GEF Antigua and Barbuda

The Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism (SIRMM) Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is currently being implemented in Antigua and Barbuda to ensure the sustainability and maintenance of island ecosystem integrity, health, and function through integrated planning and management of island resources.

One aspect of the SIRMM Project is the Rehabilitation of the Body Ponds Watershed, and this aspect has made considerable progress in the past few months. This watershed is the largest watershed in Antigua and is important for agriculture and livestock farming. The watershed is now heavily eroded and overrun by Lemon grass (Citronella sp.).

The grass was introduced in the 1960s to control soil erosion, but it has spread over vast tracts of land and is now a major factor contributing to soil erosion. The fire adapted Lemon grass itself poses a threat while the practise of setting the grass alight increases its threat. This practice destroys peripheral vegetation and prepares the site for seed germination therefore expanding and out-competing the natural vegetation. When the grass is burnt it forms clumps and leaves a significant amount of bare soil exposed to wind and water damage. This cycle causes the watershed to be further degraded and ultimately results in a decline in the quality of life.

Work on the rehabilitation of the Body Ponds Watershed began in 2008. Within the Body Ponds Watershed which in total covers 10,400 acres, an area of approximately 40 acres has been chosen to perform a smaller demo. Good land use management practices will be implemented in this smaller demo to try and remove the lemon grass and replant the entire 40 acres with natural forest mixed with fruit trees so the community can utilize the area and have a vested interest.

At the Bendals entrance to the Body Ponds area a building has been designated for the interpretation centre for the area which in the future will house information about the project and about the Body Ponds area and watershed and a sign has been erected to provide more information to visitors about the project.

Currently through the Forestry Unit with assistance of five laborers a buffer strip along the roadside approximately 20ft x 600ft is being cleared of Lemon grass and replanted with Albizia and other fast growing forest species. As this time of year is very dry the replanting is not up to full scale but will be once the wet season starts. The banks of some of the streamways have also been cleared of lemon grass and replanted with West Indian almond, bamboo, maley apple, java plums, mahoe, coconut trees and albizia.

In the smaller demo area major geological features will be mapped along with the individual trees and other specific data (planter, date planted and species) to aide public participation in the project. This will then be uploaded onto a future data base in which people can track the different trees and progress of the demo site, therefore hoping to get more community involvement. Mr. Adriel Thibou of the Forestry Unit stated that he “want(s) to get as many people excited and involved about the project as possible to ensure its success”

Since fires are a major threat in the area the Forestry Unit along with the Antiguan Fire Department, Extension Division, Environment Division, EAG and GARDC, is doing fire safety, management and prevention training. Also through the project a Public Service Announcement on fires is currently being produced to highlight the detrimental impacts of grass and bush fires in Antigua and Barbuda.

This demo project will provide a tangible example of how long term benefits are accrued by a shift towards the integrated management of watershed resources. This along with properly planned watershed development will ultimately result in positive trade-offs in comparison to the present situation. This project will serve as a model for the management and development of similar watersheds/hydrological units elsewhere on Antigua and in other small island developing states in the Caribbean.

For more information about the SIRMM Project and the work it is doing in both Antigua and Barbuda, please visit www.gefantigua.org.