Tobago Cays Marine Park, the Grenadines
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ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT UNIT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES FOR OPAAL DEMONSTRATION SITES TOBAGO CAYS SITE REPORT, ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES ECO REPORT No. 06/2007 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] ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES - ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STUDIES ESDU FOR TOBAGO CAYS MARINE PARK, THE GRENADINES 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 has as its global objective, “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 site report documents findings of a site visit to Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP) during the period February 7th to 16th, 2007. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The TCMP which encompasses the Tobago Cays in the St. Vincent Grenadines consists of five small uninhabited islands lying between St. Vincent and Grenada. The Cays, Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Jamesby and Baradal are protected on the windward side by Horseshoe Reef, a semicircular coral reef, approximately 4km long. The fifth Cay, Petit Tabac, is located just to the east other Cays. The Major environmental assets within the TCMP are found mainly in the marine environment, with about 5% belonging to the terrestrial environment. Ecoengineering ES - 1 environmentally appropriate development for the Caribbean TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................1 1.1 Authorisation and Report Layout.......................................................................1 1.2 Background .......................................................................................................2 1.3 Scope of Work...................................................................................................3 1.4 Study Team.......................................................................................................4 1.5 Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................4 2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................5 2.1 Policy Framework..............................................................................................5 2.2 Legal Framework...............................................................................................6 2.2.1 Marine Parks Act, 1997 (No. 9 of 1997) .....................................................6 2.2.2 Marine Parks (Tobago Cays) Declaration Order, 1997 ..............................7 2.2.3 Marine Parks (Tobago Cays) Regulations, 1998 (SRO No. 26 of 1998) ....7 2.2.4 Marine Parks Bill 2005 ...............................................................................8 2.2.5 National Parks Act, 2002 (No. 33 of 2002).................................................8 2.2.6 Fisheries Act (No. 8 of 1986) (Cap. 52)....................................................10 2.2.7 Maritime Areas Act, 1983 (No. 15 of 1983) ..............................................12 3 METHOD STATEMENT .........................................................................................13 3.1 Context............................................................................................................13 3.1.1 Biodiversity in the OECS..........................................................................13 3.1.2 Challenges in Protected Area Management.............................................14 3.1.3 The OPAAL Project..................................................................................14 3.1.4 Environmental and Socio-Economic Studies............................................15 3.2 Review of Relevant Documents ......................................................................16 3.3 Understanding the Proposals for the PA .........................................................16 3.4 Review of Regulatory Framework ...................................................................17 3.5 Field Collection of Data ...................................................................................17 3.5.1 Marine Field Work....................................................................................17 3.5.2 Terrestrial Field Work...............................................................................18 3.5.3 Interviews with Key Stakeholders.............................................................18 3.5.4 Challenges and Constraints .....................................................................19 3.5.5 Application of Results...............................................................................20 3.6 SWOT Analysis ...............................................................................................20 3.7 Potential Impacts and Mitigation Measures.....................................................20 3.7.1 Impact Identification .................................................................................21 3.7.2 Classification of Impacts...........................................................................21 3.7.3 Recommendation of Mitigation Measures ................................................21 3.8 Other Evaluation Tools....................................................................................22 i 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS..............................................................23 4.1 Physical Oceanography ..................................................................................24 4.1.1 Bathymetry ...............................................................................................24 4.1.2 Tides and Currents...................................................................................24 4.1.3 Water Quality ...........................................................................................25 4.1.3.1 Sampling Locations and Parameters ................................................25 4.1.3.2 Results..............................................................................................26 pH and Air Temperature...........................................................................27 4.1.3.2.1 ..........................................................................................................27 4.1.3.2.2 Nitrates and Phosphates................................................................28 4.1.3.2.3 Dissolved Oxygen and BOD ..........................................................28 4.1.3.2.4 Total and Faecal Coliforms ............................................................28 4.1.3.2.5 Turbidity.........................................................................................29 4.2 Marine Environment ........................................................................................29 4.2.1 Coral Reefs ..............................................................................................29 4.2.2 Method .....................................................................................................30 4.2.2.1 Horseshoe Reef ................................................................................30 4.2.2.1.1 Horseshoe Fore Reef.....................................................................31 4.2.2.1.2 Horseshoe Back Reef....................................................................32 4.2.2.2 Petit Bateau ......................................................................................33 4.2.2.3 Petit Tabac........................................................................................33 4.2.2.4 Baradal..............................................................................................34 4.2.2.5 Mayreau Gardens .............................................................................34 4.2.3 Seagrass beds .........................................................................................35 4.2.4 Fish and Other Aquatic Fauna .................................................................36 4.3 Summary of Marine Environment....................................................................36 4.4 Terrestrial Environment ...................................................................................37 4.4.1 Method .....................................................................................................37 4.4.2 Flora.........................................................................................................37