GEF Antigua and Barbuda

THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF CLEARING LAND

This message is supported by the SIRMM Project - Demonstrating the Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism in a Small Island Developing State

Recently there has been an increase in the demonstration of poor land use practices in Antigua and Barbuda, including indiscriminate clearing of land, deforestation, overgrazing, unmanaged construction activity and road-building. Of particular concern is the increase in instances of indiscriminate clearing of land in Antigua and Barbuda these activities can have detrimental impacts on the land, waterways, agriculture, coastal waters and in turn Antigua and Barbuda’s fisheries and tourism industries among other things.

Indiscriminate clearing of land removes all the vegetation and therefore leaves the land open and increasingly susceptible to erosion and weathering from the natural processes e.g. from rain and wind. Removing the vegetation also increases surface runoff of water during precipitation which increases erosion of organic matter and soil.

The erosion caused from clearing land can result in the destruction of the soil structure including major loss of organic matter and topsoil. The loss of organic matter and topsoil can result in soil exhaustion and can impact the agriculture sector, decrease water storage capacity, block drains and lead to flooding.

Although clearing of land is one of the root causes of erosion, it can also be exacerbated by overgrazing livestock and the careless cutting of roads. New information coming out of the Rehabilitation of the Body Ponds Watershed demonstration project has shown that the road situation within the Body Ponds Watershed is a major contributor to the siltation of watercourses.

The soil, silt and organic matter eroded from the cleared lands are then major contributors to the siltation problem in the waterways throughout Antigua and Barbuda. This can have an extremely detrimental effect on the coastal water that the watershed feeds into.

The silt that flows from these watersheds, flow into coastal waters where it smothers sea grass beds and coral reefs, which are key to our ecosystems here in Antigua and Barbuda. This problem is exacerbated in situations where mangroves have been removed from the coastlines. Mangroves serve as a natural filter of silt and sediment before water coming from land runs into coastal waters. Antigua and Barbuda’s coastal waters are extremely important to our fisheries and our coral reefs which in turn have a major impact on the health of our beaches.

The inter-governmental panel on climate change’s (IPCC) 4th assessment report (AR4) has predicted an increase in rainfall with global warming for small islands as well as an increase in storms and extreme weather. This will exacerbate the already dire situation of erosion and siltation unless we start utilizing good land use practices.

For more information please contact the Environment Division at 562-2568 or visit www.gefantigua.org and www.environmentdivision.info.

Please see the attached photographs of indiscriminate clearing of land in Antigua.