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PRIORITY AREA |
Forestry in Land Use |
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PROJECT TITLE |
Petite Savanne - Pointe Mulatre Road |
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DURATION |
Probably 3 years and partial absorption into the longer Agroforestry project |
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LOCATION |
Petite Savanne - Morne Paix Bouche - Pointe Mulatre |
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BENEFICIARIES |
(1) Farmers and people of Petite Savanne |
BACKGROUND
The district around Petite Savanne is among the steepest and most difficult terrain in Dominica. The village itself is small but sprawling and the population is mainly concerned with agriculture, although a fishing village is nearby, at Fond St. Jean. In much earlier times, the road for horse traffic from Roseau through Geneva continued through Petite Savanne to Pointe Mulatre as part of the coastal road circling the island. In the 1950s, the only route between La Plaine and Roseau available to a motor vehicle was through Pointe Mulatre and Petite Savanne (the Paix Bouche section), and for some years, that section of the road was improved and maintained by PWD and Pointe Mulatre Estate, although it was a very difficult, slow route, because of acute corners, hairpin bends, which were only negotiable by reversing out. During this period, the road was used for banana transport, but it was never satisfactory. After the extension of the La Plaine road, with great difficulty, to Delices the Paix Bouche section was left unused except for foot traffic, and it remains so.
The Geneva - Petite Savanne road section is now well surfaced, and despite the problems of landslips and erosion, which are a constant threat in this area, the road is well maintained. However, Petite Savanne remains as a village at the end of the road with no real access if there are major slips. There was a major slip and loss of life a mile away at Bagatelle in the 1970s.
Within the area of the village, the major cash crop and export is bay oil. The trees cover hillsides of varying slope and firewood for the distilleries now has to be hauled in from some distance. There are other fruit trees and food crops, but bay is the most significant crop from the viewpoint of the island economy. Bay production is centred in this area, and although little more than 10% of the value of the banana, and giving a low return to labour and to land, it remains the fifth-largest export value, at $1.2 million/year.
However, the bay crop is insufficient to support the villagers, who, perhaps because of the remoteness of the village, are very attached to remaining there, and have been developing gardens in unused, steep hillside land high above the village in an area they consider suitable for banana production. Moreover, the problem is likely to increase because of continued population growth.
The land into which the farmers have expanded cannot, for several reasons, be permitted to be in continuous use for this purpose. First, it is not actually suitable for continuous clean cultivation of the banana, although it was suitable under former shifting cultivation. It is extremely steep (Class VI land), with major risks of landslip and excessive erosion under clean cultivation after tree roots have rotted. Second, access for cultivation is difficult, for pest control measures (leaf spot control, eg.), and for hauling the crop very difficult, making the whole enterprise of low financial and possibly negative economic benefit. Above all, however, the land is within the designated limits of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.
The farmers have of their own initiative formed a group to introduce agroforestry methods into the area, and are working with a forestry officer on developments to suit their area, including the need for fuelwood for the distillery.
As recognition of their initiative and to provide them with an adequate opportunity to implement their ideas, 16 of the group - have been allocated 5 acres each on the former Pointe Mulatre Estate. However, since access is only by foot for 5 km, or by a journey of perhaps 50 km through Roseau, Pont Casse and La Plaine, they are unable to make much progress.
Consequently, the development of a motorable road in the Paix Bouche section has been proposed. The road is subject to special difficulties of instability of slopes so that a road causing minimal disturbance is proposed, since relative costs, damage to farms and risk of instability increase at least as the square of the width of the roadcut.
PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
Farmers
1. The National Park is being encroached upon by land-hungry farmers because access to land otherwise available to them is too difficult.2. The land being encroached on is unsuitable and will be severely damaged if they are not removed.
3. For economic reasons the farmers badly need access to more land.
4. The farmers have demonstrated that they are innovative and are developing agroforestry systems.
5. The old road from Petite Savanne to Pointe Mulatre which could solve their problems is unusable.
Other Interests
6. There is at present no alternative route to Petite Savanne or Pointe Mulatre. Providing a link would reduce the costs of many journeys and open up some opportunities for internal trade (between Fond St. Jean and Delices - La Plaine, for example).7. The area has spectacular scenery which can only be visited on foot. In the vicinity of the col on Paix Bouche, there are breathtaking views and the whole area is of interest. Some tourists make the journey on foot, but it could form the basis for an adventure jeep trip.
DELIVERABLES
1. The National Park will be clear of encroachment.
2. The farmers of Petite Savanne will have adequate access to their allocated land and there will probably be additional land available for others.
3. The farmers/standard of living will be improved. They will have more land and less difficulty in transporting bananas safely.
4. A community initiative in agroforestry will have been made possible which will be a fine example to other Dominican communities.
5. An alternative route into Petite Savanne and Delices/Point Mulatre will be available to offset the ever present possibility of the villages being cut off by major landslip.
