in shallow water are found on the west coast and between the fringing reefs and the shore. The numerous islands are largely coralline and range in elevation from as low as 3 m at Nanny Island, to heights of 75 m at Green Island. Channels draining the northeastern areas of the mainland enter the waters of the NEMMA at Fitches Creek (North Sound Stream), Mercers Creek, Ayres Creek (Black Ghaut) and Winthropes Foot Creek. The literature cites discharges from sewage treatment and desalination plants operated by surrounding hotels and from industries as the major contributors for water pollution problems in the NEMMA. METHODOLOGY The ESDU and other available sources provided baseline information on the physical, biological and socio-economic environment in the NEMMA. To build a more robust data base for the NEMMA, Ecoengineering expanded on available information from these previous studies by conducting field reconnaissance and having interviews with key stakeholders and Government agencies within and around the study areas where data was less available. The major marine assets within the NEMMA are the coral reefs, fringing mangroves and sea grass beds which support a wide array of marine life. The Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocol and ground-truthing exercises were conducted at selected sites within the NEMMA to determine the current state of these assets (marine and terrestrial). FINDINGS Biological · The reefs have been significantly damaged by hurricanes and storms, anchors, fishing gear, sedimentation, eutrophication, pollution and disease. · Seagrass beds are common within lagoons on sandy bottoms and were dominated by turtle grass. Seagrass beds have been damaged by algal growth and anchor damage. Environmentally appropriate Ecoengineering ES - 2 development for the Caribbean ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ESDU FOR NORTH EAST MARINE MANAGEMENT AREA · There are over 240 ha of mangroves (four species) and associated wetlands in the NEMMA. Hurricanes are the major cause of damage to seaward mangroves. Land development has also resulted in removal of mangrove. · Beaches within the NEMMA are important for recreation, as nesting habitats for marine turtles and for beach replenishment. Some of the beaches show erosion caused by oceanic conditions and hurricanes. · Many of the vegetation alliances found on the islands within the NEMMA and the adjacent coastline of the mainland are considered uncommon or rare and are likely to become in danger of extirpation due to coastal development. · Several faunal species of conservation interest occur within the NEMMA including the hawksbill turtle (endangered), the Antiguan racer snake (endemic and endangered), the Antiguan ground lizard (endemic), and a number of endangered, vulnerable and threatened sea bird species. Socio-Economic Demography The NEMMA area constitutes exactly 11.8% of the population of Antigua and Barbuda. Overall, the NEMMA region has an average household size of 2.8 persons. Unemployment is at 8.4% in both the NEMMA and the whole of Antigua. There is however, a small difference in unemployment levels between genders in the NEMMA. Almost one-fifth of the employed persons in the NEMMA region are service workers and shop sales workers. Agriculture, forestry and fishery workers represent the occupation with the least participation both in the NEMMA region and at a national level. New Winthorpes, Parham and Piggotts have the largest proportions of businesses in the NEMMA region. The least number of businesses are found in Glanvilles, Seatons and Coolidge. Fishing Within the NEMMA, Emerald Cove/Willikies and Mill Reef are primary landing sites. The majority of fishers is male and accounts for approximately 1.1% of employed persons in the NEMMA region. The numbers of fishermen fishing in the NEMMA at present may be smaller due to some fishers becoming employed by Stingray City and Paddles. Part-time fishing has been increasing over the years and this is attributable to high equipment cost, declining catch and availability of better paying jobs in tourism. Fishers normally fish in inshore coastal areas, shallow coral reef areas and on deep fore-reef slopes. Trap fishing has been the most common fishing method used by fishers in the NEMMA region over the last decade. This is followed by gillnetting. Spear fishing, although a prohibited fishing method in the NEMMA remains a fish harvesting method in the region though its practice has been on the decline. Environmentally appropriate Ecoengineering ES - 3 development for the Caribbean ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES – ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ESDU FOR NORTH EAST MARINE MANAGEMENT AREA Other Activities Diving in the NEMMA area is restricted to reefs off Green Island and Great Bird Island. Diving is not a common activity and most users prefer to snorkel. Tour boating is a significant business activity in the NEMMA. All tour boat operators indicated that Great Bird Island is the final destination on tours. Tour boat operations are the basis of a thriving tourist economy with up to 300 people being accommodated per day during the peak season. Yacht anchorages are typically in the vicinity of Non Such Bay, Green Island, and Great Bird Island. Yachters typically snorkel and make use of the beaches and amenities at Parham, Jumby Bay, and Harmony. The Jumby Bay Hotel on Long Island is serviced by two ferries which operate frequently throughout the day between Beachcomber Dock and Parham Harbour. There are several water sports operations within and outside the NEMMA which rent speedboats, sailcraft, kayaks, surfboards, kites and snorkeling gear for use in the NEMMA. Vendors operate on beaches in the NEMMA using makeshift tents and table tops to display their exhibits, with competition for the best pitches. Industrial activities in the NEMMA include operations of two electricity and power plants, a desalination plant, a brewery and a cement receiving facility and a harbour all located on Crabbs Peninsula. There are also industrial estates at Coolidge and Tomlinson, within the watersheds draining into the NEMMA. The international airport is at Coolidge. There are approximately 80 – 100 farmers growing mainly vegetables, root crops and small amounts of cotton in the watersheds which drain into the NEMMA. PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN The objectives of the NEMMA Final Management Plan for the period 2007 – 2010 are: biodiversity protection, research and monitoring, water quality maintenance, scenic preservation, tourism and recreation management, education and awareness, sustainability of traditional uses and livelihoods and promotion of economic and social benefits. A major component of the management plan was zonation. The plan identified areas for conservation, recreation, fishing, yacht mooring, resort / residential zones, port / harbour zone, local fisheries management areas, and multiple use zones.