St. Lucia is the second largest of the Windward Islands, with an area of 616 km2. It is 42 km long and 22 km wide with very irregular, steep terrain especially in the interior. The island has fertile, volcanic soils but due to mainly topographical constraints, only 28 percent (17 360 ha) of the total land area is suitable for agriculture. According to the 1996 Agricultural Census, a total of 15 784 ha are under cultivation and 13 945 ha under permanent crops.
The estimated population in 1996 was 146 000 inhabitants of which 62 percent live in rural districts. Population density was 235 inhabitants per km2 and the growth rate was 1.3 percent.
Agriculture accounted for 13 percent of GDP and 13 percent of exports over the period 1985 - 1995. Bananas is the most important contributor to the agricultural GDP, accounting for over 30 percent of export earnings in 1995. With the loss of the preferential market for bananas, the agricultural sector of St. Lucia has been on the decline and tourism is gaining in importance.
St. Lucia currently has no stated policy governing the management of its land, water and plant nutrition resources, resulting in an ad hoc and uncoordinated approach to management. Overall, land-use planning and land zoning occur in an ineffective and inefficient fashion.
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Deborah Bushell |
The Ministry of Planning, Development and the Environment has responsibility for land-use planning with major emphasis placed on physical considerations. The planning process is expected to allocate land resources for the best possible uses and zone these accordingly. The Land Development (Interim Control) Act of 1971 and it amendments and the Town and Country Planning Ordinance (1946) provide the legal framework for physical planning. The Act establishes a Development Control Authority (DCA) with responsibility for regulating all land development. Sectors such as Health, Housing, Public Works and Agriculture are all represented on the DCA. In spite of this, the view is often expressed from within the agricultural sector in particular, that development often takes place at the expense of the natural environment. This is probably due to the inadequacy of land-use planning and the absence of a comprehensive zoning of lands.
Through the Forest, Soil and Water Ordinance (1946), the Department of Forestry of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is able to establish forest reserves and protected forests, oversee the use of forest resources (e.g. timber), and implement soil and water conservation programmes. The Department has a management plan in place for all lands (private and state-owned) classified as forest lands and a legal framework is in place for their protection. In practice however, tremendous conflicts exist with respect to the management of privately owned forest-lands. In the case of state-owned lands outside the jurisdiction of the Forestry Department, the Crown Lands Ordinance (1946) provides for a Crown Land Committee to review and advise on issues regarding the use and allocation of such lands. The Agriculture Small Tenancy Act (1983) is focused specifically at small farm holdings and provides for adequate soil and water conservation measures on smallholdings.
As a means of instituting a more comprehensive regulatory mechanism for the management of private and state-owned lands, a Land Conservation and Improvement Act was promulgated in 1992 and a Land Conservation Board was subsequently constituted under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture. To date, however, the Board only convened once and supporting regulations are yet to be developed.
In recognition of the inadequacy of these institutional arrangements, a "National Land Policy Symposium" was convened in February this year toward the development of a Land Policy for the country.
The Forest, Soil and Water Ordinance (1946) and the Land Conservation and Improvement Act (1992) also deal with the protection of water resources through the land protection measures to be instituted. The Water and Sewerage Act (1999) assigns responsibility for water resources management, allocation and planning to the National Water and Sewerage Commission. A review of the water sector and the current actors and roles in water management undertaken in April 2000, indicated an area of conflict inherent in the Act in that it attempts to assess and manage the resources while simultaneously supervising the water and sewerage utility. There is no articulated water policy and no regulations have been put in place. Attempts to assess water resources have historically been undertaken by the MAFF as a means of supporting agricultural productivity. Data generated, although of varying quality and reliability, has however found more widespread use nationally. The Ministry of Health has responsibility for regulating water quality to safeguard public health. In April this year the MAFF, with EU assistance, embarked upon a Water Resources Management Project to address such aspects as resource assessment, watershed management, rationalisation of existing institutional frameworks and public awareness and sensitisation.
The MAFF also has responsibility for providing services to enhance agricultural production in general and, through its Forestry Department, for the management of forests.
