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On Nature's Trail in Antigua's Offshore Islands
April 2003

By Janice Budd & Jasminee Sahoye, CERN correspondents

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The waves lap gently against the shore of Great Bird Island, just off the coast of Antigua, as a group of sun-drunk ground racers slither silently across the fine white of the relatively untouched beach. Their solitude on this tiny stretch of beach is short-lived as in the distance, a boatload of tourists approaches.

Once they make land, the tourists set about unloading the usual picnic paraphernalia and start a cook fire. The lizard, snakes and other creatures, for whom this island is home, scurry into the underbrush.

It is Saturday morning and the tourists are among the first to hit the beach on Great Bird Island. Most weekends, at least 40 tour groups stop here for fun in the sun and with them comes garbage, the non-biodegradable type that often spells the end of untouched natural beauty and the beginning of human encroachment and environmental degradation.

Visitors are greeted by a signpost that encourages them to protect the endemic plant and animal species by respecting their homes and taking away only pictures and good memories. The signpost is one indication of efforts being made by Antigua's Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) to secure the future of the country's unique component of global biodiversity, as well as safeguard the regional population of globally threatened species.

Great Bird Island is one of over 20 offshore islands in Antigua. It is rich in wildlife and exotic plants. The island is also home to what is referred to as the world's rarest snake, the Antiguan Racer. The Racer is less than a foot long and is harmless to humans.

In 1995, there were only about 50 Antiguan Racers on Great Bird Island because the black rat had overrun the island, attacking them and devouring their eggs. Now, with the help of a conservation group, the Racer has not only survived, but is increasing its number.

The Great Bird Island and the other offshore islands in Antigua, cover an area of about 30 square miles and are considered the last bastion of several plant and animal species that can only be found in Antigua. It is home to not just the Racer snake but also to 40 other indigenous species of plants, flowers and birds. The area's mangrove swampland is host to the nation's largest breeding ground for fish, all existing in clean, clear water.

Environmentalists say this a virginal environment and there is need to protect it. They argue that, because the island has great potentials for eco-tourism, it faces severe threat from developers.

Something needs to be done to protect the island, says Carol McCauley, acting head of Antigua's Environmental Awareness Group (EAG). The human induced damage is due to over usage, she says. "There are too many people in the island. It cannot support these many people coming ashore." On any given day, there are as many as 400 people visiting Great Bird Island and that is a lot of people trampling around, says McCauley. "Even our trails are worn away by people trekking. You also have the threat of garbage."

But this is not so serious a threat as the lack of protective legislation, says McCauley. She says there is need for top-level government involvement to put in place legislation and an enforcement mechanism. "This island is not protected. Activities are not governed or monitored in anyway." According to her, tour operators should be made to pay user fees that will go into hiring wardens and paying those who teach the public about how to protect the island. If the island is preserved, Antigua will gain immense mileage that could help the country stay afloat in the competitive eco-tourism market, which is quickly becoming a top reason for travels among visitors worldwide, says McCauley.

Of course, fishing folks, tour operators, developers, homeowners, planning agencies, environmental and science agencies and even the government all have different desire for the area. The way out, says McCauley, is for the government to hold workshops and publish educational materials through direct consultation with those who use the island and other stakeholders.

As a way of solving the problem, the EAG is working in cooperation with the National Park and other government agencies that have responsibility over wildlife and conservation. To preserve the natural state of the island visitors should be forced to take away their garbage. They should also be encouraged not to destroy plants or kill animals like snakes and lizards, says Aldridge Nicholas, a tour guide attached to the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project.

Prominent hotels in Antigua have joined in the effort to preserve the island. "If we have someone to supervise these guests, I think we can preserve much of the vegetation," says Capt. Sherman Savage, one of the several guides that take guests around the island. It helps to have people who know the wildlife of the island or the Antiguan Racer around, says Savage. That way they can pick up the snakes and show to the guests rather than guests running after the snakes and doing what they want with them.

Since legislation is crucial to the conservation of the biodiversity of Great Bird Island, the ministry of environment has started the process of creating one. The island has been declared a National Park.

"What it means is that once a management authority has been set up they will have a carte blanche right to develop their own regulations for the management of the park and the protection of species," says Arthur Lewis, environment officer at the ministry of environment.

In the meantime, the restoration of the Antiguan Racer population on Great Bird Island remains a milestone, and a tough act to follow.

This article is based on a transcription of Island Beat Radio.

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