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	6	4	9,564
Category III	2	2	576
Category IV	11	8	6,766
Category V	1	1	176
Categories VI-VIII	0	0	0
Biosphere Reserves	0	0	0
World Heritage Sites	0	0	0
Ramsar Sites	1	1	54,000
Total (1)	21	16	71,082

(1) Totals have been adjusted to avoid double counting areas that are classified in 2 or more categories.

The Turks and Caicos Islands became a separate colony of the United Kingdom in 1973 after association at various times with the colonies of the Bahamas and Jamaica. A new Constitution was introduced in 1976.

The National Parks Ordinance, 1975 provides the legal framework for protected areas. Four different categories of protected area can be created under Section 3 of the Ordinance: national park, nature reserve, sanctuary and area of historical interest (Annex I). Forest management is partly covered under the National Parks Ordinance, and other ordinances relating to plants, wild birds, fisheries and coasts. There is no stated or formal forestry policy (CDB 1983).

The decision to gazette a protected area is the responsibility of the Executive Council, which is advised by a National Parks Committee, currently comprising ten people. The National Park Regulation 1992 details the regulations governing the four categories of protected areas. National parks and nature reserves may be divided into zones according to activities, mainly recreational, which appear to be compatible within these areas.

In July 1987 the National Parks Committee presented a list of 33 recommended sites to the Executive. The National Parks Order of 7 August 1992 designated eleven national parks, eleven nature reserves, four sanctuaries and seven areas of historical interest. In total, the Executive Council has now approved all of the recommended sites and these are now protected by law. (Note: Details for individual areas not available for report).

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

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, 1973)

Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar, 1971)

Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage, 1972)

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

Administration and management of the protected area system is the responsibility of the Director of Parks who is attached to the Department of Planning and Environment. A National Parks Adviser was employed on a two-year contract, commencing October 1991, funded by the UK Overseas Development Administration (ODA). In 1987, Executive Council approved the creation of a new Department to be known as the Department of Environment, Heritage and Parks.

The Turks and Caicos National Trust was established as a statuary body in 1992 to help to preserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of the Islands. The aim is to establish an effective managerial framework for local and international fund-raising, a public awareness and educational programme and a legal framework for conservation of sites. The National Trusts activities are supported by the WWF-UK and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Forestry is not well developed in the islands: in the 1980's there was a Department of Agriculture within the Ministry of Development and Commerce. This Department had some role in amenity tree planting, but has since been closed along with its tree nursery on North Caicos (CDB 1983, Garland, pers. comm., 1991).

Much of the initiative and impetus for environmental protection and conservation in the Islands has come from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), principally PRIDE (Foundation for the Protection of Reefs and Islands from Degradation and Exploitation), and the Turks and Caicos Development Trust, supported by the government, the UK based ODA, bilateral and multi-lateral donors and international environmental groups (Anon. 1990). PRIDE is concerned with the management and use of natural resources on the islands. The Turks and Caicos Development Trust, based on Grand Turk, aims to contribute to sustainable social and economic development by the wise use of the islands' resources.

The Turks and Caicos are low-lying (under 75 m in altitude) limestone islands with a number of lagoons, salt flats and outlying coral reefs. The Caicos Islands are relatively fertile, and support an understory of scrub bush and cacti below a canopy of low trees. The Turk Islands have an unproductive, fine, sandy dune topsoil which supports a sparse vegetation of sedge and cacti. Intact stands of mangrove exist at South Creek on Grand Turk and along the creeks of all the Caicos.

Scrub-type forest has been estimated to cover some 90% of the total land area. Swamp and mangrove forest covers something less than 5% of the total land area. Matured forest stands are rare in many places because of the high demands for fuelwood and charcoal production (CDB 1983).

Including the marine area of the North, Middle and East Caicos Islands Ramsar Wetland, Turks and Caicos Island's protected areas cover 165% of the country's landmass. The remaining 20 protected areas cover approximately 17,000 ha. Fifteen of these areas also contain coastal and marine resources (Summary Table, Annex I).

