Conservation and deforestation in the British West Indies: The case of St. Vincent

Rapid population growth, rural poverty, and inefficient agricultural practices are widely blamed for deforestation in much of the developing world. A significant response to deforestation has been the establishment of protected areas and policies aimed at conserving remaining forests. In the case of St. Vincent, current conservation policies emphasize the preservation of key water-catchment areas, the preservation of habitat for the St. Vincent Parrot, Amazonas guildingii, and the elimination of squatter encroachment on government-owned land. Both deforestation and conservation in St. Vincent proceeded through four distinct phases between European colonization and the present: plantation clearing (1763--1831), the decline of the sugar economy (1831--1898), land redistribution and late colonial development schemes (1898--1979), and post-independence reorganization (1979 to present). In each phase, the narrative of deforestation was both borrowed from the previous period and also reconstructed to fit new social and economic agendas of the policy makers and rulers.; In this study I summarize overall change in forest cover between 1764 and 1991. Early deforestation (1764--1886) most strongly affected low elevation and coastal forests. Most modern deforestation (1951--1991) occurred in secondary forests outside conservation areas. In addition, between 1951 and I991 overall forest loss was accompanied by an increase in the number of forest fragments and a decrease in their average size.; The history of deforestation and conservation in St. Vincent is important to the understanding of the regional deforestation narrative because of its relatively late incorporation into the British West Indian economy. Perceptions and concerns resulting from the wholesale clearance of Barbados, Antigua, and to a lesser extent, Jamaica are reflected in the early conservation policies of the island. A more detailed understanding of the historical geography of human-induced environmental change provides the groundwork for more informed environmental planning in the region. The study of St. Vincent also serves to extend the theoretical understanding of deforestation in the developing world. Through this study conservation policy is shown to be a critical nexus in the articulation of deforestation, rational land use, and development strategies.