Submitted to:
Environmental Services Unit Ministry of Health and the Environment St. Vincent and the Grenadines
October, 2006 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sincere gratitude is extended to the following persons who provided information and assisted in the preparation of this report:
Asha Audain Reynold Murray (PhD.) Morrison Baisden Ardon Nelson Clive Bishop Terrence Phillips Ashley Caine Fitzgerald Providence Colin Campbell Sophia Punnett Jennifer Cruickshank Cornelius Richards Lystra Culzac-Wilson Marcus Richards Mark Da Silva Raymond Ryan Philmore Isaacs Susan Singh-Renton (PhD) Edmund Jackson Leslie Straker Augustus John Nigel Weekes Brian Johnson Physaun Wilkes Rowena Kirby-Straker Andrew Wilson
1
CONTENTS
A. REPORTING PARTY...... 3 Information on the preparation of the report...... 3 B. PRIORITY SETTING, TARGETS AND OBSTACLES ...... 6 Priority Setting ...... 9 Challenges and Obstacles to Implementation ...... 10 2010 Target...... 13 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)...... 49 Ecosystem Approach ...... 67 C. ARTICLES OF THE CONVENTION ...... 70 Article 5 – Cooperation ...... 70 Article 6 - General measures for conservation and sustainable use...... 73 Biodiversity and Climate Change ...... 76 Article 7 - Identification and monitoring ...... 77 Decisions on Taxonomy...... 80 Article 8 - In-situ conservation [Excluding paragraphs (a) to (e), (h) and (j)] ...... 83 Programme of Work on Protected Areas (Article 8 (a) to (e)) ...... 84 Article 8(h) - Alien species ...... 89 Article 8(j) - Traditional knowledge and related provisions ...... 93 GURTS...... 93 Status and Trends ...... 93 Akwé:Kon Guidelines ...... 94 Capacity Building and Participation of Indigenous and Local Communities...... 94 Support to implementation ...... 95 Article 9 - Ex-situ conservation ...... 97 Article 10 - Sustainable use of components of biological diversity...... 98 Biodiversity and Tourism ...... 102 Article 11 - Incentive measures ...... 103 Article 12 - Research and training ...... 106 Article 13 - Public education and awareness...... 107 Article 14 - Impact assessment and minimizing adverse impacts ...... 111 Article 15 - Access to genetic resources ...... 114 Article 16 - Access to and transfer of technology ...... 117 Programme of Work on transfer of technology and technology cooperation ...... 119 Article 17 - Exchange of information...... 121 Article 18 - Technical and scientific cooperation...... 122 Article 19 - Handling of biotechnology and distribution of its benefits...... 125 Article 20 – Financial resources...... 126 D. THEMATIC AREAS ...... 132 Inland water ecosystems ...... 134 Marine and coastal biological diversity ...... 137 General ...... 137 Implementation of Integrated Marine and Coastal Area Management ...... 138 Marine and Coastal Living Resources...... 139 Mariculture ...... 142 Alien Species and Genotypes ...... 143 Agricultural biological diversity ...... 144 Annex to decision V/5 - Programme of work on agricultural biodiversity ...... 144 Forest Biological Diversity ...... 149 General ...... 149 Expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity...... 152 Biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands ...... 161 Mountain Biodiversity ...... 164 E. OPERATIONS OF THE CONVENTION ...... 167 F. COMMENTS ON THE FORMAT ...... 169
2 A. REPORTING PARTY
Contracting Party St. Vincent and the Grenadines
N A T I O N A L F O C A L P O I N T
Environmental Services Unit Full name of the institution Ministry of Health & the Environment Name and title of contact Edmund Jackson officer
Ministry of Health and the Environment Mailing address St. Vincent and the Grenadines Telephone (784) 485 - 6992
Fax (784) 457 - 2684
E-mail [email protected]
CONTACT OFFICER FOR NATIONAL REPORT (IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE)
Full name of the institution
Name and title of contact
officer
Mailing address
Telephone
Fax
S U B M I S S I O N
Signature of officer responsible
for submitting national report
Date of submission
Information on the preparation of the report Box I. Please provide information on the preparation of this report, including information on stakeholders involved and material used as a basis for the report.
This report was prepared primarily by a team of six local persons with careers in the field of environmental management. Each team member completed this questionnaire based on an assigned thematic area. The thematic areas assigned were inland water biodiversity, marine and coastal ecosystems, agricultural biodiversity, forest biodiversity, biodiversity of dry and sub-humid lands and mountain biodiversity. Team members used information from key documents and from interviews with local biodiversity managers and stakeholders to answer the questions in this report. Following the completion of the individual reports, the information was compiled into a comprehensive report, reflective of all thematic areas. The comprehensive report was then reviewed by the team, interviewees, other stakeholders who
3 were not initially interviewed, directors and technical officers of the various line agencies.
