This Critical Situation Analysis (CSA) provides an overview of occurrence, trends in distribution of most problematic Invasive Alien Species (IAS), in Saint Lucia, including an assessment of pathways and on-going management approaches. It assesses gaps in existing institutional, legislative and policy frameworks, building on earlier studies, and should be read together with several cited reports prepared in parallel as inputs into the National Invasive Species Strategy (NISS). Early sections describe Saint Lucia’s environmental profile, including protected areas, marine reserves, and other sites of high conservation value. Both biodiversity baselines assessments and IAS inventories are discussed regarding their merits and limitations. Generally terrestrial ecosystems are better understood than aquatic ones, where baseline studies are scarce, poorly documented where they exist, and the origin of species is often unknown. As early as 1998, Saint Lucia published a biodiversity baseline study that formally recognized 13 agricultural and livestock pests as IAS. Novel IAS management tools and approaches discussed in the CSA are the establishment of metapopulations of critical species on off-shore islands that are freed/kept free of IAS and adaptive measures to climate change. The background to and rationale of Saint Lucia’s two pilot project in the GEF project are described. Risk and economic impact assessments, other than for pathogens and agricultural pests, are in their infancy. Most public awareness, education and capacity-building also have their roots in safeguarding agricultural production. Related studies offering concrete recommendations are highlighted. Baseline biodiversity evaluations suggest a total use benefit of EC$132 million. Cost recovery mechanisms include taxes, levies, and user fees, which can provide a powerful mechanism for protecting biodiversity
Full Document>>>>CSA final version of 2011