St. Lucia

About St. Lucia

Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the mountainous landscape and tropical location of St-Lucia have endowed the island with a range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Ecosystems range from dry cactus scrubs to rainforest, as well as mangroves and coral reefs. However these ecosystems have a high fragility given their small size. Within these ecosystems there are over 1,300 plant species, 150 birds, 250 reef fish and 50 coral species. Endemic species include the St-Lucia parrot and the St-Lucia muskrat. With the exception of the rainforest and the montane forest formations, terrestrial environments have been radically transformed by human activity, mainly by the building of monoculture plantations. Agriculture has traditionally been the major economic sector, but recently tourism has risen as a rival sector. Between 1977 and 1989, 22.5% of the forest was lost and it is estimated that 40% of the once thriving mangroves have been lost. In addition, over 12% of St-Lucia’s beach length is being mined for sand and 50% of the wetlands have been converted for cultivation.

Contact Information:

Mr. Lucius Alexander
Senior Crop Protection Officer
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries, and Rural Development.
Research and Development Division
Plant Protection and Quarantine
Sir Stanislaus James Building,
Waterfront,
Castries,
St Lucia
Tel: 758-468 5601 / 452-2526
Fax: 758 453-6314
Email: SRO.agriculture@govt.lc or PS.agriculture@govt.lc or l_alexander69@yahoo.com or hlggeorge@yahoo.com

IAS Work in St. Lucia

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Survey of Ornamental Plants in Resorts and Hotels Saint Lucia, 2012

Survey of Ornamental Plants in Resorts and Hotels Saint Lucia, 2012 carried out under the project Mitigating…

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Saint Lucia Iguana is Considered as being Critically Endangered

[caption id="attachment_1696" align="alignleft" width="391"] Endangered St. Lucia Iguana[/caption] Due to their low numbers and restricted geographic…

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Saint Lucia: The Search for Invasive Alien Species

It is a typical scenario. A man made problem, turning into a major catastrophe or having…

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Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Pathways: Saint Lucia

Mathurin, G (2010). Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Pathways: Saint Lucia. Consultancy reports under the project “Mitigating…

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Saint Lucia: Communications, Education, Public Awareness Strategy

Chase, V (2010). Communications, Education, Public Awareness Strategy. Consultancy reports under the project “Mitigating the Threats…

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Saint Lucia: Policy Gaps and Needs Analysis

Chase, V. (2010). Policy Gaps and Needs Analysis. Consultancy reports under the project “Mitigating the Threats…

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Saint Lucia: NISS Terrestrial Ecosystems

Andrew, G.M., John, L. (2010). Terrestrial Ecosystem Analysis. National Invasive Species Strategy for Saint Lucia. Consultancy…

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Saint Lucia: Communications, Education, Public Awareness Strategy and Actions

Felix, M.-L. (2010) Communications, Education, Public Awareness Strategy and Actions. Consultancy reports under the project “Mitigating…

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Saint Lucia: NISS Aquatic Ecosystems

Felix, M.-L. (2010) Aquatic Ecosystems. Consultancy reports under the project “Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien…