Sea Turtle Recovery Action Plan for St. Kitts and Nevis - WIDECAST

St. Kitts and Nevis Sea Turtles…
cluding a night survey with all the beach-front lights turned on. The purpose of this inspection
would be to verify that beach illumination is minimized and is in accordance with regulations designed
to protect nesting, and especially hatching, sea turtles. With regard to enhancing environmental
enforcement in general, including protected species, pollution, and game and mining
laws, the creation of a Division of Environmental Enforcement is suggested (section 4.24).
4.124 Develop educational materials
In order for area management planning to be effective, residents and visitors (and, when
appropriate, developers and concessionaires) must be aware of regulations in place to safeguard
the environment. Materials readily available to the public should include clear descriptions of
what types of activities are permitted and what types of activities are not permitted in the
management area. Permanent wooden sign boards at beach entrances are one way to educate
users. For example, a sign board may explain that beach fires and littering are not permitted,
pets must be leashed, and vehicles must be parked in designated areas. If the nesting beach area
is closed to the public at night, this should be clearly indicated. Finally, a phone number to
report violations should be provided. Other options include the distribution of informative
pamphlets and repeated information provided by the media. The non-government conservation
community, including the NHCS and the SCHS, can be very helpful in promoting a grassroots
understanding and appreciation of protected areas.
4.13 Prevent or mitigate degradation of nesting beaches
4.131 Sand mining
On the beach, natural sand deposits are important for recreation by residents and tourists
and serve as a barrier against storm waves, thus protecting coastal residences and commercial
investment. Removed from the beach, sand is a vital component of the construction industry as a
raw material for cement. Unfortunately, the chronic removal of sand for construction or other
purposes often accelerates beach erosion and degrades or destroys coastal vegetation by uprooting
it or flooding the ground with seawater. In severe cases, saline ponds are formed in
unsightly pits left by mining operations, shoreline trees and other stabilising vegetation are lost
to the sea, and entire beach habitats are eliminated. With their loss, the coast's potential to
support recreation, tourism, commercial development, and wildlife such as sea turtles is reduced.
For this reason, sand mining is prohibited by the National Conservation and Environment
Protection Act of 1987, except by permit from the Government.
There are several sites for beach sand mining in St. Kitts and Nevis (Figures 6 and 7). In
some areas the mining poses a serious threat to important sea turtle nesting habitat. For example,
there was once nesting at Indian Castle, Nevis, but with the loss of the beach the nesting has
ceased (A. Barrett, pers. comm., 1991). About 5000 cubic yards of sand has been extracted from
Indian Castle and the source is "exhausted" (Kirkpatrick Consulting Engineers, 1992). Cambers
(1989a) documented extensive mining at Cades Bay north of Mariner's and less activity at
Hurricane Hill beach and Newcastle Jetty beach. Large-scale mining is ongoing at Cades Bay
and Gallows Bay (Robinson, 1991). In St. Kitts, mining occurs at Sandy Point, Belle Tete Point,
Conaree, Wash/Holland Ghaut, and the southeast end of North Frigate Bay. These represent
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