GEF Antigua and Barbuda

Development of an integrated ‘ridges to reefs’ co-management approach for the conservation of resources in the South West region of Antigua

Antigua and Barbuda as a small island developing state is entirely dependent on the integrity and productivity of the ecosystem. The majority of protected areas on Antigua and Barbuda exist on paper without management plans, dedicated management authority, financial support or the required infrastructure for their implementation, monitoring and enforcement.

The south coast of Antigua contains several of these areas: Wallings Forest (WF), Fig Tree Drive Forest (FTDF), Boggy Peak (BP) and Cades Reef (CR). These assets are all of great national importance from an economical, social, historical, and biodiversity perspective, and form part of a wider landscape that is in need of special conservation management (Doiggs, Barta, Rendezvous, and Christian Valley).

The purpose of this project is to establish an interlinked network of marine and forest protected areas, with appropriate co-management, to ensure the integrated management of the resources, whilst providing a chain of ecotourism destinations that generate revenues to support management activities and benefit the local community.