Chapter 36. Caribbean

Figure 36-1. Caribbean subregion: Forest cover map

This subregion includes the three major physiographic divisions of the West Indies: the Greater Antilles, comprising the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Grenada; and the isolated island groups of the North American continental shelf, the Bahamas, and the islands of the South American shelf, including Trinidad and Tobago and the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire). Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are also reported in this subregion (Figure 36-1).

The Greater Antilles, which are continental remnants, have a total land area of around 21 million hectares with more than 4 million hectares (22 percent) in forest cover. The Lesser Antilles and all the isolated islands of this subregion have a total land area of around 2 million hectares, of which more than 1 million hectares (59 percent) is covered by forest.

The natural vegetation of the Lesser Antilles was well studied by Beard (1949). The islands are mainly of volcanic origin. According to Beard the climax vegetation formations of these islands can be divided into the rain forest formation, montane formations (lower montane rain forest, montane thicket and elfin woodland), seasonal formations (evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous) and dry formations (bushland and littoral woodlands). Swamp formations and mangroves are present in all islands with the exception of Dominica (Beard 1949).

The Caribbean subregion contains a rich variety of complex ecosystems with a great abundance of plant and animal species and a variety of coastal and marine habitats. The subregion, taken together with the coastal regions of North, Central and South America, represents the greatest concentration of biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean basin (UNEP 2000). Cuba's species richness is of major regional importance. Cuba has the highest species diversity and highest degree of endemism in the West Indies. Over 50 percent of the flora and 32 percent of the vertebrate fauna are endemic (WCMC 2001). Because the nations in this region depend heavily on the health and beauty of the natural world to generate tourism income, the conservation of the region's biological diversity is not only linked to social, cultural and political conditions but also to the economic realities of the region. Coral reefs, sea grass meadows and mangroves are among the best known marine and coastal ecosystems in the region and are large contributors to its biodiversity (UNEP 2000). The main economic trend in the Caribbean countries during the 1990s has been the rapid transition from agriculture-based economies to service-based ones, mainly centred on tourism. Relative to the first half of the 1990s, the prospects for GDP growth have improved somewhat, owing mainly to the expansion of the tourism sector and other services to substitute the banana industry as the main foreign exchange earner. The islands' relative proximity to the markets of North America and Europe and their attractive nature offer them the opportunity to further develop their tourism sector, as well as to further diversify their economies. For example, in Saint Lucia agriculture represented approximately 16 percent of the total GDP value added in 1977, while tourism represented 21 percent. In 1997, the agriculture and tourism contributions to GDP were 8 percent and 33 percent respectively (World Bank 2000).

Table 36-1. Caribbean: forest resources and management

Country/area	Land area	Forest area 2000					Area change 1990-2000 (total forest)		Volume and above-ground biomass (total forest)		Forest under management plan
		Natural forest	Forest plantation	Total forest
	000 ha	000 ha	000 ha	000 ha	%	ha/ capita	000 ha/ year	%	m3/ha	t/ha	000 ha	%
Antigua and Barbuda	44	9		9	20.5	0.1	n.s.	n.s.	116	210	-	-
Bahamas	1 001	842	-	842	84.1	2.8	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Barbados	43	2	0	2	4.7	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Bermuda	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
British Virgin Islands	15	3	-	3	20.0	0.1	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Cayman Islands	26	13	-	13	-	0.4	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Cuba	10 982	1 867	482	2 348	21.4	0.2	28	1.3	71	114	730	31
Dominica	75	46	0	46	61.3	0.6	n.s.	-0.7	91	166	-	-
Dominican Republic	4 838	1 346	30	1 376	28.4	0.2	n.s.	n.s.	29	53	152	11
Grenada	34	5	0	5	14.7	0.1	n.s.	0.9	83	150	-	-
Guadeloupe	169	78	4	82	48.5	0.2	2	2.1	-	-	28*	n.ap.
Haiti	2 756	68	20	88	3.2	n.s.	-7	-5.7	28	101	-	-
Jamaica	1 083	317	9	325	30.0	0.1	-5	-1.5	82	171	44	14
Martinique	107	45	2	47	43.9	0.1	n.s.	n.s.	5	5	10	21
Montserrat	11	3	-	3	27.3	0.3	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Netherlands Antilles	80	1	-	1	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Puerto Rico	887	225	4	229	25.8	0.1	-1	-0.2	-	-	57	25
Saint Kitts and Nevis	36	4		4	11.1	0.1	n.s.	-0.6	-	-	-	-
Saint Lucia	61	8	1	9	14.8	0.1	-1	-4.9	190	198	-	-
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	39	6	0	6	15.4	0.1	n.s.	-1.4	166	173	-	-
Trinidad and Tobago	513	244	15	259	50.5	0.2	-2	-0.8	71	129	120	46
United States Virgin Islands	34	14	-	14	41.2	0.1	n.s.	n.s.	-	-	-	-
Total Caribbean	22 839	5 145	566	5 711	25.0	0.2	13	0.2	57	98	-	-
Total North and Central America	2 136 966	531 771	17 533	549 304	25.7	1.1	-570	-0.1	123	95	-	-
TOTAL WORLD	13 063 900	3 682 722	186 733	3 869 455	29.6	0.6	-9 391	-0.2	100	109	-	-

