CEP Technical Report No. 36 1996

CEP Technical Report No. 36 1996: Status of Protected Area Systems in the Wider Caribbean Region
Country Profiles

IUCN MANAGEMENT CATEGORY	No. of Protected Areas (PAs)	PAs with Marine or Coastal Zones	Extension
Category I	0	0	0
Category II	0	0	0
Category III	0	0	0
Category IV	0	0	0
Category V	0	0	0
Categories VI-VIII	1	0	618
Biosphere Reserves	0	0	0
World Heritage Sites	0	0	0
Ramsar Sites	0	0	0
Total	1	0	618

Grenada has no substantive national park legislation that provides adequate authority either to establish or to manage national parks and protected areas (National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988). The legislation makes provision for the establishment of both forest and marine reserves, although the focus is on protecting timber, water resources, and fisheries. Less emphasis is placed on the preservation of habitat and recreational resources.

The Plan and Policy Statement for National Parks and Protected Areas (National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988) describes proposed management objectives for the five categories of protected areas it defines. Within national parks, zoning would be used to ensure both strict protection of certain areas and intensive recreational and educational uses in others. The aim within natural and cultural landmarks would be to allow recreational and educational uses of sites without destroying the basic protected features. The objective within protected seascapes would be to ensure the ecological integrity and scenic quality of seascapes, while providing opportunities for recreation, tourism, education and research. Multiple use management areas would aim to ensure the sustained production of water, fibre, other wood products, wildlife, forage and/or marine products, as well as outdoor recreation and education.

The Forest, Soil and Water Conservation (Amendment) Ordinance No. 34, 1984 makes provision for the Chief Forestry Officer to protect areas to provide natural and undisturbed habitat for the flora and fauna of Grenada. Forest reserves may be declared on state owned land, and protected forests may be established on private land when necessary for certain public purposes (OECS 1986). According to the original Ordinance (Chapter 129 of 1 August 1949) the Chief Forestry Officer may negotiate for the voluntary protection of private land, or owners of private land may request that the land be supervised by the Chief Forestry Officer. Water catchments are given the protective status as forest reserves, and the 1984 Act gives responsibility for management and conservation of these catchments to the Forestry Department (OECS 1986).

Private lands needed for inclusion within the proposed national park system could be acquired under the provisions of the Land Settlement Ordinance, 1933 which allows for the acquisition of lands for public purposes.

Grand Etang Reserve Ordinance Cap. 135, 1906 designated the area around Grand Etang Lake as a forest reserve, and two areas in Carriacou (Annex I). According to OECS (1986), Grand Etang Forest Reserve is also declared a sanctuary for animals and birds under the Wild Animals and Birds (Sanctuary) Ordinance Cap. 314, 1928. Certain activities are prohibited within the reserve, but the penalties would appear to no longer be adequate.

The Grenada Fisheries Act No. 15, 1986 provides for the promotion and management of fishing and fisheries in Grenadian waters. Section 23 (Marine Reserves and Conservation Measures) makes provision for the Minister to declare any area of the "fishery water" and adjacent lands as marine reserves when necessary for several purposes, including the preservation and enhancement of the area's natural beauty (OECS 1986, Annex I).

Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention, 1983)

Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP, 1981) and its Specially Protected Areas & Wildlife Programme (SPAW, 1990)

The National Parks and Wildlife Unit, within the Forestry Department, is responsible for all protected areas (terrestrial and marine). Where areas are protected for their value as watersheds, management also involves the Central Water Commission. Currently, many of the existing land-use controls are not enforced, and activities of the National Parks and Wildlife Unit and the Forestry Department are hindered due to budgetary and personnel constraints.

Under the proposed national parks plan, the Ministry of External Affairs, Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Tourism and Legal Affairs would be designated as the agency responsible for planning, management, and protection of all areas in the system (National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988).

The principal non-governmental organisation (NGO) concerned with environmental issues is the National Trust and Historical Society, which aims to preserve the country's historical, archaeological, cultural and architectural heritage, and its flora and fauna. The National Trust was established under the provisions of the National Trust Act (1967), but subsequently merged with the Historical Society in 1990. The Carriacou Committee for Tourism and Conservation was formed in 1991 and has as its major goals and objectives the conservation and management of the reefs and beaches of Carriacou (IRF 1991).

The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), formerly the Eastern Caribbean Natural Area Management Programme (ECNAMP), has been involved in developing management alternatives for the proposed Levera National Park, and is currently collaborating with the Caribbean Conservation Association for a marine parks programme and the "Caribbean Heritage Programme". This initiative is providing institutional development in support of the region's natural heritage at the national and regional levels (ECNAMP 1989, Putney and Renard, n.d.).