6. A route suitable for tourist adventure journeys by 4-wheel drive (and on foot along Paix Bouche ridge into the National Park) will be available.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. It will be essential to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment on the proposed redevelopment of the road and to use construction methods proposed by the EIA to minimize damage to surrounding land and avoid compromising the stability of the area.
2. There are alternatives which may be considered from both the purely environmental and the cost-effectiveness viewpoints, and which may need to be reconsidered during the commission of the EIA, but at first approximation the present proposal appears to be most suitable.
The three alternatives examined were:
(1) Feeder road (3.6m carriageway) following more or less the old alignment.(2) Jeepable road (1.8m carriageway) following the old alignment, with minimal further excavation.
(3) Feeder road from Pointe Mulatre through Foundland to Perdu Temps and thence Geneva.
Of these, the second appeared most practical.
OVERALL OBJECTIVES
1. Improve motor vehicle access between Petite Savanne and Pointe Mulatre enabling farmers to work their holdings effectively.
2. Enable and encourage a demonstration of community-led agroforestry as a stimulus to agroforestry development in Dominica.
IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES
1. Assessment of the most cost-effective method of achieving improved access with minimal environmental impact.
Activities
1.1 Consider alternative alignments and road types and propose several for evaluation at first approximation.1.2 Consider environmental effects and costs of fully/acceptably mitigating them for each alternative, both in terms of capital and recurrent costs and risks of major landslip (considered as beyond cost analysis).
1.3 Evaluate and grade the alternatives and offer assessment by cost and risk.
1.4 GOCD representative determines choice of option or if necessary requests more detail.
2. Implementation of chosen option
Activities
2.1 Detailed survey on route and determination of methods for impact mitigated construction, schedule of work, schedule of compensation for disruption.2.2 Make necessary purchases and provide any necessary/agreed sweeteners to farmers to be affected by construction.
2.3 Ensure that sufficient drains and sumps are provided in advance of main construction.
2.4 Construct and determine maintenance need.
2.5 Improve stabilization by tree planting along roadsides.
3. Implementation of chosen agroforestry methods
Activities
3.1 Continue experimental agroforestry in Petite Savanne area.3.2 Link up with regional agroforestry demonstrations if these are contemporary, and use their techniques.
3.3 Provide farmers with adequate inputs including credit to enable them to put agroforestry into practice.
3.4 Continue in association with regional agroforestry scheme.
INPUTS
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Equipment |
Personnel |
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1 x 4WD vehicle |
1 Project manager, full-time 6 months, part-time for 2 ½ years after |
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1 charcoal kiln |
1 EIA consultant - 3 months; 1 geologist consultant - 1 month |
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Office equipment |
1 road building contractor with expertise in low impact methods |
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Site office at Point Mulatre Seedlings for roadside trees |
1 agroforester part-time (Forestry Division) |
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1 surveyor, part-time (one year?) |
OUTPUTS
1. An EIA with assessment of alternative and proposals for mitigation of impact.
2. A jeepable road over the Paix Bouche section, with lowest possible landslip risk and maintenance costs.
3. Land around Point Multare in profitable production and demonstration of community initiated agroforestry.
4. Trees cleared along route or on farmland used for charcoal.
5. Trees replanted along roadside.
NATIONAL LEAD IMPLEMENTING AGENCY
Ministry of Communications, Housing and Works, with input from Forestry Division
RISKS
There is a risk that there may be no plausible method of constructing the road without including landslides and damage to the surrounding area, of sufficient scale to necessitate reconsideration. It is for this reason that a geologist/geotechnologist skilled in landslip analysis and prevention is required for the first month. Should his report be unfavourable to the proposed alignment, and another alignment is found to be more suitable, the cost is likely to rise appreciably.
BUDGET
The budget is based on an estimated cost of $200,000 per kilometre of road fully mitigated construction methods, using a contractor, and has been estimated as a proportion of the cost of a feeder (12') previously assessed at about $700,000/km without full mitigation, for the same proposed road.
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(a) Donor Contribution |
US$ 833,000 |
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(b) Government Contribution |
US$ 120,000 |
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(c) Total Contribution |
US$ 953,000 |
DONOR CONTRIBUTION (US$'000)
|
ITEM |
YEAR |
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|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Equipment |
|||||||
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1 x 4WD vehicle: |
||||||
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|
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Cost |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Maintenance |
|
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
1 Charcoal kiln |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office supplies/Miscellaneous |
10 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Personnel |
|||||||
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1 Project Manager |
37 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
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1 EIA consultant |
50 |
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|
|
|
|
|
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1 Geologist consultant |
16 |
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|
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|
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|
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Compensation etc |
|
40 |
40 |
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|
|
|
|
Contract: Road construction |
|
185 |
185 |
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|
|
|
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Sub-total |
136 |
258 |
258 |
33 |
33 |
|
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TOTAL US$ 833,000 (incl. 20% contingencies) |
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GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION (US$'000)
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ITEM |
YEAR |
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|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
|
Vehicle maintenance |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Office supplies |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Office accommodation |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
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One agroforester |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
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Sub-total |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
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Contingencies (10%) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
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TOTAL US$ 120,000 |
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