Authorities on Monday urged greater public involvement in wildlife conservation as the island marked World Wildlife Day with an educational exhibition at Constitution Park, Castries.
The event, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Department in collaboration with the Saint Lucia National Trust and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, attracted visitors, students, and nature enthusiasts.
The aim was to raise awareness of the island’s rich biodiversity and the importance of conservation.
Beyond showcasing wildlife, the exhibition sought to encourage public appreciation and protection of local species. Assistant Chief Forestry Officer Pius Haynes stressed the need for greater conservation efforts and urged Saint Lucians to view wildlife as part of the nation’s natural heritage.
“The overall aim is to give the public the opportunity to appreciate more of our wildlife and to be able in turn to conserve them, to protect them and to coexist with them in nature,” he told St Lucia Times.
“What we need to emphasise is the need for people to protect them, the need for them to embrace them, the need for them to see them as part of our natural heritage. Wildlife plays a very integral role in having to sustain our ecosystems, in helping to regulate our natural processes in nature, in helping to provide ecosystem services; and these ecosystem services lend themselves to our very lives and livelihoods. Therefore, persons need to see that our local wildlife is part of us.”
Among the highlights of the exhibition were Saint Lucia’s unique and endangered wildlife, including the Saint Lucian Parrot (Amazona versicolor), the Saint Lucian Iguana, the Fer-de-Lance, and the Saint Lucian Boa.
A special feature of the exhibition was the side-by-side display of the Fer-de-Lance and the Boa, giving attendees a rare chance to distinguish between the two species.
“Persons typically have a difficulty distinguishing between them, so today, they had a chance to see the two species side by side, and they can at least tell the differences between them. This is very, very important to us as a department to raise the awareness,” Haynes explained.
The exhibition also featured informational materials on the island’s flora and fauna, showcasing Saint Lucia’s vast biodiversity. Haynes noted that the island boasts over 1 000 indigenous seed-bearing plants and ferns, as well as a high concentration of endemic birds and reptiles.
He said Saint Lucia has 132 indigenous species of birds, seven of which are endemic, and 13 indigenous reptiles, with seven of those endemic to the island.
The link between wildlife conservation and tourism was also highlighted, with Haynes noting that Saint Lucia’s endemic species set it apart from other destinations.
This year’s World Wildlife Day theme, Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet, highlighted the critical need for funding in conservation efforts.
“This theme focuses really on the need for us to explore innovative ways to find funding to help sustain our wildlife conservation projects,” Haynes said. “Also, it helps to underpin the great need for more priority to be placed upon our wildlife because our targets for wildlife conservation is typically not met, and one of the biggest hindrances, one of the biggest challenges is because of lack of funding.”
