St. Lucia
Location 13 53 N, 60 68 W -- Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago
National websites http://www.stlucia.gov.lc/
http://www.stats.gov.lc/
Embassy / Chancery in U.S. Embassy of Saint Lucia
3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20016
Telephone: (202) 364-6792/93/94/95
Fax: (202) 364-6723
Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
5th Floor, Block A
NIS Building
Waterfront, Castries
St. Lucia
Tel:  (758)451-8746
Fax:  (758)453-6314
Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation
  • St Lucia National Trust:  The Trust has the authority to make laws to regulate all activities within these areas to protect the resources, preserve order and prevent nuisances
  • St Lucia Naturalists' Society, whose primary area of activity is environmental education,
  • Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust which has supported the establishment of the St Lucia Parrot Sanctuary, amongst other initiatives. 
  • Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) dedicated to promoting policies and practices which contribute to conservation, protection and wise use of natural and cultural resources.
  • The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
  • Soufriere Foundation (1994) protect the coral reefs of St. Lucia and promote sustainable development for the island’s local communities. Coral reef conservation activities include monitoring of coral

    • reefs and water quality
Source
Source
Major Natural Resources  Perhaps the most important natural resource of St. Lucia is its beauty, as tourism becomes more important to the economy in the midst of rising environmental concerns.  St. Lucia is lucky to have white, sandy beaches and beautiful coral reefs.  St. Lucia also has a rain forest providing a rich habitat for species endemic to the island.  The natural resource most important to the economy at present is the banana industry.  Other resources are pumice and mineral springs. 
Major Environmental and Conservation Issues  Big on conservation.  They are doing a great job.  One of the biggest issues on the island is the inadequate solid and liquied waste management system, especially in the lesser-developed interior of the island.   The exterior of the island, developed by the tourist industry faces other evnironmental problems such as habitat loss and coastal pollution.  Plus, the coral reefs have been silted up by coastal construction, to some degree in certain locations.There is an increasing amount of industrial and agricultural acitivity on the island as well, leading to problems such as soil erosion.  Deforestation is also an issue although the island does have a good preservation system. 
Statistics Information Sources
Land area 620 Sq. km  Source
Area of forest (967,169 ha)  Source
Area of wetlands (6831 ha)  Source
Area of territorial waters 16Sq. km  
Population  152,335  Source
Population Density ( 230 /Sq. km)  
Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels  130,343 ha
For extensive information please 
click here		  Source
Fraction of land area protected (%)  6.5%  Source
Major Protected Areas  National Rain Forest Reserve 19,000 acres
See also		  http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cgi-bin/mp_countryquery.p
Endemic Species
Mammals  
Birds  
Reptiles  
Amphibians  
Fish  
Invertebrates  
Plants  

 

  There are several endemic reptile species including St Lucia tree lizard, pygmy gecko, Maria Island ground lizard and Maria Island grass snake
Source
Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species
Mammals  0
Birds  3
Reptiles  6
Amphibians  0
Fish  0
Invertebrates  0
Plants  6

Complete Plant Listing

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal 

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants
Extinct Species
Mammals  1
Birds  0
Reptiles  0
Amphibians  0
Fish  0
Invertebrates  0
Plants  0

Complete Plant Listing

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal 

World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants
Species listed on CITES Appendix I


CITES-listed Species Database
Species listed on CITES Appendix II


CITES-listed Species Database
Legislation
Laws protecting endangered or threatened species
  • Wildlife Protection Act No. 9 (1980) Provides for the protection of wildlife, the establishment of wildlife reserves, and effecting St Lucia's accession to the CITES treaty.
  • National Trust Act No. 16, 1975 provides for a statutory trust to promote, conserve, and manage land and marine areas of special natural (or historic)interest to protect the wildlife which they support 
  • The Fisheries Act No. 10, 1984 provides for the creation of marine reserves andfisheries priority areas
  • The Forest, Soil and Water Conservation Ordinance Cap. 25, 1946, as amended (1957 and 1983), contains provisions governing the declaration of forest reserves and protected forests on private land 
  • Saint Lucia National Trust Act (1975) Preservation of beauty or natural or historic interest, including the flora and fauna found therein.
  • Forest, Soil and Water Conservation Act (1983) Contains provisions governing the declaration of forest reserves and protected forests (on private land)
Source
Laws protecting endangered ecosystems
  •  The Beach Protection Act No. 2, 1967, as amended No. 9, 1984, deals with sandremoval and other issues affecting beaches, while the Parks and Beaches
  • Commission Act, 1983 provides for the control, maintenance and development of public parks, gardens and beaches
  • The Parks and Beaches Commission (1983) manages tourist beaches and regulates beach vendors. It has an advisory role over certain uses in the coastal zone, including the removal of coral and on any matters related to protection of the sea-coast from erosion (OECS, 1986)


Source
Signatory to CITES (3/15/83)
Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention NO
Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity  July 28, 1993
Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty (date)
Member of International Whaling Commission Yes
Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources
  • Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean region:  concerning specially protected areas for wildlife
  • Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
Natural Resource Use Information Sources
Fisheries  347 million  Source
Forestry  Please click here  
Ecotourism  Currently being developed.  However, much of the current tourism revolves around the natural environement.
$200 million		   Source
Trade in wildlife products    
Hunting    
Other uses of natural resources  74.5 million in revenues from bananas  Source
Human Impacts on Natural Resources Information Sources
Air pollution    
Water pollution  Changes in the coral reef system surrounding the island include fewer/smaller fish, bleaching and an increase in seaweed.  Source
Development activities    
Introduced species    
Legislation addressing these issues  The coastal zones have been divided into areas for tourists, fisherman, and nature reserves.  Source
Restoration and Reintroduction Information Sources
Programs for restoration of damaged habitat     
Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species  "The national bird is the colorful St Lucian parrot (Amazona versicolor), which can be seen in the dense rain forest around Quillesse and Barre de l’Isle.  A successful conservation programme established in 1978 probably saved the species from extinction and allowed numbers to rise from 150 birds in 1978 to over 400 by 1994."  Source

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Page compiled by Christy Egbert as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA