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Tuesday, April 17, 2007 – 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-ordinator for IWCAM, Vincent Sweeney, said there is 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 have been allocated for the duration of the
Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area Management in Small Island Developing
States Project-IWCAM.
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