FFI first began working in Saint Lucia in 2000 and provides technical expertise on various aspects of forest management and biodiversity conservation. More than 70% of Saint Lucia is forested and the country supports an incredibly rich diversity of wildlife, a very high percentage of which are island endemics. Following on from a nationwide forest timber and biodiversity inventory in 2009, FFI supported the Saint Lucia Forestry Department in renewing its strategy and even its organisational structure to better suit its duties, which have expanded from production forestry to protected area management, wildlife research and conservation, watershed management, nature-based tourism and environmental education. FFI is continuing to assist the Forestry Department to achieve its vision of ‘a healthy natural environment for a healthy and productive nation’.
Though less than 616 km2 in area, Saint Lucia is exceptionally rich in animals and plants. The country is home to well over 2,000 native species, of which nearly 200 species occur nowhere else.
Humans are inextricably linked to the environmental landscape within which our daily lives unfold. We depend completely on nature for a stable climate, clean air and water, and food.