OPAAL- Protecting a Place for You and Me - FFEM
OPAAL- Protecting a Place for You and Me - FFEM
OPAAL- Protecting a Place for You and Me - FFEM
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O E C S P R O T E C T E D A R E A S<br />
A N D A S S O C I A T E D<br />
L I V E L I H O O D S ( O P A A L ) <strong>OPAAL</strong><br />
S P E C I A L<br />
P O I N T S O F<br />
I N T E R E S T :<br />
• Upcoming<br />
I N S I D E<br />
T H I S I S S U E :<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong><br />
launched in 5<br />
OECS coun-<br />
tries<br />
<strong>Me</strong>et the<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Staff<br />
Special feature<br />
on Point Sable<br />
National Park<br />
(PSNP), Saint<br />
Lucia<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Dem-<br />
onstration<br />
Sites<br />
events of OPPAL<br />
• Protected Areas<br />
in the OECS<br />
• Protected Ar-<br />
eas—defined<br />
2<br />
4<br />
3<br />
3<br />
News<br />
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> - <strong>Protecting</strong> a <strong>Place</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>You</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Me</strong><br />
In the OECS Region, more <strong>and</strong><br />
more governments are chal-<br />
lenged to find ways to provide<br />
sustainable livelihoods <strong>for</strong> their<br />
peoples, while seeking to main-<br />
tain <strong>and</strong> enhance the isl<strong>and</strong>s’<br />
natural resource base <strong>and</strong> bio-<br />
logical assets.<br />
As the world places increased<br />
importance on conservation <strong>and</strong><br />
protection, so too the isl<strong>and</strong>s of<br />
the OECS have grown conscious<br />
of their own rich natural biodi-<br />
versity, <strong>and</strong> have gradually moved<br />
to fully embracing global environ-<br />
mental agreements <strong>and</strong> manage-<br />
ment schemes <strong>for</strong> sustainability.<br />
Recognizing the importance of<br />
protecting areas of natural <strong>and</strong><br />
cultural significance as part of<br />
overall natural resource manage-<br />
Protected areas make up one of<br />
the world’s most important envi-<br />
ronmental management mecha-<br />
nisms.<br />
Such areas contain prime exam-<br />
ples of the earth’s richest natural<br />
<strong>and</strong> cultural resources.<br />
As regional <strong>and</strong> international<br />
ef<strong>for</strong>ts to preserve the earth's<br />
natural environment have in-<br />
creased, “protected areas” are<br />
ment strategies governments of<br />
the OECS have committed to a<br />
regional protected areas project<br />
(<strong>OPAAL</strong>) that is aimed at con-<br />
tributing to the conservation of<br />
Protected Areas are such places desig-<br />
nated as such because they have been<br />
deemed to have cultural <strong>and</strong>/or natural<br />
importance<br />
biodiversity of global importance<br />
through the management of bio-<br />
logical resources <strong>and</strong> critical<br />
habitats in their respective states.<br />
being placed at the core of all<br />
successful environmental man-<br />
agement strategies. They pre-<br />
serve l<strong>and</strong>scapes, seascapes <strong>and</strong><br />
natural areas <strong>for</strong> appropriate,<br />
long term appreciation <strong>and</strong> use<br />
by human beings.<br />
Today, many Protected Areas,<br />
once considered defined as<br />
places marked <strong>for</strong> limited use,<br />
have adopted a more people<br />
Through this Project, which is<br />
being executed by the OECS,<br />
<strong>Me</strong>mber States will be able to<br />
better manage selected demon-<br />
stration sites <strong>and</strong> promote the<br />
involvement of civil society <strong>and</strong><br />
the private sector in the planning<br />
management <strong>and</strong> sustainable use,<br />
both at the site level <strong>and</strong> at the<br />
national level<br />
Participating <strong>Me</strong>mber States of<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> are:<br />
Antigua <strong>and</strong> Barbuda<br />
Dominica<br />
Grenada<br />
St Kitts <strong>and</strong> Nevis<br />
St Lucia<br />
N O V / D E C . 2 0 0 5<br />
St Vincent <strong>and</strong> the Grenadines<br />
Protected Areas:<br />
Vital contributors to environmental conservation<br />
friendly perspective—one that<br />
speaks about “controlled use”<br />
rather than “no use” , “sustainable<br />
value” rather than “sentimental<br />
importance,” “managed” rather<br />
than “restricted”.<br />
Question: What are the pro-<br />
tected Areas in your country?<br />
(Send your answers to the address at<br />
the back of this newsletter).
