St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a multiple island nation consisting of 32 Islands and Cays. The mainland, the largest island at 34,462 ha and 105 km of coastline, is volcanic with rugged mountainous topography and short transitions areas between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Within approx. 6 km, this SIDS extends in elevation from sea level to the highest point of 1234 m (La Soufriere, an active volcano that last erupted in 1979) in the north, and to 932 m (Mt. Brisbane) in the south.
St Vincent has a diverse biodiversity with multiple endemics, and consists of approximately 1,150 species of flowering plants, 163 species of ferns, 7 species of amphibians, over 18 species of reptiles, including 4 endangered sea turtles, over 150 species of birds, and 22 species of mammals including 12 species of bats, 25 species of freshwater fish, crayfish and crabs, 25 species of diplopods, 220 species of arachnids, over 2000 species of insects, 35 terrestrial crustaceans, 800 marine and 75 terrestrial species of mollusks.
Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, St. Vincent and the Grenadines faces significant threats to these biodiversity and ecosystem services. These are primarily related to habitat destruction and fragmentation from unsustainable agricultural capital development practices that have contributed to a 3-5% rate of annual forest destruction; invasive alien species (IAS) and disease, which have been adversely affecting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems; and climate change, which has led to an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, leading to adverse impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and economic growth.
In attempting to address these threats, several major barriers have been identified related to the lack of sufficient regulatory and institutional framework for PA management and landscape level planning (INRM), insufficient personnel, technical capacities and resources for expansion of the PA estate and conservation of its biodiversity and insufficient awareness, planning and technical capacities for landscape level resource management. To address these challenges, the Conserving Biodiversity and Reducing Land Degradation Using a Ridge-to-Reef Approach project will implement the following components:
• Strengthening the institutional framework for Protected Areas, Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Land Use, including improved policy, legal, regulatory, planning and financial systems.
• Establishment and effective management of new and existing PAs with legally recognized and demarcated boundaries
• Integrated watershed management measures in R2R setting to reduce threats to upstream PA and downstream MPA/MMA and develop alterative livelihoods and businesses
• Knowledge management for SLM, CSA and biodiversity conservation that improves technical capacities, raises public awareness and changes behaviors
A Project Preparation Grant (PPG) has been approved by the GEF Secretariat to support development of a full-sized project (FSP) that must be submitted no later than September 1, 2018.
This PPG preparatory phase aims to finalize the formulation of project arrangements, enabling stakeholder consultation and supporting the collection of data for the formulation of baseline and complementary activities. Careful analysis is necessary to determine how the project will contribute most effectively to environmental impacts across two focal areas, Biodiversity and Land Degradation. The final output of the initiation plan will be a UNDP project document and GEF CEO endorsement template, both will be submitted to the GEF Sec within the agreed upon timeframe and with all the supporting documentation required; including co-financing letters.
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