People and the Sea: Institutional and technical options for improving coastal livelihoods
March 2000 – June 2003
Implemented by CANARI
Photo courtesy: MRAG Ltd. |
Laborie is a small coastal village on the southwest coast of St. Lucia. Villagers have traditionally depended on marine resources for their livelihoods - reef fishery,
and harvesting of seaweeds and sea urchins. The sea and the coastal areas also play an important role for recreation,
provide a range of environmental services, and have the potential to support tourism development.
Laborie was the focal point for this 3-year research project, which sought to identify some of the technical and institutional
requirements for the sustainable development of coastal communities in the Caribbean. The project was a joint venture with
the Laborie Development Planning Committee and the Department of Fisheries in the Government of St. Lucia.
The project tested the hypothesis that active participation of stakeholders in local resource management will increase the
likelihood that coastal resources can be used in a sustainable manner. Beginning with an inventory of the natural resources
available to Laborians (identified by resource users from Laborie), the project looked at the past and current uses,
the issues affecting those uses and their potential for increasing economic and social benefits, for example through the
expansion of seamoss cultivation and marine-based tourism. Ways in which these activities could bring sustainable and
equitable benefits to people in the community were also assessed. Finally, the project looked at desirable roles and functions
for existing organisations in providing services to constituents and contributing to natural resource management.
Newsletters, oral presentations, community workshops and a video documentary were used to keep project participants and the wider
community updated on progress, get feedback, and disseminate the results of the research.
Selected project documents:
| CANARI. 2003. The Sea is our Garden: a report on a study
of institutional and technical options for improving coastal livelihoods
in Laborie, Saint Lucia. CANARI Technical Report No. 322. Caribbean Natural
Resources Institute, Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia. |  |
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| Renard, Y., A. Smith and V. Krishnarayan. 2000. Do
reefs matter? Coral reef conservation, sustainable livelihoods and poverty
reduction in Laborie, St. Lucia.Paper presented at the Regional conference
"Managing Space for Sustainable Living in Small Island Developing States",
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, October, 2000. CANARI Communication No.
274. | |
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