Project Detail

Local Governance and Capacity for Integrated Coastal Development in Laborie, St. Lucia

The coastal resources and habitats of Laborie are important, and they are representative of the biological diversity of coastal areas in the Lesser Antilles, including coral reef formations, sea grass beds, beaches and two small mangroves. The nearshore reefs and surrounding marine habitats support both trap and line fishing, and the harvesting of edible seaweeds, sea urchins and conch. The main sources of impact on these resources include nutrient (nitrates & phosphates) pollution, as indicated by extensive seaweed growth, and faecal coliform bacteria, primarily from domestic sources, sedimentation, and over-harvesting of locally important species. The challenge that this project seeks to address is the search for institutional arrangements, technologies and approaches to coastal development that optimize the contribution of coastal resources to social and economic development, through equitable and sustainable uses, and that provide effective and lasting solutions to the environmental problems faced by coastal communities in the Caribbean, especially those that stem from pollution.

Laborie is a community of approximately 9000 people on the southern coast of St. Lucia, an island in the Eastern Caribbean. The community has a relatively youthful population with over 50 % of its citizens under age twenty and ten percent over age sixty. Traditionally, the main economic activities in the community have been farming, fishing and service provision but a significant number of persons now find employment in many of the small industries and commercial businesses that have emerged in the south of the island. Numerous issues that span economic, social and environmental dimensions influence sustainable development on the island of Saint Lucia, and the community of Laborie like many others on the island has been affected by these issues. The Strategic Development Plan for Laborie compiled in 2001 has identified the critical need for building institutional capacity at the community level and among other issues.

The expected results and deliverables of this project are:
 Increased capacity of local organisations (e.g. Laborie Fishers and Consumers Co-operative) and resource users to manage resources in the Laborie Bay;

 Increased public awareness of the status, importance and management requirements of marine resources in the Laborie Bay;

 An established management plan prepared through a participatory process;

 Integration of resource monitoring and other sustainable development concepts and activities into the curriculum of local schools;

 Established and effective mechanisms to address land generated pollution;

 Greater collaboration among stakeholders in all aspects of coastal development and management;

 Greater predictability of the availability of resources for harvesting;

 Personnel with data gathering and analysis capabilities and the ability to monitor marine resources;

 Increase in the level of contribution of marine resources to local livelihood and economy;

 Development of new and marketable products in fisheries, tourism, aquaculture and handicraft;

 Reduction in the levels of marine pollution in the bay;

 Employment creation in the marine and hospitality industries;

 A set of lessons learned and available for documentation and sharing nationally and regionally.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Laborie Development Foundation Inc.

Country:

Barbados

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

Phase 2

Grant Amount:

US$ 32,081.48

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 24,172.51

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 19,374.08

Project Number:

BAR/04/06

Start Date:

8/2004

End Date:

3/2008

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Capacity - Building Component

- Training in Geographic Information Systems Technology: three residents have been trained in use of GIS technology (Map Maker 2) increasing the community's capacity to manage and communicate spatial information relating to: Collaborative planning and management of common property lands and natural resources, including beach and near shore resources; Minimizing conflict among community groups such as fishers and yachtsmen; supporting cultural heritage preservation and identity building within the community; Hazard mitigation such as land slippage and increased sedimentation - Training in Water Quality Monitoring & Testing

Replication of project activities

All project activities can be replicated as there is careful documentation. Additional information will follow after the project completion and an evaluation.

Policy Impact

Government agencies such as the Department of Fisheries and the Environment and Sustainable Development Unit of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Environment and Housing will use this project as a case study and a pilot that can inform future policies and capacity-building initiatives.

