This Critical Situation Analysis (CSA) provides a comprehensive review of the occurrence, management history, and current distribution of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
It explains the importance of IAS management in the Caribbean region, evaluates the key stakeholders currently engaged in IAS management in the Federation, and assesses their level of funding, coordination, and collaboration.
It describes the environmental profile of the two islands and reviews the material provided by all previous initiatives related to environmental management and biodiversity in the Federation, primarily the National Environmental Management Strategy and Action Plan (NEMSAP), the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and the 5th and 6th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
This CSA reviews the existing IAS databases for the Federation and their level of consistency with regard to specific species and reviews all biodiversity inventories previously conducted in St. Kitts and Nevis, with special attention to protected areas and species that may be negatively impacted by IAS. Finally, this CSA describes the Federation’s existing and drafted legislation, policies, and MEAs related to IAS as well as the level of inter-Ministerial coordination and cooperation on IAS issues.
African green monkeys are the invasive species cited as the most problematic for the Federation and the focus of the IAS Pilot Project, so special attention is paid to the history of monkeys and their management in the Federation since their arrival in the 1600s. It is likely that invasive plants are also having a serious negative impact, but at the moment they are not considered as important due to a lack of baseline data and studies to determine their impact.
Read more: Critical Situation Analysis (CSA) of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Status and Management Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, 2019 (PDF)