In 1989 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by CCA and the Government of Grenada for the purpose of executing a Country Environmental Profile. The Ministry of External Affairs, Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Tourism and Legal Affairs is the designated government counterpart agency. The Grenada National Trust was designated as the local implementing and co-ordinating agency (CCA/IRF 1991).

The state of Grenada (comprising the islands of Grenada, Carriacou, Petite Martinique, as well as a number of small islets) is mainly of volcanic composition (UNEP/IUCN 1988). The mountainous terrain is deeply dissected, and about 70% of the island has a slope greater than 20 (Hudson and Francis 1984). The climate is humid and tropical and supports rain and cloud forest in the interior. Areas classified as "wildlands" (ECNAMP 1980a, 1980b) cover approximately 15% of the island, and broadly coincide with areas considered rich in locally important species. Grand Etang Forest Reserve represents such an area of interest.

The most recent map of vegetation cover was compiled from interpretation of aerial photography taken in 1982. It indicates the following coverage: montane rain forest (1,688 ha), closed evergreen rain forest (2,278 ha), moist deciduous and semi-deciduous forest (1,752 ha), scrub/cactus vegetation (1,226 ha), mangrove swamp (190 ha) and inland swamp (28 ha) (CCA/IRF 1991). In a separate analysis, FAO (n.d.) indicated that for the year 1989, there were 4,200 ha of forests in Grenada, comprising 4,000 ha of closed broad-leaved forest, and 200 ha of forest plantations.

In order to determine the degree of representation of the country's natural features within the proposed system of parks and protected areas the following analyses have been carried out (CCA/IRF 1991, National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988): representation of geological formations; representation of natural habitats and ecosystems; distribution of native species of flora and fauna; and protection of watersheds and water courses.

The representation of vegetation formations in the proposed system of parks and protected areas can be summarised as follows. The rain forest and lower montane rain forest formations have been greatly reduced by cutting, and has been disturbed for agriculture. The only relatively intact example is in the vicinity of Seven Sisters Falls in Grand Etang Forest Reserve. Representation within the proposed system is not considered adequate.

Montane thicket is still common on all mountain peaks above approximately 600 m, and representation within the proposed system is considered adequate. Elfin woodland/palm brake is confined to the summit peaks of Grand Etang and Mount St. Catherine, and would be well represented within the proposed system.

Almost the entire evergreen/semi-evergreen seasonal forest formation has been converted to agriculture. The formation is very poorly represented in the proposed system; only minute areas are included at Marquis River Natural Landmark. Today, the best remnant of moist forest remaining in the entire country is found at Morne Delice, but this is outside the proposed system.

Deciduous seasonal forest is only fairly represented in several small areas, but is also recuperating on some of the peninsulas on the southern coast, and at Levera Hill due to abandonment of agriculture. Such areas could be considered for inclusion within the system. Fairly extensive but damaged stands remain in Carriacou in the forest reserves and in the proposed national park.

Swamp and marsh formations, namely the coastal mangrove swamps and the freshwater herbaceous ecosystems at Lake, are generally in a healthy state. Currently, serious problems to the freshwater ecosystem occur at the Grand E'Tang Crater Lake, which has shrunk to almost half its size since 1988. Mangrove cutting for charcoal has caused a deterioration in Levera and North East Seascape, but management actions to prohibit this activity have been initiated. These formations are adequately represented in the proposed system. Littoral woodland formation is relatively common, but most areas have been damaged through exploitation for charcoal and goat grazing. Its representation is adequate.

Although Grenada only has one established protected area (Grand Etang Forest Reserve), the government made the establishment of a national park and protected areas system a priority in the development plan for 1986. A review has now been carried out (National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988), and a total of 27 areas in Grenada and 16 in Carriacou are recommended for inclusion within the system. Of the total, three units are recommended as national parks, eleven as protected seascapes, eleven as natural landmarks, twelve as cultural landmarks, and four as multiple use areas. This represents approximately 4,458 ha or about 13% of the land area. In addition, several marine areas are proposed.

However, these proposals do not include the following areas: the habitat of the endemic Grenada dove and Grenada hookbill kite; the Morne Delice remnant moist forest; and the historically and recreationally important wreck of the luxury liner Bianca C, which is much valued for diving. Additionally, the areas of old growth rain forest in the upper watershed of the Great River in Grand Etang Forest Reserve are still legally eligible for logging, even though they are included in the proposed protected areas system (CCA/IRF 1991). Individual management plans need to be compiled as part of the general plan (CCA/IRF 1991, National Parks and Wildlife Unit 1988).