Notable Community Participation

Local communities and organisations will participate in the project in a number of ways. The overall design, monitoring and implementation of the project will be in the hands of the Laborie Development Foundation, a federation of community-based organisations that is truly representative of the local community. The Foundation, its Board of Directors and its Annual General Meeting will provide the mechanisms for on-going monitoring of project implementation and impact. Specific activities will also benefit from a high level of community participation. Schools and local users will contribute to resource monitoring, through the collection of water samples and the gathering of data in the field. The processing and management of monitoring data will be handled by the staff and volunteers of the Laborie Development Foundation.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

One of specific objective of this project is to identify and promote forms of coastal resource use that are sustainable and that will provide tangible economic and social benefits, especially for the poor and marginalised.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Schools and students, through their direct involvement in the project, will be afforded the opportunity to integrate their learning with issues related to community development and ultimately to their own realities, thus raising community awareness on issues of resource management and environmental sustainability. Informational Outputs will include Newsletters, Flyers and the foundation's website: www.laboriecommunity.net

Policy Influence

The project is being used by various Ministries of Government in Saint Lucia, particularly the Ministry of Planning, as an example in successful and sustainable community development. The Laborie Development Foundation has been invited to sit on the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation's Tourism Industry Council where policy and plans can be formulated and recommended.

Project sustainability

This project has all the right ingredients for sustainability. The structure and systems of the Laborie Development Foundation (LDF) is sound and being strengthened; the constituency it serves is supportive of the LDF; the LDF is able to attract grant funds from both the Government and private sectors; the organisation has become a mentor to other organisations; and there is a committed group of volunteers who continue to give of their time willingly. What they need at this time is a secure source of income, independent of projects.

Linkages gef projects

To be determined.

Planning gef grant

To be determined.

Planning non gef grant

To be determined.

Gender Focus

Women will benefit directly, because the economic activities that will be promoted in the project have the potential to create employment and income generation for women, and because the project will pay special attention to the needs of women in its various capacity-building initiatives.

Project Results

Project results to date include the following:

 Capacity and efficiency of the Labore Development Foundation improved. In particular, the technical capacities of Foundation members and other project participants increased in areas needed for achieving integrated governance, including coastal resource mapping, documentation of information regarding resource use, water quality monitoring, testing and data collection.

 LDF is now recognised as an agency of the community because of its credibility.

 LDF is now recognised as a representative of the village and is now consulted on all initiatives undertaken by Government.

 LDF is now a means through which the capacity of villagers is increased and improved. For example the project served as a catalyst to Increase the management, monitoring, and decision making capacities of local institutions such as the Laborie Fishers and Consumers Cooperative, as well as the local fishers and other resource users.

 LDF is now more proactive and has developed a coastal plan with guidelines to influence development activities along the coast;

 Alternative livelihoods are being created which include the promotions of bed and breakfast accommodations, the twining of the village with the community of Anse d'Arlet in Martinique, Training of crafters in various craft areas and provision of technical assistance to a sea moss farmer who intends to formulate and develop two sea moss based beverages.

 Co-funding continues to be raised for implementation of various project components.

 Environmental monitoring introduced and practised as part of ongoing development work.

Lessons Learned are as follows:

(i) In creating community awareness of the impact of human practices on coastal resources, household outreach initiatives engage a larger number of people than community meetings. However those household engagements are likely to raise the community?s expectation that financial assistance will be forth coming to address problems identified.

(ii) Knowledge of the causes and sources of water pollutants are not sufficient to induce behavioural change in households. Awareness activities thus have limited impacts in the absence of resources and options to assist with the implementation of appropriate interventions.

(iii) The experience of this project emphasised the need for integrated planning at the local level, the need for institutional arrangements that integrate the various actors in local governance.

(iv) Local governance is a process that needs to be facilitated and supported by deliberation and inclusion, and there is the need for opportunities and occasions for sharing, discussing, formulating perspectives and guiding decisions pertaining to development issues in the community.

(v) The project component which dealt with developing community tourism in Laborie provided support to the perspective that common property resource management has the potential to promote collective action, create opportunities for employment and local revenue generation and empower people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

(vi) At the community level, natural resource governance does not necessarily need specific natural resource organisations. What is needed is community organisations that network and embrace issues of natural resource governance as part of their work plans.

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