P A G E 2<br />
A boat trip on the To-<br />
bago Cays National Park<br />
(TNCP), The Grenadines<br />
Ann<strong>and</strong>ale Damn,<br />
Grenada<br />
Typically<br />
found in<br />
<strong>for</strong>est areas<br />
of the<br />
OECS<br />
O P A A L N E W S<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Project Launched<br />
The <strong>OPAAL</strong> Project has so<br />
far been launched in five of<br />
the six participating OECS<br />
<strong>Me</strong>mber States:<br />
Antigua <strong>and</strong> Bar<br />
buda<br />
Dominica<br />
Grenada<br />
St Kitts <strong>and</strong> Nevis<br />
Saint Vincent <strong>and</strong><br />
the Grenadines<br />
Launches took place during<br />
the months of April <strong>and</strong><br />
May 2005.<br />
(<strong>OPAAL</strong> launch in Saint Lucia<br />
will soon be held).<br />
The national launches pro‐<br />
vided stakeholders <strong>and</strong><br />
other partners with the<br />
opportunity to be updated<br />
on all aspects of the project<br />
including their obligations<br />
<strong>and</strong> responsibilities . It<br />
also paved the way <strong>for</strong> the<br />
establishment of necessary<br />
administrative arrange‐<br />
ments <strong>for</strong> speedy imple‐<br />
Sustainable Finance <strong>for</strong> Protected Areas<br />
As part of a partnership agree-<br />
ment between The Nature<br />
Conservancy (TNC) <strong>and</strong> ESDU,<br />
to work together in environ-<br />
mental preservation in the<br />
OECS, <strong>OPAAL</strong> Communica-<br />
tions Specialist, Ms Tecla<br />
Fontenard participated in a<br />
three-day workshop on<br />
“Sustainable Finance <strong>for</strong> Pro-<br />
tected Areas” in Panama City,<br />
October 25-27. The workshop<br />
Protected Areas in the OECS<br />
The OECS boasts a total of<br />
ninety-eight (98) Pro-<br />
tected Areas. An addi-<br />
tional 9 are in the proc-<br />
ess of being created.<br />
L<strong>and</strong> Based<br />
Of the total Protected<br />
Areas, 53 are l<strong>and</strong>-based.<br />
brought together some 60 par-<br />
ticipants from the Caribbean <strong>and</strong><br />
Latin America who are involved<br />
in financial planning <strong>for</strong> Pro-<br />
tected Areas in their countries<br />
or regions.<br />
The workshop provided partici-<br />
pants with the skills necessary to<br />
underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> oversee effective<br />
Site Business Planning.<br />
Participants there<strong>for</strong>e, had a<br />
chance to review business plan-<br />
Marine based<br />
There are 45 marine pro-<br />
tected areas divided<br />
among four designation<br />
categories in the OECS.<br />
mentation at the national<br />
level.<br />
A direct output of the<br />
launch was the develop‐<br />
ment of national <strong>OPAAL</strong><br />
Work‐plans.<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> is expected to help<br />
remove barriers that hin‐<br />
der effective management<br />
of Protected Areas <strong>and</strong><br />
increase the involvement<br />
of civil society <strong>and</strong> the<br />
private sector in planning,<br />
managing <strong>and</strong> sustain‐<br />
able use of these areas.<br />
ning methodologies <strong>for</strong> site<br />
financial planning, <strong>and</strong> got<br />
exposed to potential benefits<br />
<strong>and</strong> challenges in, <strong>and</strong> consid-<br />
erations <strong>for</strong> various sustain-<br />
able finance mechanisms.
