The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

13. Protected landscapes and seascapes and
their relevance to Small Island Developing
States in the Caribbean: the case of Saint
Lucia
Giles Romulus
Introduction
For many years since their emergence from colonialism into independence, the small islands of
the Caribbean have been searching for a development paradigm that responds to their strengths
and vulnerabilities. Located in the Western Atlantic within the penumbra or immediate
geopolitical and cultural sphere of influence of a “Hyper Power” (Tisdell, 1994), these islands
were at one time the centres of the international economic system, providing raw materials to
the factories of Europe at minimal rates and being sold manufactured products at high rates.
Today, these islands exhibit all the characteristics of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS),
in cluding small economic space, monocultural economies, large and growing populations, high
poverty and indigence rates, growing international debts, high debt service ratios, high
illiteracy rates, and, by virtue of their location, vulnerability to natural disasters. These islands
are not only vulnerable to natural disasters but also to slight variations in the global economic
system because of the openness of their economies. The reality of existence in the Caribbean is
usually distorted by the television and movies, which portray the area as a tropical paradise for
exotic vacations.
Tourism and its related services are, in the minds of many, the only comparative advantage
the islands possess in an era of globalization and trade liberalization. It is within this context
that Caribbean people are rediscovering their natural and cultural heritage as a means for
sustainable development. The St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental
Sustainability in the OECS 1 captures in its preamble the new consensus for development in the
Caribbean. The Declaration states that:
… the effective management of environmental resources at local, national and inter -
national levels is an essential component of sustainable social and economic de -
velopment, including the creation of jobs, a stable society, a buoyant economy and the
sustaining of viable natural systems on which all life depends. (OECS, 2000)
This integrated approach to sustainable development as summarised in the St. George’s
Declaration also means effective management of natural and cultural resources based on the
principles of equity (access to natural and cultural resources and land); participation (in
decision-making and in management of resources); and sustainability (optimal use of natural
1
The OECS are a group of islands in the Caribbean which include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,
Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the
British Virgin Islands. These islands share a common currency and are slowly moving towards a single
economic space and political union. The St. George’s Declaration was ratified by all the governments
of the OECS.
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