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St. Lucia: A community living with and living on a protected area
January 2000

By: Barbara Jacobs-Small, CERN correspondent, St. Lucia

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For some years, the St Lucia National Trust has worked on a system of protected areas in St Lucia. This major initiative identifies "a pilot protected landscape" on the East coast, which include the communities of Praslin and Mamiku. The landscape includes the Frigate Island Nature Reserve and the Praslin Marine Reserve. Because of its valuable natural and cultural resource base, the communities have great potential for nature-based and heritage tourism.

The social and economic life of Praslin and Mamiku are inextricably linked with the natural areas within the landscape. Recognizing that community involvement and participation is necessary for environmental protection, the National Trust puts the development of the landscape into the hands of the community members.

Giles Romulus, Director of Programmes at the St. Lucia National Trust described how this came about: "The communities of Praslin and Mamiku are quite small. Fishing and agriculture are the main forms of livelihood. In 1994, the St. Lucia National Trust got together with community members to identify some of the basic needs, not only including issues with respect to liquid and solid waste management, but also with respect to education of community members. Empowerment of communities came into the fold, because of the integrated way that economic development issues should be approached."

He added: "A community strategy planning process was started, in which community members identified the needs of the community. They also articulated a kind of vision for the community. During that time, the community also implemented a census. For example, the number of households with toilets was quantified. The solid and liquid wastes out of toilets have adverse impacts on the environment. In this way, we identified 41 households without toilets, and we also identified solid waste management as a major issue."

The Praslin Mamiku Development Committee is an umbrella body representing a number of other committees within the area. It includes the Praslin Seamoss Farmers, the Natural Environment Group, the Sports Group, the Education Group and the Drugfree Group. All these groups exist in a small community of about 400 people, working in a unified effort for the recognition of that community`s full potential.

Leo Francis, its President said: "We try to address some of the problems that are facing the community at large. We have tried to access funds for different projects of the community such as education on proper garbage disposal and also the ways that people were using the mangroves."

He added that the Committee, through the National Trust, applied to the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Fund. This organization approved a proposal, which was designed by the community with the help of the National Trust, to supply 41 homes with toilets.

Romulus said that in addition, the community was able to buy mobile garbage trucks. "Two problems were effectively addressed: solid waste management and liquid waste management. The Government of St. Lucia also stepped in by transporting the solid waste out of the community twice a week." He reported that alternative economic activities within the community are now also being identified: "Praslin has a large diversity of natural and cultural attractions, archeological sites, scenic beauty, the sea, the tradition of canoe building, and the people themselves are quite friendly. We also have the Frigate Island Nature Reserve in the northern periphery of the village, and the Trust is completing the establishment of the proposed pilot protected landscape. All of this helps to diversify the tourism product and bring more visitors to the community."

Direct benefits will accrue to fishermen who in addition to normal trade will also operate their own marine tours. Peter Ernest, Eastern Area Manager of the National Trust said that the Frigate Island Nature Reserve has for a while now been supplying some community folk with a livelihood. One of them, Ginette Francis, caters food for the visitors after Ernest tells her that a tour is on. She said: "My catering is local: sweet potatoes, yams, fish. I package it individually or buffet style. People enjoy my catering very well and it helps me earn a living."

In addition to the income that Francis gets, she felt that she is playing an important role in the commencement of a small enterprise in Praslin. She is also a member of the Natural Environment Committee, and said: "I am proud of that project. The cleaning and taking care of the place has lifted our status and the community is getting better. People are also spontaneously helping. They start thinking differently and we have their cooperation."

According to Ernest, all the committees are vibrant. He recalled that during the introduction of the home toilets and the public garbage disposal units, it was the education committee, which designed leaflets to demonstrate how these facilities should be used.

Romulus said that this is just the beginning of the transformation of Praslin Mamiku: "The integrated approach that we have drives us beyond just the environmental issues. Very soon the community members will start preparing a three-year development plan for the community. The point that the Trust is trying to show is that we cannot look at development in a fragmented way. It has to be holistic and integrated, although we are not directly responsible for telephones or water and so on."

However, he added: "The Trust got the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI) to fund a new water project for Praslin. So the Trust has brought CEHI, the government, the district representative and other relevant partners into the picture, in order to have them together address the water problem of a small community such as Praslin."

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In collaboration with the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN), Panos produces a weekly 10-minutes radio series: "Island Beat - News from the environmental frontline of the Caribbean". It documents community environmental themes, in particular highlighting community experiences in finding solutions to environmental problems, reported by journalists from across the Caribbean region. This current print feature has been derived from a radio programme which was produced in July 1997.

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