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1<br />
Demonstration Sites<br />
The <strong>OPAAL</strong> Demonstration Sites<br />
lie at strategic points in six OECS<br />
isl<strong>and</strong>s. They are a group of varied<br />
areas, which contain a range of l<strong>and</strong><br />
The Point Sable proposed Protected<br />
Area is located on the southeast<br />
coast of Saint Lucia, near the town of<br />
Vieux-Fort.<br />
Dimensions <strong>and</strong> Characteristics<br />
The area measures 250 hectares <strong>and</strong><br />
is made up of a narrow coastal strip<br />
<strong>and</strong> a large offshore area, which con-<br />
sist of long s<strong>and</strong>y beaches, an off-<br />
shore s<strong>and</strong> bank, the Savannes Bay<br />
<strong>and</strong> sea based biodiversity<br />
. Some of<br />
their combined ele-<br />
Point Sable ments include, <strong>for</strong>-<br />
Area— ests areas, wetl<strong>and</strong>s<br />
Saint Lucia <strong>and</strong> tidal flats, s<strong>and</strong>y<br />
<strong>and</strong> rocky beaches,<br />
mangroves, flora <strong>and</strong><br />
fauna habitats, coral<br />
reefs, sea grass beds,<br />
diverse marine life, offshore islets,<br />
<strong>and</strong> nesting sites <strong>for</strong> several endemic<br />
<strong>and</strong> migratory species.<br />
ing or likely to affect the future<br />
significance of Marine Protected<br />
Areas (MPAs) . Participants bene-<br />
fited from presentations on models<br />
of best practice approaches <strong>for</strong><br />
community-based management <strong>and</strong><br />
sustainable livelihoods through PAs.<br />
“I was exposed to a range of pres-<br />
entations which highlighted ap-<br />
proaches, success <strong>and</strong> failures with<br />
Protected Area design, establish-<br />
ment <strong>and</strong> management, says Sarah<br />
<strong>and</strong> Mankote mangroves, Scorpion<br />
<strong>and</strong> Maria isl<strong>and</strong>s, several coral reefs<br />
<strong>and</strong> the Moule-a-Chique Peninsular .<br />
The area includes a number of pro-<br />
tected areas—some existing <strong>and</strong><br />
others proposed. These are a combi-<br />
nation of reserves—wildlife, marine<br />
<strong>and</strong> nature; national l<strong>and</strong>marks <strong>and</strong><br />
historic sites.<br />
So far seven sites have been named<br />
in the six participating <strong>Me</strong>mber<br />
States. These include:<br />
North East Marine Management<br />
Area (NEMMA) , Antigua<br />
Cordrington Lagoon, Barbuda<br />
Cabrits Cabrits— Cabrits —Dominica — Dominica<br />
Ann<strong>and</strong>ale Forest Forest— Forest —Grenada — Grenada<br />
Central Forest Range Range— Range —St — St Kitts<br />
Point Sable Area - Saint Lucia<br />
Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP) -<br />
St Vincent <strong>and</strong> the Grenadines<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Benefits From World Conference On Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)<br />
OPPAL Protected Area Specialist,<br />
Sarah George participated in the<br />
first International Marine Protected<br />
Areas Congress (IMPAC 1). The<br />
Conference was held in Geelong,<br />
Australia from October 24th—28th<br />
2005. The global conference exam-<br />
ined the current trends in PA es-<br />
tablishment <strong>and</strong> management <strong>and</strong><br />
identified needs that would in<strong>for</strong>m<br />
the creation of global network of<br />
PAs. It also addressed issues affect-<br />
George. She continued, “But, I was<br />
particularly pleased to attend a session<br />
of a newly developed Task Force <strong>for</strong><br />
Isl<strong>and</strong> Conservation (TAFICOPA)<br />
which held its inaugural meeting at the<br />
conference to finalise its TOR <strong>and</strong><br />
agree on its work plan.”<br />
The Congress was hailed a success <strong>and</strong><br />
is expected to be held every two-three<br />
