CHALLENGES
In our goal for conservation we are faced with certain challenges that we cannot solve on our own. Thanks to BIOPAMA our rangers are now able to reduce these challenges. We need both the public and private sector to understand and see how their actions effect the environment, and how to solve these problems by using best management practices available.
BEACH LITTER
Nothing can beat a relaxing day at the beach, except if the beach is covered in litter! With the crowds of visitors come the crowd of trash wrongfully disposed of in the environment. As a country we can do better for ourselves. Clean up after your trip to the beach, take all what you have brought with you and dispose of it in the right way. We must also pass on the correct attitudes in handling our litter because the pollution only hurts us, our island, our beautiful Saint Lucia.
REMOVAL OF BEACH MATERIAL AND SAND COMPACTION
Recently due to the influx of sargassum seaweed heavy machinery is being employed to remove the sargassum. Heavy machinery such as bulldozers and dump trucks are being used so frequently that the amount of beach material (sand etc) they have removed with the sargassum has began to change the shape of the coastline, reducing the beach area, and changing the currents the drif long shore which in turn effect other areas beyond the cleared beach. The machinery also heavily compacts the sand to the point where turtle nests are destroyed, and makes it almost impossible for new nests to be dug by turtles who come up to lay their clutch of eggs on our shores. We must act now and control these forms of degradation before our biodiversity is lost forever!
COASTAL EROSION DUE TO RISING SEA LEAVELS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Every year we lose more of our coasts due to sea level rise and erosion. This leaves our communities vulnerable to flooding and other natural disasters. Clearing of coastal areas whether it be raw material, or vegetation, without proper environmental assessments can lead to irreparable damage to the coast and to man made structures found along the receding coastline. It is a domino effect that alters all the surrounding areas connected by the shoreline. Now more than ever we need to call for action against coastal degradation and the activities that promote it.
SAND MINING
Every year tonnes of beach sand of beach sand is mined from the beaches, destabilising the coast. Thanks to the presence of rangers this has has since reduced. This sand is not suitable for construction due to the presence of "salts" and therefore should not be used for construction!
TURTLE POACHING
Turtle poaching has slowed down in recent years but is still a very real challenge faced by our rangers and conservationist. It is a hard line to draw between protecting a resource, and preventing others from using the only resources they know. Through education and economic diversity we hope to bring about a generational change in ensuring a future for marine turtles in Saint Lucia.
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