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

St. Kitts and Nevis Sea Turtles…National Park Society. The Conservation Commission acts as an advisory commission to theMinister with functions of managing and controlling activities concerning beaches, nationalparks and protected areas. Management plans are to be prepared for all protected areas by theConservation Commission.It is a recommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that all relevant coastal zoneauthorities -- Ministers, development and advisory boards, the Conservation Commission -- worktogether with residents and non-government groups in full support of declaring andadministering protected areas for the benefit of endangered sea turtles. The legislation to declareprotected areas exists in the NCEPA, it has only to be fully realised and implemented. Inaddition to the federal legislation, the Nevis Island Administration may be able to declareprotected areas under the auspices of Nevis planning legislation; this option should be explored.4.122 Develop regulatory guidelinesIn order for management planning to be effective, a regulatory framework is needed. TheSoutheast Peninsula Land Development and Conservation Board has already developed detailedguidelines for development of the peninsula, as well as a strategy for managing land use(Ministry of Development, 1989a,b). Copies of these guidelines are provided to prospectivedevelopers and established protocols must be incorporated into all development and constructionplans. Many of the guidelines, such as for construction setbacks, solid waste disposal andlandscaping, are identical to those generally proposed to safeguard sea turtle nesting areas. It is arecommendation of this Recovery Action Plan that equivalent guidelines be adopted for alldevelopment in St. Kitts and Nevis; further, that the guidelines be adhered to by developers andthat the Board not waver or deviate from what has been established.Regulations most important to the conservation of turtles fall into two categories: thosepertaining to sandy beaches (egg-laying) and those pertaining to coral reefs and sea grass (foodand shelter). Guidelines currently under development for the Newcastle Marine Reserve inNevis are a useful model for marine protected areas. In a Beach Management Plan submitted tothe SEP Land Development and Conservation Board, Orme (1989) made several recommendations"to preserve the valuable beach resources of the Southeast Peninsula and to manage theseso as to minimize the negative impacts of development." Eckert (1989) made similar recommendationsto the Board in a Sea Turtle Management Plan designed to conserve the peninsula's seaturtles in view of impending development. The following points are based on Orme (1989) andEckert (1989). Topics are discussed in further depth in the section(s) noted in parentheses.1) Sand mining: No mining of beach sand should be permitted under any circumstances(section 4.131). Beach sand is a finite resource that reportedly is not being replenished at thepresent time at a rate commensurate with past deposition; thus, beach mining implies beach loss.In addition, the persistent removal of beach sand disrupts stabilising vegetation and exacerbateserosion. The resulting pits not only invite injury to both humans and livestock, but theyaccumulate water and serve as breeding areas for mosquitoes and other unwanted insects. Orme(1989) also recommends that no mining of sand be permitted in the offshore or nearshore zonesas this material is important to beach maintenance. Orme (1989) and Cambers (1988) bothindicate ghauts (ravines) and interior sites where mining would be acceptable.Page 33