The main agencies consulted in the preparation of this report were: • Agriculture Diversification Programme Implementation Unit • Physical Planning Unit, Ministry of Housing, Informal Human Settlements, Physical Planning, Land & Surveys • Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries • Environmental Services Unit, Ministry of Health and the Environment • Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries • Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries • Meteorological Office • National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority, Ministry of Tourism, Youth and Sports • Plant Protection Unit, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries • Tourism Department, Ministry of Tourism, Youth and Sports
Documents used in the preparation of this report included: Culzac-Wilson, L. 2004. National Report on the Status of Biodiversity in St. Vincent and the Grenadines: A Report on the Capacity of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to Conserve its Biodiversity. Prepared for Environmental Services Unit, Ministry of Health and the Environment. Culzac-Wilson, L. 2005. Species Conservation Plan for the St. Vincent Parrot Amazona guildingii. Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife: Loro Parque Fundación. Da Silva, M., Horrocks, J. and G. Alayon Garcia. 2006. The Spiders and their Relatives of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Mayreau Environmental Development Organisation (MEDO). Da Silva, M. and D. Wilson. 2006. A Natural History of Mustique: A Field Guide to the Common Flora, Fauna and Marine Species. Mustique Company, Mustique Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Daudin, Jacques. 2003. A Natural History Monograph of Union Island (1st ed.) Fields, A. 2004. Terrestrial Molluscs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Draft Report). Ryan, R. 1999. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Fisheries Status Report 1997. Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Final Draft - Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use Act, 2006. Submitted to Environmental Services Unit, Ministry of Health and the Environment. Fisheries Division. 2005. Fisheries Corporate Plan 2005 – 2008. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Ivor Jackson and Associates. 2004. Master Plan: System of Protected Areas and Heritage Sites, St. Vin- cent and the Grenadines. Ivor Jackson and Associates, St. John’s, Antigua. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. OECS Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods Project - Project Appraisal Document. (2004). Simmons and Associates, Inc., 2000. Draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for St. Vin cent and the Grenadines. Report prepared for the Government of St. Vincent and the Grena- dines. Submitted to Environmental Services Unit, Ministry of Health and the Environment. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. 1997. Strategic Plan for Agricultural Diversification and development 1997–2006. Homer, F and D. Shim. 1004. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Environmental Management Strategy and Action Plan 2004 – 2006. Canadian International Development Agency. Government of St, Vincent and the Grenadines. 2006. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 2006 (with projections for 2007 and 2008). The Nature Conservancy. 2006. 1st St. Vincent and the Grenadines Protected Area System Gap Assessment Workshop Report. The World Bank. 2006. Project appraisal document on a proposed grant from the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (in the amount of USD 2.1 million) for the benefit of Governments of dominica, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (through the Caribbean Community Climate
4 Change Center (CCCC) for a special program on Adaptation to Climate Change (SPACC) project). Woodruff, R.E. et al. 1998. A Checklist and Bibliograph of the Insects of Grenada and the Grenadines. Center for Sysyematic Entomology. Gainesville, FL.
Legislation used in the preparation of this report included: Environmental Health Services Act No 14 of 1991 Fisheries Act No. 8 of 1986 Fisheries Regulations Statutory Rules and Orders 1987 No. 1 Forest Resource Conservation Act No. 47 of 1992 Town and Country Planning Act No. 45 of 1992
Websites consulted included: Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, University of the West Indies http://cermes.cavehill.uwi.edu Convention on Biological Diversity: www.biodiv.org Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines: www.gov.vc Reef Environmental Educational Foundation: www.reef.org
5
B. PRIORITY SETTING, TARGETS AND OBSTACLES
Box II. Please provide an overview of the status and trends of various components of biological diversity in your country based on the information and data available.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is an archipelagic nation located at 60.56’ West longitude and 13. 15’ North Latitude and forms part of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. The country is comprised of more than thirty (30) islands, islets and cays, which together cover a total land area of 150 square miles, with the main island St. Vincent accounting for about 89% of the total land area. The country’s smaller islands are referred to as the Grenadines, seven of which are inhabited; Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent. The Tobago Cays are uninhabited islands flanked by fringing reefs. These islands form the country’s lone marine park.
The largest island, St. Vincent, is rugged and mountainous with steep slopes and fertile yellow earth, volcanic ash and alluvial soils. The highest mountain, the La Soufriere volcano, peaks at about 4048 feet and last erupted in 1979. The Grenadines are characterized by low, dry hills surrounded by extensive coral reefs.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines enjoys a tropical climate with a mean annual temperature of 26.7o C and an annual average rainfall of approximately 80 inches on the southern coast to over 300 inches in the mountainous interior. In the Grenadines, rainfall is significantly lower, averaging about 50 inches annually.
The country is home to about 31, 300 acres of tropical forests, including primary and secondary rainforest, palm brakes, elfin woodland, littoral woodland, dry scrub woodlands and mangrove forests, as classified by Beard (1949) in Caribbean Conservation Association (1991). Marine habitats include coral reefs and sea grass beds.
Biodiversity listings are generally dated, fragmented and incomplete. However, there have been efforts by Government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals to update previous lists. Recent initiatives focus on updating and publishing listings for the Grenadines. Lists can be found in various documents (see documents used on page 4). These documents along with the personal testimony of Mark Da Silva, an avid collector of biodiversity information, reveal that there are at least: