The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community
and cultural resources without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same).
It is therefore within this context that the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean will
closely examine any protected area category – i.e., will it take into consideration the needs,
vulnerabilities and strengths of the islands and will lands be acquired from citizens
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how two protected areas in the Caribbean country of
St. Lucia have used varying approaches to in situ management of natural ecosystems while still
meeting the needs of people. Both sites offer examples of how the Protected Landscape/
Seascape approach can work in the Caribbean, and both are, in effect, actualizing the spirit of
the St. George’s Declaration.
The proposed Praslin Protected Landscape
The Praslin Protected Landscape (PPL) is 874ha of coastline and sea on the east coast of St.
Lucia. The area is comprised of mangroves, coral reefs, sea-grass beds, a delta, xerophytic
vegetation, 17 archaeological sites, and natural beauty. A rapid inventory of flora and fauna in
the area discovered 116 plant species, 38 bird species (of which three are endemics), eight
species of reptiles (of which four are endemics), and two species of amphibians (Andrew and
Anthony, 1997).
The Praslin Protected Landscape is one of 27 management areas in St. Lucia’s protected area
system. The St. Lucia National Trust is the country’s largest conservation, membership and
non-profit organization charged with the responsibility to conserve St. Lucia’s natural and
cultural heritage. Established by an Act of Parliament in 1975, the Trust is a statutory body that
receives some support from government. In 1992 the Trust developed St. Lucia’s protected
area plan following a four-year participatory planning process. The plan advocates conserva -
tion as an indispensable basis for a form of development that is “equitable, sustainable and
harmonious.” It regards natural and cultural resources as the capital on which St. Lucia’s
development strategy can be built, and defines protected areas as:
Portions of the national territory … which are placed under special management status
to ensure that the resources they contained are maintained and made accessible for
sustainable uses compatible with conservation requirements (Hudson et al., 1992).
Living on the periphery of the Praslin Protected Landscape are the coastal communities of
Praslin and Mamiku with a combined population of approximately 400. Historically, the
communities have depended on fishing and small-scale farming, with bananas being the main
cash crop prior to the 1990s. Over the last decade, St. Lucia, like many other SIDS and
developing countries, has lost preferential markets in the United Kingdom, which has brought
about a creeping economic depression in rural communities. This depression has caused the
marginal survivors in these communities to become poor, and the poor in certain cases to
become indigent.
In 1989 when the St. Lucia National Trust (SLNT) began work in the area it was to preserve
the biodiversity and the potential of the area as a Heritage Tourism Site. Before establishing the
Frégate Islands Nature Reserve, which is one component of the Praslin Protected Landscape,
the SLNT realized that the communities could not be ignored. Most of the land was in private
ownership and the community depended on the area for fishing, cutting poles for their gardens,
charcoal production, medicinal herbs, and some grazing. The environ mental problems at the
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