Sustainable Land Management in the Commonwealth of Dominica

The project’s objective is the establishment of landscape-level planning, information, and coordination frameworks to support sustainable agriculture and sustainable watershed management in Dominica.

Projects

The following projects formed part of the Sustainable Land Management Initiatives in Dominica. The key stakeholders involved in these projects were the Forestry and Wildlife Division, Division of Agriculture, and IICA.

Watershed Management Plans

Watershed management plans were designed for the Coulibistrie and Quayaneri Watersheds. The watershed management plans were designed to guide management interventions to minimize the potential threats that could further compromise the ecological functions and hydrology of the system. The plans embrace participatory approaches for planning, implementation, and evaluation. It characterizes the present watershed conditions and identifies problems, objectives, and strategies in partnership with stakeholders.

A watershed management plan is a process for achieving watershed resource goals, best driven by the community in partnership with the local stakeholders, government, and other interest groups to help guide restoration work, enhance the ecosystem, and preserve watershed resources for future generations. The success of the plan depends on participation from the community including local and national governments, residents, landowners, farmers, fishers, business owners, community groups, and others who have an interest in the watershed. Developing an effective watershed management plan takes time, research, planning, and lots of community/stakeholder input. Every watershed is different, so the goals, objectives, and vision for each watershed will vary.

Management plans are an important tool prior to commencing restoration activity within a watershed because:

they identify degraded systems and highlight potential issues in the future,

they help to prioritize areas of restoration,

they help to secure funds for restoration work,

they help allocate available resources, and they provide an important role for people to make positive changes in their community.

Plans contain communication, education, and outreach initiatives that involve various community groups and individuals in the watershed area and activities outlined in a plan could include activities such as:

stream restoration and improving fish habitat,

enhancing riparian areas to reduce run-off,

planting trees & shrubs to create hedgerows, diversify forest stands, and increase plant/animal biodiversity,

developing recreational areas and preserving natural historical sites,

testing and protecting freshwater sources for aquatic species,

installing shoreline/bank protection structures in rivers,

preserving wetland habitat to increase wildlife diversity and sequester carbon.

Coulibistrie Watershed

The Coulibistrie Watershed encompasses an area of about 1313 hectares on the northwest coast of Dominica. Several watershed units form part of this complex including: Colihaut, Dublanc, Jargie, Picard, and Indian River. The Coulibistrie complex is also part of the Morne Diablotin River basin. The topography throughout the watershed is mostly steep with rock outcrops and a narrow valley not conducive to any form of development. This area is unsuitable for arable farming following the collapse of the feeder road system due to the passage of Hurricane Maria and subsequent storms. The watershed has been highly altered by storm-related disturbances and is prone to flash floods.
The Coulibistrie Watershed has a characteristic dendritic stream network where several tributaries converge into the main Coulibistrie River. This is an indication that throughout the watershed, sub-surface rocks are composed of homogeneous materials, and have similar resistance to weathering so there is no apparent control over the direction of the tributaries. The watershed also consists of a complex of smaller streams originating from several mountainous peaks most of which have seasonal surface flows. Like most other watershed systems in Dominica, the watershed length and slope determine the transit time for flow through the watershed and have implications for emergency response for the downstream communities during significant rainfall events.

Quayaneri Watershed

The headwater region of the Quayaneri Watershed (QW) is part of the Morne Trois Piton National Park (MTPNP), a World Heritage Site that is internationally recognized for its rich biodiversity and unparalleled high-nature value landscape features. The multiplicity and range of benefits of this watershed system to Dominica are priceless, yet its integrity and function are threatened due to unsustainable human activities and repeated impacts from severe storm events. Owing to intense farming activities, topography, and high rainfall conditions, the Quayaneri Watershed (QW) remains vulnerable to further degradation of its hydrologic functions. The loss of critical ecosystem services and functions could diminish its outstanding universal value and threaten its World Heritage status. This will also have implications for conservation within the QW and those whose livelihoods depend on the ecosystem services it provides. Unless urgent landscape-level action is taken, it is expected that the watershed system will lose its ability to bounce back and spiral downwards to levels of decline that may be extremely prohibitive to restore. The QW is the source of potable water for the La Plaine community and several nearby hamlets.

