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

CEP Technical Report No. 17
some of the largest beaches on the island and provide nesting grounds for three species of
endangered sea turtles, primarily leatherbacks. The sand is removed by tractor and the operations
involve large, heavy trucks. Despite the fact that in most cases the mining activity has
remained confined to relatively small areas of the total beach habitat, compaction of turtle nests
by traffic to and from the mining site is also a potential problem.
According to the Country Environmental Profile for St. Kitts and Nevis (CCA, 1991), the
supply of construction sand has been a "nagging problem for a long time". To meet the demand,
sand is routinely removed in large quantities from beaches and ghauts (ravines). However, the
"linkage between continuous sand removal from both the ghauts and the beach-dune systems and
a continuing and worsening problem of erosion in both locations has not escaped the attention of
both policy makers and environmental scientists". In some cases, such as the area south of Belle
Tete, data indicate that sand removal has resulted in shoreline losses to erosion of as much as 20
m between 1968-1983 (CCA, 1991). A recent report (Cambers, 1988) examined the problem of
shoreline erosion and recommended that sand mining be restricted to a few designated ghaut
sites (Figure 7), and that site supervision and a fee of EC$ 20 per load be implemented. The
problem is especially severe in Nevis. Cambers (1989b) concluded, "it is essential that alternative
sources of fine aggregate be sought in order to conserve the remaining beaches in Nevis."
In 1989, a Cabinet-appointed Committee on Sand Mining and Construction Waste
(Chaired by the Director of Planning) was established to examine serious concerns which had
been raised about beach and ghaut sand mining and solid waste disposal. Part of the
Commit-tee's mandate was to make recommendations for sand mining through implementation
of a permit system with fee schedules and monitoring procedures (CCA, 1991). In addition to
regulating where and how much beach sand can be taken, alternatives to beach mining are
available and include inland deposits (e.g., the quarry in the St. James Windward area of Nevis),
offshore mining, and importing sand from neighbouring islands such as Barbuda. A complete
study of all options, including offshore mining, was recently completed by a team of specialists
from the UK (Kirkpatrick Consulting Engineers, 1992).
The NHCS and the Nevis Environmental Education Committee have been very active in
educating the public about the long-term implications of beach sand mining. The issue has been
highlighted in the Society's newsletters and members have written to government officials urging
them to legislate stiffer laws and penalties for the removal of beach sand. The Society published
a brief report in 1989 entitled, "Sand Removal on Nevis Reaches Critical Stage". According to
this report, "business and private home construction, as well as sand for fill, is escalating at a rate
that is doubling sand use every year." This is a recipe for disaster, especially for coastal vacation
developments which depend on sandy beaches to attract and entertain tourists. To the extent that
sand must be removed from beaches, the report recommends that sand (1) not be free for the
taking, (2) be wisely used and conserved and not left in large waste piles after construction is
complete, and (3) be considered a national valuable resource and guarded as one would protect
gold or silver ore.
It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that specific sites, preferably inland
deposits, be designated for sand mining, extraction fees be implemented, permit conditions be
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