During the rainy season in particular, the silt-laden streams and rivers are visible evidence of the higher rate of soil erosion in the country. High levels of silt deposition contribute to the drainage problems in the three major agricultural valleys, Roseau, Cul-de-Sac and Mabouya and there is evidence of continued denudation of lands in upper watersheds as well as extensive riverbank erosion in most watersheds. A spatial analysis of the extent of degradation has not been undertaken, however; the relationship between soil loss and reduction in crop yield has not been determined either.
Widespread use of agro-chemicals is another area of concern with respect to water quality, human health and loss of biodiversity. Here again very little analysis has been undertaken with respect to agro-chemical residues and no specific problem areas can be identified.
Recent attempts to develop a Land Policy, are evidence of the growing recognition at the highest policy level of the need to improve the decision making process where the use of land is concerned. Initiatives with respect to Water Policy include the establishment by the MAFF of a Water Resources Management Unit that has as one of its mandates, a review of the legal and institutional frameworks for water resources management. While the MAFF's main interest is in water for agriculture, it has recognised that the inadequacies at the national level need to be addressed as an important first step.
Two Water Catchment Groups have been established with the assistance of the Forestry Department to address the protection of water intakes in those communities. In both cases the communities made the decision to engage in these activities and subsequently sought the assistance of the Department. Also, a Watershed Management Action Force was formed in another community under the Watershed and Environmental Management Project that was completed in 1998. These groups all play an active role in identifying issues negatively affecting watershed management in their communities and subsequently seek assistance to address those problems. Currently the Talvern Water Catchment Group is undertaking a riverbank stabilisation exercise.
Efforts by the Solid Waste Management authority to sensitise communities with respect to waste disposal issues are also important as solid waste has been adversely affecting river health and often results in blocked drains, contributing to the incidence of flooding.
The management of natural resources requires first and foremost an understanding of the nature of the resource to be managed. Baseline studies are therefore necessary to identify and quantify existing resources and if possible, to attach some economic value to them. The inter-relationships between the various components of the island's ecosystems are likewise undetermined, posing tremendous challenges to sustainable development.
Land use and land tenure issues have contributed significantly to land degradation on the island and pose a major obstacle to natural resource management. Past efforts to encourage the implementation of land conservation have met with limited success and therefore innovative measures must be devised for the widespread adoption of these practices. Factors affecting land degradation are also linked to water resources. As the country faces increased water demands, it may be necessary to factor some of the cost of watershed conservation to the consumer.
The widespread cultivation of bananas for export was accompanied by an expansion into previously forested areas unsuited to intensive cultivation. During the period when this crop was a major income earner, conservation measures, where they existed, were grossly inadequate. Now that difficulties are being experienced in this industry, farmers will be more hard-pressed to institute such measures. In cases where farmers have chosen to diversify there will be new issues to be addressed with respect to the extent of vegetative cover and other factors related to the crop to be introduced. Access to water for irrigation is also a serious challenge that the agricultural sector has to face. Issues such as water rights and adopting measures for irrigation water management require attention as well.
For these and the many other natural resource management issues to be addressed it is necessary that the existing legislative and institutional frameworks be reviewed. Currently there is considerable overlap in departmental mandates and several gaps exist. Prime among these is the absence of a proper management data base on the existing natural resources.
The Biodiversity Country Study Report for St. Lucia is the most up-to-date compilation of information on land, water and plant resources. Due to financial constraints, data are not systematically or frequently updated with the introduction of geographic information systems. With the increased availability of satellite imagery, it is expected that land cover information can be more readily updated.
Data on water resources, where available, are generally very unreliable. It is expected that this aspect will be addressed through the Water Resources Management Project.
Plant nutrition management data are generally available from the Forestry and Agriculture Departments.
The Planning and Statistical Department of the MAFF is currently the department best suited to the management of data in general. However, it has not been involved in developing the Information System and Country Reports. The MAFF will seek to identify a funding source for a local contractor to develop the Information System and this will subsequently be maintained by the MAFF. The exact mechanism for this is still to be determined.
The full report is available at: http://www.tidco.co.tt/uwigeospatial/St%20Lucia/home.htm
