Progress report for
Marine conservation through Ridge-to-Reef approach in Grenada
Achievement at a glance
A legislation is being facilitated related to Fisheries including a specific chapter dealing with MPAs, especially co-management arrangements. Co-management is being conducted for some MPAs without a legal basis. Draft guidelines for the use of FADs have also been developed through a third party project towards a legislation to be adopted. The project has contracted a legal consultant to review and provide recommendations on legislation pertaining to the PAs. Additionally, the government in collaboration with the OECS Commission through an EU-funded project is reviewing policies and legislation that relate to the Forestry and National Parks Wildlife Bill. Management plans are under development for three PAs, namely, Mt. St. Catherine, Morne Gazo and Levera. Consultancies to develop management plans for 3 marine PAs and review existing management plans are also planned. The National MPA Management Committee was re-established in May 2017, appointed by the Minister. The coral restoration program is making tremendous strides and grown fragments have been transplanted from the Grand Anse nursery to three new sites within the Molinere/Beausejour MPA. An MOU is expected to be signed shortly between the project and the UNEP EbA program. The project is engaging both Fisheries Division and Forestry Department to develop a protocol for measuring the growth of surface area of corals, sea grass beds and mangroves. The project is contributing directly to pesticide reduction through farmers training on compost, marine pollution and the establishment of a compost manufacturing facility.Challenges faced in implementation
Challenges and next steps for measures: Little progress is made in the area of Terrestrial Protected Areas (TPAs). MPAs have a standard template which is used for developing management plans whereas TPAs do not. There is no standard defined processes to be used in the development of management plans for PAs. Since the project will support the development of 5 PA management plans, a set of consultancies are expected to make recommendations in this regard. There is no budgetary restructuring done for PA finance yet, in part due to the governments fiscal deficit. This would be the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance. A consultant has been selected by the project to prepare a Business Plan to assist the Government in putting a mechanism in place for the collection of financial resources in order to operate and maintain PAs (system-wide). There is no inter-sectoral coordination committee established to oversee investments in PAs. This inter-sectoral committee is expected to be established once the TPA and MPA committees are operationalized. In general, the project is facing considerable challenges with respect to co-management, including lack of understanding of the concept of co-management within the government and lack of legal basis for co-management. A consultant hired by the project is undertaking a legal review, which will assess the issue of co-management, among others and make recommendations. Sedimentation within the MPAs remains a concern due to the following: heavy rains during the rainy season, sewerage burst pipes, and construction of a new hotel in Grand Anse, which are outside of the control of the project.Beneficiaries
Ministry of Environment, Foreign Trade and Export Development (MEFTED); Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF); Department of Fisheries (DF) within MAFF; Land Use Division with MAFF; Ministry of Tourism; Ministry of Works, Communication and Public Utilities (MWCPU), including the National Water and Sewage Authority (NAWASA); Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs); Private sector entities (The Grenada Federation of Agriculture and Fisheries Organizations, and the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce); Educational institutions (St. Georges University and regional universities like e.g. the University of the West Indies (UWI)