The Massey Estate is located on the Eastern side of the island of St. Vincent. In colonial times, it was a small plantation comprising approximately 230 acres of land. Historically, Portuguese indentured workers settled in the lower part of the valley which became known as the ?Maderia Valley.? This valley was severely defrosted for subsistence farming after the estate was dismantled in the 1960s. With the advent of organized banana production and guaranteed markets under Lome Conventions, many villagers seized the opportunity to produce for the market. The demand drove villagers/producers to clear more forested areas for banana production. Widespread ecological changes coupled with global climatic challenges led to prolonged dry spells, thereby reducing the water flow in the rivers to a trickle during some months/season. The cutting of the trees for farming not only reduced precipitation but lend itself to land slippages on the hills especially during the rainy season. To ? date, the

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forest cover of St. Vincent has been reduced to less than one ? fifth of the landmass of the country. The watershed and human settlement of Bridgetown have suffered significant denudation of its soils through erosion prone agricultural practices and the attrition of the population, respectively. The revitalization of the watershed and sustainable farming for improved livelihoods are at the heart of the project. The project vision is to carry out restoration of the natural forest on the highest elevation of the watershed, agro ? forest in the intermediate terrain and a combination of commercial farming and eco ? tourism activities on the lower elevation. In short, the project proposes to transform the Maderia Valley, and by extension, the Massey Valleys, to an agro -forest cum -cultural and historical eco ? tourism centre.

In addition, the project is undertaken as a measured initiative in revitalization of the natural ecology of the area and to introduce and demonstrate the mix of sustainable agro ? forest and eco ? tourism. The project will also embrace a community management approach catering to the integration of residents, home owners and land holders of the Bridgetown community as stakeholders and beneficiaries.

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