Having recovered from their Atlantic adventure, a band of enthusiastic ARC crews set off yesterday (Sat 12 December) for an excursion to the south of Saint Lucia to join a local tree planting project. For the past three years, the ARC in Saint Lucia has been working with the local Rotary Club to engage with tree planning initiatives at various places across the island. Several of the crews had also joined a similar excursion in Las Palmas before crossing the Atlantic and were keen to keep their green momentum going.
In addition to helping the reforestation project, the day was also included a tour through the interior of Saint Lucia and a stop at the picturesque fishing village of Denery en route to the planting site at Belle Vue in the south of the island. For some of the volunteers, it was their first time outside of Rodney Bay Marina so the excursion provided a great opportunity to discover some more about Saint Lucia.
Aided by volunteers from the Saint Lucia Rotary Club, Rotar-act and young Interactors, and with guidance from the Saint Lucia Ministry of Forestry, the group assembled on the steep ridge top to be briefed on the day’s task. George Elliot, the forest officer responsible for the site, explained that as part of their plan to protect the area’s water-supply, the ministry aims to reforest areas of the steeply cultivated slopes above Belle Vue, returning the hillsides to native rainforest and replacing banana crops with a mix of indigenous trees and beneficial fruit and spices varieties. The fifteen year project, once completed, will see a restored rain forest of trees with their long, entangled root systems, spread across the hill, helping to retain soil on the steep slopes and mitigate flooding during tropical storms, all of which can damage the dams that provide water to the communities at the southern end of the island.
And what did the volunteers think about their sweaty, muddy day on a remote hillside? Kim Brown from Britican commented “It is so interesting to go to a part of the Island I would never have reached otherwise, and to be involved with the local community.” Also on Britican, Andrew Meadows from Rochester NY said “It has been amazing. I am glad it has been a bit arduous today, after my Atlantic crossing I wanted a new challenge!”.
Also joining the volunteers was Timothy James, president of the Rotary Club of Saint Lucia, part of the team responsible for bringing the volunteers, both ARC and Saint Lucian together on the hillside for this moist and muddy adventure. In conversation he explained that the ARC crews would have seen areas of landslides on their tour south, underlining the key role of reforestation to help protect against future storm damage. By involving the community, the project not only helps directly with tree planting, but spreads a wider message about the importance of protecting the island’s ecosystem for the benefit of future generations.