Implementation of the Convention
Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target
To ensure the conservation of biodiversity, several programs are underway including the establishment of a pilot turtle-monitoring program, the monitoring of fish catches and coral reefs, the identification of best practices in management of agricultural biodiversity, and the establishment of an iguana conservation and research project. In addition, over 10% of the forest ecosystem has been effectively managed and conserved. There are also several legal instruments, including the Forest Management and Plant Protection Act, the Forest Water and Soil Conservation Act, the Wild life Protection Act, the Forest Management Plan, the Fisheries Act, and the Plant Protection Act. Inventories of Ex-situ germplasm designed to provide total quantity of accessions are at present being carried out. Ex-situ conservation also includes work programs for orchids, pineapple, banana and ferns, which are conserved within the Tissue Culture Laboratory. In-situ conservation measures for two local species, the Latanye and Mauby, include a propagation programme, a farming programme for dry and sub-humid areas, and a harvesting regime. Other initiatives undertaken include the sustainable harvesting of mangrove trees for charcoal production, the selective felling of trees in production forests, participatory management with fishermen and other resource users in the Soufriere Marine Management Authority, and the production of Latayne on private and Crown Lands on a rotational basis. There is vigorous monitoring for the presence of alien species at the ports of entry by Customs officials and the Animal and Plant Health Units of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Initiatives in Protected Areas
Several Protected areas have been established, including the Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) and the Canaries/Anse La Raye Marine Management Area (CAMMA). Although 26 Marine reserves have been established, including 2 Ramsar mangrove sites, a number do not have management plans in place, and therefore continue to be unregulated. There is also a World Heritage Site known as the Piton Management Area. The plan for a System of Protected Areas is at present under review through the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Protected Area on Associated Livelihoods Project (OPAAL). While this plan is being reviewed, the National Environment Policy and National Environmental Management Strategy also propose strategies for the integration of protected areas into broader land and seascapes. The latter has been approved but not yet implemented.
Initiatives for Article 8(j)
To determine the status, trends, and threats related to traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous communities, meetings funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have been held. These facilitated the formation of groups, such as marine and terrestrial resource users, and medicinal herbs farmers, and enquiring into their concerns. All of these groups work closely with officers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Social Transformation. Some measures have been taken to enhance and strengthen the capacity of indigenous communities in decision-making, and the implementation of a participatory mechanism of discussions with the local indigenous group.
