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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Saint Lucia National Invasive Species Strategy

Saint Lucia as a Small Island Developing State is not exempted from the negative impacts of…

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Voluntary Code of Conduct for Saint Lucia’s Tourism Sector (TS VCoC) with Species Reference to Invasive Alien Species (IAS)

This Voluntary Code of Conduct for the Tourism Sector (TS VCoC) promotes visits to Saint Lucia’s…

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Have you seen the Alien Green Iguana? – St. Lucia Forestry Department

A 12-minute video on the conservation of the Saint Lucia iguana and its habitat, including the…

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Saint Lucia, National Invasive Species Strategy 2012-2021

SLU NISS The Saint Lucia National Invasive Species Strategy (NISS) 2012-2021 was developed by a small…

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Voluntary Code of Conduct for Saint Lucia’s Ornamental Plant Sector (OPS VCoC)

Author: Saint Lucia Forestry Department, Summer Flowers, St. Lucia Floral Co-operative Society, The Garden Centre, Plants…

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Invasive Alien Species – Confronting the Threat

The final 30-minutes TV documentary “Invasive Alien Species - Confronting the Threat” illustrates in a laypersons…

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Alien Species Invading our Daily Lives in Saint Lucia

Dr.Ulrike Krauss, Invasive Species Coordinator, Forestry Department, Union. Invasive alien species (IAS) are plants, animals or…

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Information on Invasive Plants in St. Lucia

You can see more Invasive Plants in St. Lucia at http://www.saintlucianplants.com/invasives.html