OPAAL- Protecting a Place for You and Me - FFEM

O E C S P R O T E C T E D A R E A S
A N D A S S O C I A T E D
L I V E L I H O O D S ( O P A A L ) OPAAL
S P E C I A L
P O I N T S O F
I N T E R E S T :
• Upcoming
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
OPAAL
launched in 5
OECS coun-
tries
Meet the
OPAAL Staff
Special feature
on Point Sable
National Park
(PSNP), Saint
Lucia
OPAAL Dem-
onstration
Sites
events of OPPAL
• Protected Areas
in the OECS
• Protected Ar-
eas—defined
2
4
3
3
News
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
OPAAL - Protecting a Place for You and Me
In the OECS Region, more and
more governments are chal-
lenged to find ways to provide
sustainable livelihoods for their
peoples, while seeking to main-
tain and enhance the islands’
natural resource base and bio-
logical assets.
As the world places increased
importance on conservation and
protection, so too the islands of
the OECS have grown conscious
of their own rich natural biodi-
versity, and have gradually moved
to fully embracing global environ-
mental agreements and manage-
ment schemes for sustainability.
Recognizing the importance of
protecting areas of natural and
cultural significance as part of
overall natural resource manage-
Protected areas make up one of
the world’s most important envi-
ronmental management mecha-
nisms.
Such areas contain prime exam-
ples of the earth’s richest natural
and cultural resources.
As regional and international
efforts to preserve the earth's
natural environment have in-
creased, “protected areas” are
ment strategies governments of
the OECS have committed to a
regional protected areas project
(OPAAL) that is aimed at con-
tributing to the conservation of
Protected Areas are such places desig-
nated as such because they have been
deemed to have cultural and/or natural
importance
biodiversity of global importance
through the management of bio-
logical resources and critical
habitats in their respective states.
being placed at the core of all
successful environmental man-
agement strategies. They pre-
serve landscapes, seascapes and
natural areas for appropriate,
long term appreciation and use
by human beings.
Today, many Protected Areas,
once considered defined as
places marked for limited use,
have adopted a more people
Through this Project, which is
being executed by the OECS,
Member States will be able to
better manage selected demon-
stration sites and promote the
involvement of civil society and
the private sector in the planning
management and sustainable use,
both at the site level and at the
national level
Participating Member States of
OPAAL are:
Antigua and Barbuda
Dominica
Grenada
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
N O V / D E C . 2 0 0 5
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Protected Areas:
Vital contributors to environmental conservation
friendly perspective—one that
speaks about “controlled use”
rather than “no use” , “sustainable
value” rather than “sentimental
importance,” “managed” rather
than “restricted”.
Question: What are the pro-
tected Areas in your country?
(Send your answers to the address at
the back of this newsletter).

P A G E 2
A boat trip on the To-
bago Cays National Park
(TNCP), The Grenadines
Annandale Damn,
Grenada
Typically
found in
forest areas
of the
OECS
O P A A L N E W S
OPAAL Project Launched
The OPAAL Project has so
far been launched in five of
the six participating OECS
Member States:
Antigua and Bar­
buda
Dominica
Grenada
St Kitts and Nevis
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
Launches took place during
the months of April and
May 2005.
(OPAAL launch in Saint Lucia
will soon be held).
The national launches pro‐
vided stakeholders and
other partners with the
opportunity to be updated
on all aspects of the project
including their obligations
and responsibilities . It
also paved the way for the
establishment of necessary
administrative arrange‐
ments for speedy imple‐
Sustainable Finance for Protected Areas
As part of a partnership agree-
ment between The Nature
Conservancy (TNC) and ESDU,
to work together in environ-
mental preservation in the
OECS, OPAAL Communica-
tions Specialist, Ms Tecla
Fontenard participated in a
three-day workshop on
“Sustainable Finance for Pro-
tected Areas” in Panama City,
October 25-27. The workshop
Protected Areas in the OECS
The OECS boasts a total of
ninety-eight (98) Pro-
tected Areas. An addi-
tional 9 are in the proc-
ess of being created.
Land Based
Of the total Protected
Areas, 53 are land-based.
brought together some 60 par-
ticipants from the Caribbean and
Latin America who are involved
in financial planning for Pro-
tected Areas in their countries
or regions.
The workshop provided partici-
pants with the skills necessary to
understand and oversee effective
Site Business Planning.
Participants therefore, had a
chance to review business plan-
Marine based
There are 45 marine pro-
tected areas divided
among four designation
categories in the OECS.
mentation at the national
level.
A direct output of the
launch was the develop‐
ment of national OPAAL
Work‐plans.
OPAAL is expected to help
remove barriers that hin‐
der effective management
of Protected Areas and
increase the involvement
of civil society and the
private sector in planning,
managing and sustain‐
able use of these areas.
ning methodologies for site
financial planning, and got
exposed to potential benefits
and challenges in, and consid-
erations for various sustain-
able finance mechanisms.