Considerable progress has been made in the designation of protected areas. Steps are now being taken to implement an overall plan for national parks. Regulations have been drafted for the management of national parks with financial assistance from the UK government. Funds have also been made available for signs, buoys and boundary markers for the national parks and Ramsar site.

It is now necessary to achieve broad support for the system from the local community; to develop an indigenous management capability; and to draw up a sound financial strategy to pay for the management system (Anon. 1990).

The government has accepted a proposal that the civilian police should be responsible for policing marine parks, and local dive operators will be encouraged to continue acting as park rangers (a role they have been undertaking for a number of years). One aim of marine park management is to protect reefs from increased dive traffic by the installation of mooring buoys. This has been approved by the Executive and work is currently in hand at Grand Turk. Buoys are also planned for Providenciales, South Caicos and West Caicos using information provided by Operation Raleigh.

A series of scientific surveys of the marine and coastal resources has been carried out by Operation Raleigh. Areas of study have been the north coast of Providenciales and Leeward Cays (Operation Raleigh 1986a, 1986b) and the island of Grand Turk (Operation Raleigh 1987a, 1987b). In September 1987 an expedition to South Caicos and Long Cay culminated in proposals for a Long Bay/East Bay Underwater Park and Conservation Zone and for Middleton Cay Island Sanctuary.

The information on marine resources has been used to help formulate management proposals for the areas studied. As well as surveying marine areas, Operation Raleigh assists with the siting and installation of mooring buoys and with an experimental conch replenishment exercise done in co-operation with the principal fisheries officer. Cetacean Management in coastal waters is partially effective, but harassment is a continuing problem (van't Hof 1993).

A comprehensive survey of wetlands was undertaken, from July to October 1987, with the funding of the Department of the Environment, ODA and WWF-UK, which administered the survey. The aim of the survey was to assess the potential of wetlands for nomination as Ramsar sites, and as a result a large area of North, Middle, and East Caicos has been designated. In addition, a comprehensive survey of the country's ecology has been undertaken recently by resource consultants.

Department of Environment, Heritage and Parks (Director), Ministry of Natural Resources, Grand Turk Tel: (809) 946-2855 Fax: (809) 946-2448 Tlx: 8227 TQ

Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Barclays Bank Building, PO Box 66, Grand Turk, Tel: (809) 946-2849 Fax: (809) 946-2885

Anon. (1990) Turks and Caicos Islands Strategic Review. Final Report. Draft. Mokoro

CDB (1983) Regional Forestry Sector, Country Study Report, Turks and Caicos Islands. Caribbean Development Bank, Barbados. 11 pp.

Clark, N.V. and Norton, R.L. (1987) The Turks and Caicos Islands, a Ramsar site proposal. Final report to the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, WWF-UK, DoE and ODA. 39 pp.

Institute of Development Studies (1981) Turks and Caicos Development Plan. Sussex University and ODA, London, UK.

Lightbourne, E.S. (1991) Development of a marine park in a developing country to implement pre-impact maintenance for coral reef management. In: Cambers, G. (Ed.) Proceedings of the Regional Symposium public and private co-operation in National Park development. 23-25 August. British Virgin Islands National Parks Trust, Tortola.

Mitchell, B.A. and Barborak, J.R. (1991) Developing coastal park systems in the Tropics: Planning in the parks and Caicos Islands. Coastal Management 19:113-134.

Oldfield, S. (1987) Fragments of Paradise, a guide for conservation action in the UK dependent territories. British Association of Nature Conservation, Oxford, UK. 192 pp.

Operation Raleigh (1986a) Report on the Turks and Caicos expedition. Report on the distribution of habitats and species of the north coast of Providenciales and Leeward Cays (Part 1). University of York, UK. 58 pp.

Operation Raleigh (1986b) Report on the Turks and Caicos expedition. Management of the north coast of Providenciales and Leeward Cays resources and recommendations for protected areas (Part 2). University of York, UK. 35 pp.

Operation Raleigh (1987a) Report on the Turks and Caicos expedition. Management of the marine and coastal resources of the island of Grand Turk and recommendations for protected areas (Part 4). University of York, UK. 28 pp.

