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Vegetation Classes Saint Lucia

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Vegetation Classes Saint Lucia FCG International Ltd TECHNICAL REPORT 3 in association with AFC Consultants International GmbH Presented to the European Commission and Banana Industry Trust NATIONAL FOREST DEMARCATION AND BIO-PHYSICAL RESOURCE INVENTORY PROJECT CARIBBEAN – SAINT LUCIA SFA 2003/SLU/BIT-04/0711/EMF/LC THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE VEGETATION OF SAINT LUCIA By ROGER GRAVESON Consultant Botanist 2009 Cover illustrations: Cloud Montane Forest on Mount Gimie Range; East Coast of Saint Lucia (Roger Graveson, FCG); Deciduous Seasonal Forest at Grande Anse (Jenny Daltry, FCG-FFI). THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF FCG INTERNATIONAL LTD, THE BANANA INDUSTRY TRUST, THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA, OR THE EUROPEAN UNION. THE AUTHOR AND FCG INTERNATIONAL LTD TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY MISREPRESENTATION OF MATERIAL THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE TRANSLATION OF THIS DOCUMENT INTO ANY OTHER LANGUAGE, NOR FOR ANY ATTEMPT TO USE THE MAPS OR GEOREFERENCES IN THIS DOCUMENT FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. PUBLISHED BY FCG (Finnish Consultancy Group) International Ltd Helsinki, Finland COPYRIGHT © 2009 Government of Saint Lucia REPRODUCTION FOR RESALE OR OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSES IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER. RECOMMENDED CITATION Graveson, R. (2009) The Classification of the Vegetation of Saint Lucia. Technical Report No. 3 to the National Forest Demarcation and Bio-Physical Resource Inventory Project, FCG International Ltd, Helsinki, Finland. The National Forest Demarcation and Bio-Physical Resource Inventory Project was funded by the European Union under the auspices of the Banana Industry Trust, and implemented by the Finnish Consulting Group (FCG) International Ltd in collaboration with the Saint Lucia Forestry Department. Graveson – Vegetation Classification Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................i Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 2 2 Methods ................................................................................................................................................. 2 2.1 Summary of the steps taken ............................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Review of previous vegetation classifications in this region ............................................................. 3 2.2.1 Forest types of the Caribbean islands (Henri Stehlé) ................................................................ 3 2.2.2 Climactic natural vegetation types (John Beard) ...................................................................... 3 2.2.3 International Vegetation Classification System......................................................................... 6 2.2.4 Life Zones................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.5 The Nature Conservancy vegetation map of Saint Lucia ........................................................... 8 2.3 Production of a “Starter Map” ........................................................................................................ 10 2.4 Sampling vegetation plots in the field ............................................................................................. 11 2.5 Analysis of field plot data ................................................................................................................ 15 2.5.1 Two-way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) of tree presence and absence .................. 15 2.5.2 Manual Species and Forest Association Analysis .................................................................... 17 2.6 Mapping the vegetation classes ...................................................................................................... 19 3 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 20 4 Proposed Vegetation Classification for Saint Lucia ............................................................................. 27 4.1 Vegetation Classes........................................................................................................................... 27 4.2 Littoral Rock and Cliff Vegetation .................................................................................................... 28 4.3 Littoral Unconsolidated Sand Vegetation ....................................................................................... 29 4.4 Littoral Scrub, With or Without Cacti .............................................................................................. 30 4.5 Littoral Evergreen Forest and Shrubland ........................................................................................ 30 4.6 Mangrove ........................................................................................................................................ 32 4.7 Freshwater Swamp Forest ............................................................................................................... 34 4.8 Deciduous Seasonal Forest .............................................................................................................. 36 4.9 Grassland (with or without a few trees or shrubs) ......................................................................... 40 4.10 Semi-evergreen Seasonal Forest ..................................................................................................... 41 4.11 Lower Montane Rainforest ............................................................................................................. 44 4.12 Montane Rainforest ........................................................................................................................ 48 4.13 Cloud Montane Rainforest .............................................................................................................. 49 4.14 Elfin Shrubland ................................................................................................................................ 50 i Graveson – Vegetation Classification 4.15 Herbaceous Swamp (seasonal or permanent) ................................................................................ 51 4.16 Aquatic Herbaceous Vegetation ...................................................................................................... 52 4.17 Fumarole Vegetation ....................................................................................................................... 53 4.18 Tree Plantations .............................................................................................................................. 54 4.19 How these vegetation classes correspond to previous systems ..................................................... 54 4.20 New vegetation map ....................................................................................................................... 57 5 Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................................................... 58 6 References ........................................................................................................................................... 60 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 62 Appendix 2 ................................................................................................................................................... 63 Appendix 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 101 Appendix 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 104 Appendix 5 ................................................................................................................................................. 109 ii Graveson – Vegetation Classification Executive Summary The aim of this report was to present a vegetation classification system of Saint Lucia, based on field studies and satellite image analysis. To guide the selection of field sites, a simple starter map was produced, dividing Saint Lucia into 24 cells and showing approximate elevational zones and known areas of botanical interest. Two hundred plots were surveyed, each 20 metres in radius, covering a wide range of elevations in all parts of the country. Both floristic and biophysical data were recorded within every plot. The floristic data were analyzed using Two-way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN), supported with a manual floristic analysis, to assign the plots to distinct vegetation classes. An evaluation was made of prior vegetation classification systems in the Lesser Antilles. This was used, along with the results of the data analysis, to propose the following new vegetation classification system
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