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UNITED NATIONS EP Distr. LIMITED United Nations Environment UNEP(DEC)/CAR WG.29/4.Rev. 1 Programme 3 July 2008 UNEP Original: ENGLISH Fourth Meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) in the Wider Caribbean Region Gosier, Guadeloupe, France, 2-5 July 2008 REVISED DRAFT ANNOTATED FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION REPORTS FOR THE AREAS PROPOSED FOR INCLUSION IN THE SPAW LIST OBJECTIVE The objective of this Annotated Format is to guide the Contracting Parties in producing reports of comparable contents as requested in Article 19 (2) of the Protocol, including the information necessary for the adequate evaluation of the conformity of the proposed site with the criteria set out in the Protocol and in the Guidelines (Guidelines and Criteria for the Evaluation of Protected Areas to be Listed under SPAW). CONTENTS The presentation report shall include the following main information on: (i) identification of the proposed protected area (ii) site description (iii) its Caribbean importance (iv) the activities in and around the areas and their impacts (v) legal framework (vi) management measures (vii) human and financial resources available for the management and the protection of the site. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS The reports should be submitted to the SPAW/RAC two months before the meeting of STAC for SPAW in English, Spanish or in French. Dossier should be compiled on A4 paper, with maps and plans annexed on paper with maximum size of an A3 paper. Contracting parties are also encouraged to submit the full text of the proposal in electronic form. The requested annexes should be submitted on paper and, if possible, also in electronic form. They are following: Copies of legal texts Copies of planning and management documents - Maps: administrative boundaries, zoning, land tenure, land use, and distribution of habitats and species, as appropriate - Existing inventories of plants and fauna species - Photographs, slides, films/videos, CD-ROM's - List of publications and copies of the main ones concerning the site UNEP(DEC)/CAR WG.29/4.Rev.1 Page 1 1. AREA IDENTIFICATION COUNTRY Netherlands Antilles ADMINISTRATIVE PROVINCE OR REGION St Eustatius NAME OF THE AREA Quill / Boven National Park DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT 21 March 1997 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION Describe its geographical boundaries, e.g. rivers, roads, geographical or administrative boundaries (do not describe the co-ordinates here; please make a separate Annex with a map and a description of geographical co-ordinates as stated in the legal declaration of the area.). The Quill / Boven National Park is divided into two sectors on the island of St Eustatius and shown on the maps in Annex 1: • Quill sector (220ha) encompasses the dormant volcano ‘the Quill’ from the 250m altitude contour line upwards and encompassing the entire Quill volcano and including the limestone section termed ‘White Wall and Sugar Loaf’ from the 250m down to the high water mark.. • Boven sector (320ha) in the North East of the island and encompassing five hills: Boven, Bergje, Venus and Gilboa on government land, and Signal hill within private property of Statia Oil Terminal. ____________________________________________________________________________ SURFACE OF THE AREA (total) (in national unit) (in ha) 540 LENGTH OF THE MAIN COAST (km): This is not applicable as this is a terrestrial park but the park boundaries descend to High Water line in sections of the Quill and Boven sector, thus adjoining the Statia National Marine Park. UNEP(DEC)/CAR WG.29/4.Rev.1 Page 2 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (maximum 3 pages) Supply a summary of the information contained in sections 3 to 9 26% (540 hectares) of the terrestrial environment of St. Eustatius is protected, including biologically diverse rainforest, Elfin forest and drought resistant habitats. The Quill/Boven National Park offers some of the best hiking in the Caribbean with views of neighbouring Saba, St Bartholomew and St Kitts through pristine forest which clings to the slopes of the magnificent Quill volcano. The Quill/Boven National Park was established in 1997 to protect the islands natural resources. The National Parks and St Eustatius are a home, migratory stop over or breeding site for 14 IUCN Red List species, 10 CITES Appendix I species and 98 Appendix II species including the endemic plant Statia Morning Glory (Ipomoea sphenophylla) and many others plants and animal species with limited distribution. The Quill/Boven National Park and Botanical Garden attract visitors contributing to income for the 70% of the islands population employed in restaurants, hotels and other services. The Quill / Boven National Park is recognised internationally and was pronounced the first official National Park of the Netherlands Antilles in 1998. The park was created to protect unique biodiversity and ensure sustainable use by all stakeholders. The 5.4km2 covered by the park consists of two sub-sectors - the dormant volcano ‘The Quill’ and the ‘Boven’ area. An additional international recognition is that the Quill and Boven sectors were declared as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in 2008. The Quill sub-sector above 250 metres as well as the inside walls of the crater and the adjacent south- eastern side of the White Wall/Sugar Loaf an area of limestone on the South West of The Quill. The total surface area of is approximately 220 ha. The Boven sub-sector The Boven sub-sector includes the hilly area on the northern side of The Quill sub- the island around the Boven hill, sector including Bergje, Venus Bay, Gilboa hill and Signal Hill. The total surface area is approximately. 