Comprehensive Assessment of the Country’s Ecosystems to Determine the Areas that Require Urgent Attention

 

Activities:

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• Collate the various damage assessments that have been undertaken following natural disasters like Tropical Storm Debi, Hurricane Tomas, the Christmas Eve Trough, and where gaps have been identified, undertake additional assessments to obtain an accurate quantitative and qualitative picture of the State of the Natural Environment in Saint Lucia.

• Identify and prioritize the areas that are most in need of attention.

• Capture this information in a GIS platform that maps out the country’s natural assets and its vulnerabilities.

• Develop a system to continuously monitor the State of the Environment and track changes that affect the integrity of the country’s natural assets.

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Improved Capacity for Data and Information Management, and Risk Profiles for Main Hazards affecting the Agriculture Sector

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Activities:

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• Enhance capabilities for data and information management to support climate forecasting, vulnerability and risk assessments.

• Develop and implement a standardized methodology, guided by regional and international best practice, to complete sector-based hazard mapping and Vulnerability and Risk Assessments (VRA) of at-risk farming and fishing communities.

• Develop and augment technical know-how to implement Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) to determine the socio-economic and ecological impacts of pests of economic and environmental importance affecting the sector.

• Increase expertise in agro-meteorology in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Meteorological Office through collaboration with technical support agencies and academic institutions.

• Strengthen capacities for early warning and marine forecasting in the agriculture sector, including improved border control measures for the prevention and control of exotic pests.

• Train and support extension staff at different levels to interpret weather and climate forecasts so that they may better advise farmers, fishers and other users of natural resources.

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Improved Management of Solid and Liquid Waste

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Activities:

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• Pass legislation and develop incentives to encourage reductions in the volumes of waste products going to the landfill.

• Promote the reuse and recycling of waste products at the household and commercial levels.

• Encourage the reuse of wastewater for irrigation in agriculture and tourism (hotel gardens and landscapes).

• Promote composting at the household and farm levels, as a means of reducing waste and improving the organic content of the soil. 

• Ensure that all hotels have facilities for the treatment of wastewater to remove inorganic and other harmful compounds before the effluent is discharged into the environment.

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Debris and Waste Management Plan

 

Activities:

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• Develop and issue guidelines for routine activities that citizens and contractors (public and private) must carry out prior to the start of the Hurricane Season in order to minimize the possibility of harm to lives and property from felled trees or debris that may become projectiles in strong winds or flood waters.

• Encourage farmers to engage in good agricultural practices with respect to the maintenance of field drains and clearing of farm debris.

• Develop a Debris Management Plan at the national and district levels.

• Establish debris staging/storage sites in each district, that are able to handle the volume of debris that may be created after the passage of a storm or hurricane.

• Consider the designation of certified debris management contractors who can be part of the emergency management teams that are mobilized during pre-strike preparation.

• Develop a protocol for the segregation and storage of potentially hazardous debris following a natural disaster.

• Explore options to implement recycling programs for any debris that may be reused or recycled following a natural disaster.