Biodiversity representation sought in reviewing protected areas in St Lucia
 
Saturday, July 12, 2008  

 
By Anselma
Caribbean Net NEws St Lucia Correspondent
Email: anselma@caribbeannetnews.com
CASTRIES, St Lucia: With technical assistance provided by the Nature Conservancy, an ecological gap assessment is currently being undertaken for St Lucia, which will identify the extent to which species, natural communities and ecological systems/processes are represented in the network of protected areas for the island.

The systems of Protected Areas for St Lucia was published in 1992 under the auspices of the St Lucia National Trust (SLNT) and is currently being reviewed for its relevance and official adoption at the national level under the OECS Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods (OPAAL) Project.

The ecological gap assessment includes the identification of conservation targets, threats and gaps so that spatial and non-spatial data analysis and modeling to help identify and fill gaps in protected area management and biodiversity conservation can be carried out by the experts from the Nature Conservancy.

Biodiversity is the sum of all living species and their ecosystems found in an area. Each species and ecosystems found in an area contribute to the web of life. We destroy anyone of them at our peril. St Lucia is endeavoring to conserve representation of all its remaining biodiversity.
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