Coastal Stabilization Works to Continue in Vieux Fort

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT) is expanding efforts to address coastal degradation within the Point Sable Environmental Protection Area (PSEPA) through a coastal stabilization project executed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and funded by the German Development Bank (KfW) under a Local Adaptation Measures (LAMS) Grant Scheme.

Through this project, the SLNT in collaboration with the Southern Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) will be executing a suite of activities geared towards stabilizing the PSEPA coastline and improving resilience to the impacts of climate change. Major initiatives to be undertaken include:

1. A coastal engineering study focused on developing solutions to protect the PSEPA shoreline from erosion and where feasible, to rehabilitate eroded areas of the coastline;
2. Revegetation and refurbishment of sand dunes along Sandy Beach; and
3. Rehabilitation of a major storm drain at Sandy Beach.

These activities are at various stages of implementation. Terms of References for the consultancies for activities 1 and 2 above have been advertised for bidding and can be accessed via the links below:

Agro-Forester – https://slunatrust.org/assets/content/documents/TOR_Agroforester_final_280917.pdf

Coastal Stabilisation measures for PSEPA: https://slunatrust.org/assets/content/documents/ToRs_Coastal_stabilization_solutions_for_the_PSEPA_Final_280917.pdf

These activities represent an integrated approach to mitigating events which have led to the progressive degradation of the coastline. Coastal communities have become increasingly vulnerable to the threat posed by extreme rainfall events, sea level rise and storm surge due to a combination of climate change effects and unsustainable human activities such as removal and destruction of natural coastal barriers (sand dunes, mangroves forests and coral reefs); and ill-advised or unregulated coastal development. The pernicious impacts of recent tropical storms on the natural and socio-economic landscape of countries within the Lesser Antilles no doubt should reawaken in our mindset that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) ought to pay greater attention to strengthening their resilience to these calamitous weather events.

The SLNT had previously laid the ground work for implementation of these activities under recent initiatives funded by the Organization of the American States (OAS). The scope of interventions under consideration have also received support and endorsement from the Government of Saint Lucia through the Ministry of Infrastructure Ports Energy and Labour; the National Conservation Authority (NCA), the Vieux Fort North Constituency Council and the STDC.

For further clarification please contact Mr. Craig Henry, SLNT’s Programme Officer-Conservation (South) at 454-5014 or email southofficer@slunatrust.org.

— Source: Saint Lucia National Trust