The Quayaneri Watershed is part of the Quayaneri-Morne Jaune complex draining an area of about 1376 hectares. The watershed also falls under Quayaneri sub-basin encompassing a section of the La Plaine community. The watershed has a high stream density, and steep topography and farming is prevalent in the mid to lower regions of the system. There is growth in the number of unplanned housing and tourism facilities dedicated to stayover visitors in the area. The watershed ecosystem is diverse, with several primitive, endemic, and native plants, and animal and bird species contributing to its rich biodiversity.

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Land Use Plans

The Project’s objective is to establish landscape-level planning, information, and coordination frameworks to support sustainable agriculture and sustainable watershed management in Dominica. Comprehensive land use plans were developed for the five parishes in which the project is being implemented – St. David, St. Patrick, St. Paul, St. Joseph and St. George.

An agricultural land-use plan is a critical tool for the sustainable management and development of agricultural resources. It plays a vital role in ensuring the efficient and responsible use of land for agricultural purposes. Here are some of the key reasons why agricultural land-use planning is important:

Resource Management: Agricultural land-use planning helps manage and allocate resources such as land, water, and soil in a way that maximizes their potential for agricultural production.

Food Security: A well-designed agricultural land-use plan can help ensure food security by promoting the production of a diverse range of crops and livestock.

Environmental Conservation: Proper land-use planning can help minimize the negative environmental impacts of agriculture, such as soil erosion, water pollution, and deforestation.

Land Use Efficiency: Agricultural land-use planning can help optimize the use of available land, ensuring that it is used for the most appropriate agricultural activities.

Land Tenure and Ownership: Land-use planning can address issues related to land tenure and ownership, helping to prevent land conflicts and disputes.

Infrastructure Development: Planning can guide the development of necessary infrastructure such as roads, irrigation systems, and storage facilities, which are essential for the success of agricultural activities.

Climate Resilience: Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture. An effective land-use plan can incorporate climate-resilient practices and adaptations, ensuring that agriculture remains viable in changing environmental conditions.

Economic Growth: A well-thought-out agricultural land-use plan can stimulate economic growth in rural areas by promoting agricultural development.

Biodiversity Protection: Planning can help safeguard biodiversity by designating areas for conservation or sustainable land use.

Click on the highlighted parishes to view the corresponding Land Use Plan

St. Patrick Proposed Land Use Plan

St. Paul Proposed Land Use Plan

St. Joseph Proposed Land Use Plan

St. George Proposed Land Use Plan

St. David Proposed Land Use Plan

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is a farming and food production system that aims to provide for current societal needs while preserving and enhancing the long-term health of the environment, the economic viability of farming, and the well-being of farming communities. It is a holistic approach to agriculture that takes into account not only the immediate economic and production aspects but also the broader social and environmental impacts.

General Objectives of the project:

To increase the number of farmers utilizing sustainable land management mechanisms in agriculture, improved food safety and production quality leading to farm certification and improved market access respectively.

Specific Objectives:

Improve the DOMGAP certification potential of selected farms by means of gap assessment and provision of requisite support to satisfy established certification criteria.

Increase the capacity of farmers, the Division of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Agriculture through mechanisms that facilitate knowledge transfer on SLM practices beyond the life of the project.

Increase the efficiency and use of SLM practices in Agriculture through the incorporation of the HNVI criteria into existing SLM models adopted by the MOA to generate the information required for monitoring the transition to sustainable agriculture.

Results:

Strengthened market mechanisms in place to support sustainable agriculture.

Increased knowledge among farmers and technicians on effective SLM approaches and technologies.

Improved capacities within local communities to implement SLM approaches and technologies in agriculture.

Improved readiness of agricultural farms for DOMGAP certification.