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
Demonstration Sites
The OPAAL Demonstration Sites
lie at strategic points in six OECS
islands. They are a group of varied
areas, which contain a range of land
The Point Sable proposed Protected
Area is located on the southeast
coast of Saint Lucia, near the town of
Vieux-Fort.
Dimensions and Characteristics
The area measures 250 hectares and
is made up of a narrow coastal strip
and a large offshore area, which con-
sist of long sandy beaches, an off-
shore sand bank, the Savannes Bay
and sea based biodiversity
. Some of
their combined ele-
Point Sable ments include, for-
Area— ests areas, wetlands
Saint Lucia and tidal flats, sandy
and rocky beaches,
mangroves, flora and
fauna habitats, coral
reefs, sea grass beds,
diverse marine life, offshore islets,
and nesting sites for several endemic
and migratory species.
ing or likely to affect the future
significance of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs) . Participants bene-
fited from presentations on models
of best practice approaches for
community-based management and
sustainable livelihoods through PAs.
“I was exposed to a range of pres-
entations which highlighted ap-
proaches, success and failures with
Protected Area design, establish-
ment and management, says Sarah
and Mankote mangroves, Scorpion
and Maria islands, several coral reefs
and the Moule-a-Chique Peninsular .
The area includes a number of pro-
tected areas—some existing and
others proposed. These are a combi-
nation of reserves—wildlife, marine
and nature; national landmarks and
historic sites.
So far seven sites have been named
in the six participating Member
States. These include:
North East Marine Management
Area (NEMMA) , Antigua
Cordrington Lagoon, Barbuda
Cabrits Cabrits— Cabrits —Dominica — Dominica
Annandale Forest Forest— Forest —Grenada — Grenada
Central Forest Range Range— Range —St — St Kitts
Point Sable Area - Saint Lucia
Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP) -
St Vincent and the Grenadines
OPAAL Benefits From World Conference On Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
OPPAL Protected Area Specialist,
Sarah George participated in the
first International Marine Protected
Areas Congress (IMPAC 1). The
Conference was held in Geelong,
Australia from October 24th—28th
2005. The global conference exam-
ined the current trends in PA es-
tablishment and management and
identified needs that would inform
the creation of global network of
PAs. It also addressed issues affect-
George. She continued, “But, I was
particularly pleased to attend a session
of a newly developed Task Force for
Island Conservation (TAFICOPA)
which held its inaugural meeting at the
conference to finalise its TOR and
agree on its work plan.”
The Congress was hailed a success and
is expected to be held every two-three
years.
OPAAL Site Feature - Pointe Sable Area - Saint Lucia
Special Designation
Parts of the proposed protected
area received world recognition -
the two mangroves (Mankote and
Savannes Mangroves) located on
the Site have been declared under
the Ramsar Convention on Wet-
lands.
“The
conference
was held in
Geelong,
P A G E 3
Australia from
October 24th
–28th
These two areas are the only
Ramasar Sites on the island.
Coal Pit : livelihood method for
communities adjacent to PSNP

OECS Protected Areas and Associated
Livelihoods (OPAAL)
Morne Fortune
Castries
Saint Lucia
Phone: 758-453-6208
Fax: 758-452-2194
OPAAL is funded by: the Global Envi-
ronment Facility (GEF) through the
World Bank, Fonds Francais pour
l’Environment Mondiale (FFEM), and
the Governments of the OECS
E-mail: tfontenard@oecs.org
pamurray@oecs.org
oecsnr@candw.lc
Protected Areas For the Benefit of All
What Do you know about Pro-
tected Areas?
If you are interested in Protected
Areas or just want to be a part of
our newsletter, you may take some
time to share with us your knowl-
edge, interest or views for our next
Newsletter by answering these
questions.
1. What do you understand by the
term, Protected Area?
2. Name a Protected Area in your
country and why you think it is
worthy or not worthy of that
designation? If possible, provide
a picture of the Protected Area
mentioned in your answer.
The OPAAL project is a re-
gional initiative aimed at co-
ordinating, complimenting
and integrating Protected Area Management in the East-
ern Caribbean Region. The five year Project hopes to pro-
vide global benefits through the conservation of globally
significant biodiversity.
Upcoming events of OPAAL
1. Legal and Institutional Reviews:
2. Protected Area Systems Plan Reviews
3. Environmental Awareness Survey
4. Livelihoods Assessments for Protected Areas
If you would like further information on these upcom-
ing events please visit our web-site at:
WWW.OECS.ORG/ESDU/
Share Your Knowledge
Can you identify this
picture?
Could this be a bay in the OECS?
Send your answers to our postal or e-
mail address above.
OPAAL Project Staff
The OPAAL Project is executed by the Envi­
ronmental and Sustainable Development
Unit at the OECS (OECS ­ESDU) at Morne
Fortune, Castries, Saint Lucia.
The core staff include a group of well trained
individuals who have been tasked with the
responsibility to effectively facilitate the
project at the national level and implement
all regional elements. The project staff
include six persons, three of whom were
hired specifically for the project:: They are:
Protected Area Specialist, Mrs Sarah George
Communications Specialist, Ms Tecla
Fontenard
Project Assistant, Ms Melissa Mc Lawrence
The other three are located in the OECS­
ESDU, with special assignments on the
OPAAL project . They are:
Project Co­ordinator, Mr Keith E. Nichols
Programme Officer, Education and Aware­
ness, Mr. Peter A. Murray
Sustainable Livelihoods Development, Mr.
David Popo