Environmental policy and administrative management

The baseline Assesment was carried out by Dominica Save the Children fund Baseline Assessment of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park World Heritage Site and the villages around the site.The BA was carried out in the communities of La Plaine/La Frenchette/La Ronde,Pichlen, Dubic, Giraudel, Cockrane, Petite Savanne, Laudat and Grand Fond which lie on the biological fringe of the MTNPWHS. The data was adquired through group and individual discussions/interviews with community leaders, community group members, government officers and residents. A number of project ideas were recommended by persons interviewed. These formed the basis from which the project proposals were finally prepared and submitted for consideration. Most of the persons interviewed had adverse feelings about the establishment of the MTNPWHS since it had limited their once traditional unhindered access and use of the resources of the NP. Many could not articulate clearly the imediate benifits for establishment of the MTNP. Most persons were appreciative that the COMPACT project wouldafford the communities an opportunity to learn from the experience, provide acces to training and funding for sustainable livelihood initiatives. Some of the threats to conservation and biodicersity identified include: Occupation of land by residents who claim to have ownership-squatting on the sites and its fringes, harvesting of produce- huntinh of wild life, cultivation of marijuana, cutting of firewood and wood for furniture, -situation of poverty of persons who live on the fringe sof the NP, unequal distribution of revenue from the tourist industry. The benifits of the BA include; -data collection on present perception of residents in fringe communities- identifying issues/problems and needs of the communities, indentifying what interventions were neceary for addresing the issues/problems identified, listing of potential projects which if implemented could raise the standards of living of the communities, identifying together with the communities what level of asistance was needed from COMPACT, raising awarenes of the COMPACT and of the MTNPWHS, promote the understanding of community conservation of the MTNPWHS

Dominica