Land management and environmental change in small-island-developing states: the case of St. Lucia

摘要

Although the history of the plantation economy and its land tenure legacy have contributed significantly to environmental degradation in Caribbean small-island-developing states, in the contemporary period multiple drivers are negatively impacting on sensitive ecosystems and other natural assets. This paper investigates the complex web of drivers of environmental degradation and suggests reforms to attain sustainable development in small-island-developing states. It uses St. Lucia as a case study. Data were collected from land management experts and key stakeholders drawn from the public sector who attended focus group workshops. The paper found regulatory land management and administration tools were ineffective in protecting the island's fragile, though rich biodiversity. The political will to implement regulatory tools was lacking, and human resource constraints exacerbated the state's ability to deploy measures in managing the demands of the poor, landless, and investors on existing natural resources. A major finding was that alternative instruments to reduce environmental degradation were underutilised. The paper concludes that an environmental governance framework combined with robust political will is necessary. It recommends that the governance framework should address the current failure of regulatory mechanisms and explore potent market instruments, behavioural change, new technologies, land tenure reform, and human capacity building aimed at mitigating natural resources degradation. This paper is useful to policymakers and decision-makers seeking solutions for averting deleterious environmental change which compromises the attainment of long-term sustainable development of small-island-developing states.