320 ha. The Quill/Boven National Park and Botanical Garden are managed by a local non-governmental, not for profit foundation (‘stichting’} called St Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA) incorporated in the Netherlands Antilles on 21st November 1988 and first registered with the St Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 28th August 1995 (registration #80371). STENAPA has a co-management structure with stakeholders, conservationists and other interested parties on the board. The management of The Quill/Boven National Park and Botanical Garden is carried out by the Parks Manager and two park rangers. One Office Manager also works on administration and organisation. The mission of The Quill/Boven National Park is to manage and conserve natural, cultural and historical resources of The Quill/Boven National Park and Botanical Garden for sustainable use with continued stakeholder participation, for the benefit of current and future generations. Extensive stakeholder input has identified the main management and external issues facing The Quill/Boven National Park and Botanical Garden. The issues below are considered important by stakeholders for STENAPA to address and form the basis of management actions in pursuit of the mission, and goals of The Quill/Boven National Park over the lifetime of this management plan. External Issues Management Issues Future Issues • Invasive species • Resources • Development - Free ranging livestock - Staff - Corallita - Information - Bees • Sustainable financing • Collection / hunting • Future Developments • Governance - Ownership - Boundaries UNEP(DEC)/CAR WG.29/4.Rev.1 Page 3 3. SITE DESCRIPTION TYPOLOGY OF THE SITE: Terrestrial surface, excluding wetlands (ha): 540ha Wetland surface (ha): 0ha Marine surface (sq. km) under sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction: 0ha MAIN PHYSICAL FEATURES Geology /Geomorphology Give a brief description of: (i) geological aspects (lithologic and tectonics); (ii) processes of sedimentation and erosion observable in the area; (iii) coastal geomorphology, and (iv) island system. Indicate bibliographical sources. ____________________________________________________________________________ The island of St. Eustatius lies at the north end of a continuous submarine bank, no deeper than 180m, that also contains the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. The Lesser Antilles are located on an area where the plates that make up the earths crust meet. This is known as a zone of subduction where the Atlantic Plate slowly slides under the Caribbean Plate. The island has an area of 21km2 and the landscape of the island is dominated by two volcanic areas. At the northern end the extinct volcanic hills rise to 289 m and were once a separate island surrounded by sea cliffs (Roobol & Smith, 2004). Two and a half kilometres to the southeast the relatively youthful Quill volcano, with an 800m diameter open crater, rises to 600m. A third volcanic structure is exposed at the White Wall-Sugar Loaf tilted limestone feature, which forms the southern shoreline of the Quill. An oblique aerial photograph of St Eustatius from the south looking north, showing the Quill dominating the landscape , with the Boven sub-sector in the background (source: M.Handler). The first volcanic activity around the north western complex is thought to have taken place around 1 million years ago (Westermann, 1957)). Bergje or Little Mountain is the main remnant from the central crater of an old volcano (Westermann, 1961). Boven and Gilboa Hill are made of ancient, solidified streams of lava. The horseshoe shaped ridge known as Panga, between Fort Royale and Signal Hill, is what remains of the base of the volcano. Several parts of the northern hills are made from by-products of volcanic activity such as agglomerates, lava and ash. The original volcano in the north could have been more than 600 meters high. Erosion has been acting since the last volcanic activity in the area to smooth and level out the features that remain. The older Boven sub-sector is more eroded than the mountainous Quill area and is made up from a series of rolling hills. The Venus Bay Valley, a plain which runs to the sea, lies between the Boven, Bergje and Gilboa Hills. The rolling plains and hills make the area’s natural beauty outstanding. Most of the slopes around the coast are very steep especially on the western side. Very little development can be seen from Venus Bay Valley there giving the impression of a natural, undeveloped island.