Operation Raleigh (1987b) Report on the Turks and Caicos expedition. Report on the Distribution of coastal and marine habitats and species on the island of Grand Turk. University of York, UK.

Ray, C. and Sprung, T. (1971) Parks and Conservation in The Turks and Caicos Islands. A report on the ecology of the Turks and Caicos with particular emphasis upon the impact of development upon the natural environment. Turks and Caicos Islands Government.

Scott, D.A. and Carbonell, M. (1986) A directory of Neotropical wetlands. IUCN, Cambridge and IWRB, Slimbridge, UK. 684 pp.

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.

National Park Activities permitted within protected areas are governed by Section 4 of the Ordinance: an area designated as a national park shall be open to members of the public for recreational use such as camping, fishing and sailing. Developments, such as the erection of buildings, construction of roads and marinas, must be licensed by the Governor. The criteria which the Ordinance sets down for an acceptable development include the requirement that the proposal will "facilitate the enjoyment by the public of the natural setting of the area".

Nature Reserve Certain activities are also allowed within nature reserves. The need to sustain a "proper balance in the natural ecology of the area" determines permissible activities in a nature reserve". The Ordinance lists agriculture, arboriculture, pisciculture, sport and recreation as permissible activities. The only buildings and developments permitted will be those required for one of the permitted uses, and before a development can be undertaken a license has to be granted by the Governor.

Sanctuary The primary purpose of a sanctuary is to protect the natural ecology, or any particular form of living organism (including any marine life) in the area, and to avoid disturbance by human beings. Entry into a sanctuary is not permitted, except in accordance with any regulations made in respect of the sanctuary. No development is permitted.

Area of Historical Interest Provision for the protection of areas of historical interest is made, such that an area may be included within one of the previous categories, in which case it will be subject to the same restrictions as that area. Where the area does not coincide with one of the above, the public may have access, subject to conditions set down by appropriate regulations. No development is permitted without license granted by the Governor.

Brief Description: Provides for details of prohibitions within each four categories of protected areas and allows for the establishment of zones for specific purposes within a national park and nature reserve.

Designations: Prohibited activities within all four categories include taking of any flora and fauna, water-skiing, jet skis or hovercraft, dumping of wastes, possession of weapons and erecting any structure without permission. By the establishment of particular zones in national parks and nature reserves, aquatic sports, anchoring, vessels or fishing may be permitted. Definition for every zone is given.

Name of area	IUCN & National Mgmt. Categories		Presence of Marine or Coastal Zones	Area ha	Year Established
Chalk Sound	II	NP	YES	1,460	1987
East Bay Islands	II	NP	YES	3,541	1987
Leeward Land & Sea National Park and Nature Reserve	II	NP	YES	500	1987
North West Point	II	NP	YES	1,026	1987
Princess Alexandria	II	NP		2,645	not avail.
Lake Catherine	II	NR		392	not avail.
Subtotal	6		4	9,564
Dick Hill Creek, Bellfield Landing Point	III	NR	YES	394	not avail.
Little Water Cay, Donna Cay and Mangrove Cay	III	NR	YES	182	not avail.
Subtotal	2		2	576
Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea Park	IV	NP	YES	154	not avail.
Columbus Landfall Marine Park	IV	NP	YES	518	not avail.
Fort George Land & Sea Park	IV	NP	YES	494	1987
Grand Turk Cays Land and Sea Park	IV	NP	YES	156	1987
West Caicos Marine Park	IV	NP	YES	397	not avail.
Admiral Cockburn Nature Reserve	IV	NR		431	not avail.
Bell Sound	IV	NR	YES	1,142	1975
Pigeon Pond and Frenchman's Creek	IV	NR		2,393	not avail.
Pumpkin Bluff Pond	IV	NR		173	not avail.
Vine Point Ocean Hole	IV	NR	YES	757	1987
Big Sandy Cay	IV	S	YES	151	1987
Subtotal	11		8	6,766
Salt Cay	V	AHI	YES	176	not avail.
Subtotal	1		1	176
North, Middle and East Caicos Islands		RW	YES	54,000	not avail.
Subtotal	1		1	54,000