ST. LUCIA – St. Lucia is among thirteen Caribbean islands selected as focal points for the Integrated Watershed and Coastal Area Management in Small Island Developing States Project. IWCAM. IWCAM is designed primarily to assist participating islands in managing their land and coastal zone resources in an integrated fashion.
In the case of St. Lucia the Fond d’Or watershed is being used as the pilot site for the project, leading to its subsequent replication in other parts of the island. While IWCAM is regional in scope, there are nine specific demonstration projects.
Regional Co-coordinator for IWCAM, Vincent Sweeney, said there are a variety of different projects in the islands, as part of the demonstration components, “and we are looking at things such as marine waste, land use planning and conflicts in terms of its effects on ground water in particular, and we are also looking at industrial waste, Sweeney added.”
The water resource base has been one of the most critical aspects as it relates to sustainable development of the Fond D’or water shed, which encapsulates the Mabouya Valley. Martin Satney who is the Permanent Secretary in the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries believes that while the Mabouya Valley has been an area of increased social and economic development, the problem of resource use remains an issue.
“For decades we’ve heard of the complaints from residents of Mabouya Valley about water supplies and how it’s impacting on the quality of life and so one,” Satney said.
A period of three to four years has been allocated for the duration of the Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area Management in Small Island Developing States Project-IWCAM.