years.<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Site Feature - Pointe Sable Area - Saint Lucia<br />
Special Designation<br />
Parts of the proposed protected<br />
area received world recognition -<br />
the two mangroves (Mankote <strong>and</strong><br />
Savannes Mangroves) located on<br />
the Site have been declared under<br />
the Ramsar Convention on Wet-<br />
l<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
“The<br />
conference<br />
was held in<br />
Geelong,<br />
P A G E 3<br />
Australia from<br />
October 24th<br />
–28th<br />
These two areas are the only<br />
Ramasar Sites on the isl<strong>and</strong>.<br />
Coal Pit : livelihood method <strong>for</strong><br />
communities adjacent to PSNP
OECS Protected Areas <strong>and</strong> Associated<br />
Livelihoods (<strong>OPAAL</strong>)<br />
Morne Fortune<br />
Castries<br />
Saint Lucia<br />
Phone: 758-453-6208<br />
Fax: 758-452-2194<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> is funded by: the Global Envi-<br />
ronment Facility (GEF) through the<br />
World Bank, Fonds Francais pour<br />
l’Environment Mondiale (<strong>FFEM</strong>), <strong>and</strong><br />
the Governments of the OECS<br />
E-mail: tfontenard@oecs.org<br />
pamurray@oecs.org<br />
oecsnr@c<strong>and</strong>w.lc<br />
Protected Areas For the Benefit of All<br />
What Do you know about Pro-<br />
tected Areas?<br />
If you are interested in Protected<br />
Areas or just want to be a part of<br />
our newsletter, you may take some<br />
time to share with us your knowl-<br />
edge, interest or views <strong>for</strong> our next<br />
Newsletter by answering these<br />
questions.<br />
1. What do you underst<strong>and</strong> by the<br />
term, Protected Area?<br />
2. Name a Protected Area in your<br />
country <strong>and</strong> why you think it is<br />
worthy or not worthy of that<br />
designation? If possible, provide<br />
a picture of the Protected Area<br />
mentioned in your answer.<br />
The <strong>OPAAL</strong> project is a re-<br />
gional initiative aimed at co-<br />
ordinating, complimenting<br />
<strong>and</strong> integrating Protected Area Management in the East-<br />
ern Caribbean Region. The five year Project hopes to pro-<br />
vide global benefits through the conservation of globally<br />
significant biodiversity.<br />
Upcoming events of <strong>OPAAL</strong><br />
1. Legal <strong>and</strong> Institutional Reviews:<br />
2. Protected Area Systems Plan Reviews<br />
3. Environmental Awareness Survey<br />
4. Livelihoods Assessments <strong>for</strong> Protected Areas<br />
If you would like further in<strong>for</strong>mation on these upcom-<br />
ing events please visit our web-site at:<br />
WWW.OECS.ORG/ESDU/<br />
Share <strong>You</strong>r Knowledge<br />
Can you identify this<br />
picture?<br />
Could this be a bay in the OECS?<br />
Send your answers to our postal or e-<br />
mail address above.<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> Project Staff<br />
The <strong>OPAAL</strong> Project is executed by the Envi<br />
ronmental <strong>and</strong> Sustainable Development<br />
Unit at the OECS (OECS ESDU) at Morne<br />
Fortune, Castries, Saint Lucia.<br />
The core staff include a group of well trained<br />
individuals who have been tasked with the<br />
responsibility to effectively facilitate the<br />
project at the national level <strong>and</strong> implement<br />
all regional elements. The project staff<br />
include six persons, three of whom were<br />
hired specifically <strong>for</strong> the project:: They are:<br />
Protected Area Specialist, Mrs Sarah George<br />
Communications Specialist, Ms Tecla<br />
Fontenard<br />
Project Assistant, Ms <strong>Me</strong>lissa Mc Lawrence<br />
The other three are located in the OECS<br />
ESDU, with special assignments on the<br />
<strong>OPAAL</strong> project . They are:<br />
Project Coordinator, Mr Keith E. Nichols<br />
Programme Officer, Education <strong>and</strong> Aware<br />
ness, Mr. Peter A. Murray<br />
Sustainable Livelihoods Development, Mr.<br />
David Popo