Source: Appendix 3, Tables 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9.
*Partial result only. National figure not available.

However, with tourism comes the pressure for land and infrastructure development, which can impinge on the forest. A careful balance is required. The loss of the forest may well lead to the loss of tourism. This balance is one of the major problems facing the Caribbean forest sector and tourism industry today (Fripp 2000).

FOREST RESOURCES

Forest data for the Caribbean countries were collected with the support of the FAO Subregional Office for the Caribbean and through a Workshop on Data Collection and Outlook Study for Forestry in the Caribbean, held in Trinidad in February 2000. The most accurate and up-to-date forestry information in the Caribbean is found in Cuba (1998) and Jamaica (1997), provided by detailed forest mapping. The Dominican Republic has recent information but it was not possible to compare it with previous years because of differences in definitions and methodologies. Fifteen of the 22 reporting units provided data from land use maps, secondary sources or forest estimates. In most of them the exact method used to make these estimates was not clear.

The greatest conversion of forest cover is in Haiti and Saint Lucia, while Cuba and Grenada showed increase in forest cover change. In Cuba this was due to an intensive forest plantation programme which now totals almost 500 000 ha. The report from Grenada mentions that it was not possible to differentiate between shrub and open forest on the satellite images used to prepare the map. Thus, the area of forest could be overestimated. Countries with a high proportion of forest cover are the Bahamas, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago. Those with less forest cover are Barbados and Haiti (Figure 36-2, Table 36-1).

The forest cover of the Caribbean region represents only about 0.1 percent of the total forest cover of the world. Nevertheless the high endemism of the plants of the region, the particular characteristics of Caribbean wetlands and the importance of green cover in local economies, especially for tourism, make the forest cover important in this subregion (UNEP 2000).

Volume and biomass were calculated for 10 of the 22 islands, based on commercial volume with appropriate adjustments. The highest per hectare levels are found in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while the level in Martinique is low.

FOREST MANAGEMENT AND USES

Information on areas covered by forest management plans was lacking from most countries in the Caribbean. Three countries or areas (Jamaica, Martinique and Puerto Rico) provided national-level information on the area of forest subject to a formal, nationally approved forest management plan for FRA 2000. An additional three countries (Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago) provided information on the area of natural forest under management for the 2000 meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (Table 36-1). The figures provided ranged from 11 to 46 percent of the total forest area in 2000. Partial data was available from Grenada.

It is important to keep in mind that the total area reported in forest management plans is not necessary equivalent to the total forest area that is under sustainable forest management. The information reported did not indicate if the plans are appropriate, implemented as planned or having the intended effect.

Most of the Caribbean islands do not have any wood processing industry and import their forest products, mainly from Belize and Guyana. Many of the major islands are trying to increase timber production through plantation programmes. Cuba plans to increase its timber production for industrial purposes by 2.5 times in the period 1998-2015; 78 percent will be provided by plantations (FAO 2000).

