Short description of the best practice

In clearing land traditional manual tools and hand held grass cutters are used rather than the slash and burn method of clearing land

Location

Body Ponds Watershed, Antigua|

If the location has well defined boundaries, specify its extension in hectares:

3500.0

Estimated population living in the location:

25000.0

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

This area is semi arid
The soil in this area is a mixture of primarily clay and loam
Hilly in most areas

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

Properties are primarily owned by the residents
Agriculture
Low to Middle Income

Main problems addressed by the best practice

Continuous uncontrolled burning of the area and destruction of the forest cover as well as biological diversity

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

Removal of the natural forest cover though wild fires.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

Stop the uncontrolled removal of forest cover though wild fires and unintentional fires caused by farmers that would use the slash and burn method of land clearing.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

Curtain the wild fires leading to the destruction of the natural forest cover of the body ponds area.

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

use of fire resistant plants to reforest the area. Use of small motorized equipment for land clearing instead of the slash and burn method

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

Government of Antigua and Barbdua, community groups and farmers|

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative
• National initiative – government-led
• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

Community groups, GARDC (local NGO)|

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

The suggestions for the new approach came from these groups

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Consultation
• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

The production from the farms have increased
The farming conditions have improved
The ecosystems in the location are now recovering
There has been better financial potential for the farmers
There is potential to reintroduce species that have been destroyed
The forest cover can now recover effectively.

Describe the major two off-site (i.e. not occurring in the location but in the surrounding areas) impacts

Persons who depend on these farmers for supplies are not getting more food supplies on a regular basis
The potential impacts on the overall watershed have been great. The reefs have not benefited as the runoff from the ridge that forms part of this area no longer causes a great deal of sedimentation to enter the bay.

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

The number of trees and forest cover has increased as there has been a reduction in the amount of forest cover lost to these wild fires.
with the reduction in the number of areas catching fire, the amount of biodiversity lost due to these fires has decreased.|
New treas are planted in the areas that were burnt out.

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

No

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

partial funding for this was provided by outside sources and thus made it possible for the success achieved.
The government had a new initiative to pass on the necessary information to the community in an effort to help them understand the need to protect the area and change their farming methods. This is replicable in other areas
The community had a desire to change their farming approaches due to the destruction that was being caused. This is linked to the local context of where the area is located.

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• National
• International

Related to human resources

adequate human resources are necessary to ensure that the public is made aware of their actions and what impact these have on the environment

Related to financial aspects

Adequate financial resources are critical to the success of any project of this type

Related to technical aspects

The provision of technical support both in country and from the region are necessary to ensure success under this convention.