In spite of detailed studies, Moliniere Reef still lacks legal protection. Major problems for eventual MPA management include the small size of the proposed area and the number of conflicting uses in the area together with the impacts caused by diver/snorkeler activities, over-fishing, sewage and agricultural runoff, and coastal development. The lack of support for and participation in management actions by resource users taken together with the an ineffective structure and inadequate revenue generation are the major organisational problems (van't Hof 1993).

National Parks and Wildlife Unit, Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism, ST. GEORGE'S Tel: (809) 440-3083 (809) 440-2934

Carriacou Committee for Tourism and Conservation, c/o Caribee Inn, Prospect, CARRIACOU Tel: (809) 443-7380

National Trust and Historical Society, c/o Grenada National Museum, Young Street, ST. GEORGE'S Tel: (809) 440-3725

Ministry of Health, Housing and the Environment, The Carenage, ST. GEORGE'S Tel: (809) 440-2429 (809) 440-2962 Fax: (809) 440-4127

CCA/IRF (1991) Grenada: environmental profile. Caribbean Conservation Association/Island Resources Foundation, St. Michael, Barbados. 276 pp.

ECNAMP (1980a) Grenada Preliminary Data Atlas. Eastern Caribbean Natural Area Management Programme. Caribbean Conservation Association and School of Natural Resources of the University of Michigan. 18 pp.

ECNAMP (1980b) Grenada Grenadines Preliminary Data Atlas. Eastern Caribbean Natural Area Management Programme. Caribbean Conservation Association and School of Natural Resources of the University of Michigan. 18 pp.

ECNAMP (1989) Eastern Caribbean Natural Area Management Programme: Annual report 1988. ECNAMP, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. 17 pp.

FAO (n.d.) Project forest resources assessment of the Caribbean sub-region: Country report Grenada. FAO, Rome. 6 pp.

Hudson, B.J. and Francis, C.H. (1984) Grenada. In: Wood, J. (Ed.), Proceedings for the workshop on biosphere reserves and other protected areas for sustainable development of small Caribbean islands. National Park Service, Atlanta. 190 pp.

Hunter, B. (Ed.) (1991) The Statesman's Yearbook 1991-1992. The MacMillan Press Ltd, London. 1692 pp.

IRF (1991) Directory of environmental NGOs in the Eastern Caribbean. Island Resources Foundation, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 1620 pp.

National Parks and Wildlife Unit (1988) Plan and policy for a system of national parks and protected areas in Grenada and Carriacou. Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture, St Georges. 130 pp.

OECS (1986) Grenada, description of national legislation related to natural resources management (first stage analysis). Natural Resources Management Project. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Castries. 13 pp.

Putney, A. and Renard, Y. (n.d.) Working to strengthen human capacity to manage living natural resources critical to development. Caribbean Natural Resources Institute, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and VieuxFort, St. Lucia.

UNEP/IUCN (1988) Coral Reefs of the World. Volume 1: Atlantic and Eastern Pacific. UNEP Regional Seas Directories and Bibliographies. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK/UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya. 373 pp.

Definitions of protected area designations, as legislated, together with authorities responsible for their administration.

Brief description: Designated the area around Grand Etang Lake, as well as two areas in Carriacou, as forest reserves.

Forest Reserve Sanctuary Created for the wild animals and birds of the colony, and to make special temporary (19571962) provision for the protection of agouti, armadillo and certain snakes. Hunting, trapping and carrying of firearms are prohibited.

Brief description: Makes provision for the Chief Forestry Officer to protect areas to provide natural and undisturbed habitat for the flora and fauna of Grenada.

Protected Area Either private or crown land may be declared to safeguard the watershed, to prevent erosion, to conserve resources, and to provide recreational opportunity.

Brief description: Provides for the promotion and management of fishing and fisheries in Grenadian waters. Section 23 (Marine Reserves and Conservation Measures) makes provision for the Minister to declare any area of the "fishery water" and adjacent lands as marine reserves.

Marine Reserve Designated where special measures are necessary to protect flora and fauna, allow for natural regeneration of depleted aquatic life, promote scientific study, or preserve and enhance natural beauty. Activities prohibited without permission include taking flora and fauna, extracting minerals, dumping waste, and building.

Brief description: Establishes The National Trust, with provision for the inalienable protection of natural areas.

Name of area	IUCN & National Mgmt. Categories		Presence of Marine or Coastal Zones	Area ha	Year Established
Grand Etang	VIII	FR	1	618	1910