The islands face environmental challenges such as hurricanes, soil erosion, flooding, forest fires and drought. Therefore, watershed management to reduce the negative impact of natural disasters is identified as a priority in all the islands. Throughout the region, forestry institutions are promoting programmes for soil and water conservation, to support tourism and recreation activities to conserve biodiversity and to increase protected areas (FAO 2000).

UNEP's Caribbean Environmental Programme has undertaken the development of a regional framework for integrated coastal planning and management in the wider Caribbean region. The governments of the region, with the assistance of the UNEP, have developed innovative approaches for the protection of coastal and marine ecosystems through the Special Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol (SPAW) of the Cartagena Convention. The parties agreed to protect key ecosystem components such as coral reefs, sea grasses and mangroves. They also agreed that coastal and marine ecosystems should be regionally managed and monitored in order to maintain the integrity of coastal ecosystems; ensure the propagation of ecologically important and commercially harvestable marine and estuarine species; restore ecosystems and populations of depleted and endangered species; and further develop the region's ecotourism industry. The last item points out that there is a clear economic benefit to maintaining a healthy, systematically managed regional system of parks and protected areas (UNEP 2000).

Figure 36-2. Caribbean: natural forest and forest plantation areas 2000 and net area changes 1990-2000

Trees outside the forest and urban forests are of increasing importance. Almost all countries of the region recognized the need to increase the number of trees and there are programmes to encourage planting in both urban and rural areas. There has been no assessment of the amount and value of trees outside the forest. They serve mostly social purposes such as production of fruit, landscaping and recreation. Trees are planted for fodder, fuelwood, windbreaks and other purposes (FAO 2000).

CONCLUSIONS AND ISSUES

The current status of data and information about forest products and services in the Caribbean is variable, but all countries mentioned the need to obtain higher-quality, more accurate and more relevant data than are currently collected and to better monitor forest resources and services. Data are needed on the use of fuelwood and non-wood forest products, forest recreation and tourism, forestry's role in watershed management, forest employment, the contribution of forests to the national economy and the social and community benefits of forestry (FAO 2000).

With the exception of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the larger islands have experienced a reduction in forest cover. In Jamaica and Haiti this situation is due to the increased need for agricultural land, while in Puerto Rico the main reason is urban development. In some of the small islands, where commercial agriculture is expected to decrease, there is the potential that agricultural land may revert to forest. On the other hand, tourist development and increased urbanization may further reduce forest cover around cities and villages (FAO 2000).

Growth of the tourism sector often encroaches on forest resources for development, diminishing natural beauty, watershed protection and other values. This then decreases the attraction of the forest for tourism.

Natural phenomena such as hurricanes and drought affect forests in this subregion. Declining profitability of trade in agricultural products such as bananas may lead to a decline in foreign exchange earnings and employment, fostering greater interest in forestry or ecotourism as a substitute (Fripp 2000).

For the Caribbean islands, the classification and establishment of protected areas, land use policy and institutional constraints are important issues (FAO 2000). The role of forests in watershed protection is extremely important. Most countries are moving towards sustainable management of their forests through the formulation and implementation of sustainable forest management plans (FAO 2000).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beard, J.S. 1949. The natural vegetation of the Windward & Leeward Islands. Oxford, UK, Clarendon Press.

Caribbean Tourism Organization. 1999. Ecotourism statistical fact sheet.

FAO. 2000. Caribbean Workshop on Data Collection and Analysis for Sustainable Forestry Management. Report of EC-FAO workshop, February 2000.

Fripp, E. 2000. Socio-economic trends and outlook: implications for the Caribbean forestry sector to 2020. Baseline study carried out in the framework of the Data Collection and Outlook Effort for Forestry in the Caribbean. London.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2000. Maintenance of biological diversity. Caribbean Environmental Programme.
www.cep.unep.org/issues/biodiversity.html

World Bank. 2000. Latin America and Caribbean region report.
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/external/lac/lac.nsf

World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC). 2001. National biodiversity profiles. Cuba.
www.wcmc.org.uk /nbp/index.html