Saint Lucia Coral Reef Report Card
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia, located south of Martinique and north of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is one of the largest of the Eastern
Caribbean islands covering 603 km 2 of land with 208 km of coastline. The volcanic island has a steep rugged landscape
surrounded by a narrow coastal shelf that supports a diverse marine ecosystem of mangroves, seagrasses, coral reefs and
beaches. Saint Lucia’s economy is dependent primarily on tourism, as well as artisanal fisheries, agriculture (bananas and
root crops), and some manufacturing. Reef species harvested include parrotfish, angelfish, triggerfish, spiny lobster, conch
and white sea urchin. Of the 17 fish landing sites, Vieux Fort is the largest followed by Dennery. The major threats to marine
biodiversity are domestic and agrochemical pollution, sewage contamination, deforestation and associated sedimentation,
coastal development, sand mining, unsustainable fishing, and hurricanes. Saint Lucia has several Marine Managed Areas;
Soufriere Marine Management Area, the Canaries/Anse La Raye MMA and Pointe Sable EPA are the largest.
603 km 2 land
15 species
of birds
Cas
En Bas
Reduit
Beach
9 Marine Managed
Areas
3 species
of nesting
sea turtles
2 km 2 of
mangroves
Castries City
Castries Waterworks
Forest Reserve
Roseau
4 major
hurricanes
since 1980
Canaries
48% GDP
from tourism
Saint Lucia
Praslin
250,000
visitors
in 2013
Mamin
Quilesse Forest
Reserve
Belle Vue
7 km 2 of
coral reefs
Savannes
Sapphire
37 km 2 of
seagrasses
18% land used
for small scale
agriculture
180,870 people
Vieux Fort
Saint Lucia Timeline
Protection for reefs (above line) / Key events impacting coral (below)
• Saint Lucia National Trust Act
• Fisher Cooperatives
• Fisheries Legislation
1970 - 1980
• Mankote Ramsar Site
• Soufriere/Canaries MMA
• National Conservation Act
1990
• Tropical Storm Debbie
• Banana Industry - 1970-1990
• Hurricane Lenny
• Diadema urchin die-off - 1980s
• Mass coral die-off due to disease • G. Odlum stadium (H 2 0
release to mangrove)
• White sea urchin collapse
• Hurricane Allen
• OPAAL
• Pointe Sable EPA Declared
• Pitons MA World Heritage Site
• PSEPA Management Plan
2000
• Hurricane Dean
• Coral bleaching - 2005/2008
• Invasive Seagrass
• TOT MPA Management Training
• ACP Fish II Program
• Protected Areas Trust Fund
• Mankote Mangrove dieback
• CARIFICO Management Proj ect
• MTIASIC - Alien Species Program
• ECMMAN Project
2010
• Hurricane Tomas
• Drought
• Lionfish invasion
• Coral Bleaching - 2010
• Mangrove dieback - 2010
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