GRENADA, Woburn-Calivigny Marine Protected Area - 2011
Two viewing platforms, four species identification panels, and two general information signs for the Woburn-Calivigny MPA in exchange for the protection of three miles of mangrove coastline in perpetuity.†
Grenada’s Woburn-Calivigny Marine Protected Area (MPA) extends between Woburn and Calivigny Bays and contains the largest intact mangrove ecosystem in the country. The mangroves provide critical habitat and erosion protection over three miles of coastline. It has been a protected area since 2001 due to its importance as a nursery for commercial fish species and as a nesting, roosting and feeding area for resident and migratory bird species. The swamps also provide protected habitat for native iguanas, snakes, and a variety of terrestrial wildlife.
The Woburn Woodlands Development Organization (WWDO), along with community members, another local NGO, and the national Forestry Department, has begun to implement small scale restoration efforts of areas damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. They have also undertaken activities to clean up manmade litter and promote awareness of mangrove importance to both local and national audiences. Seacology is joining their efforts by funding two viewing platforms, four species identification panels, and two general information signs. These platforms and signage will be critical in the ongoing mangrove awareness efforts, particularly as the region’s fame grows and becomes an increasingly popular destination for ecotourism. In exchange for these funds, WWDO will ensure the protection of the three miles of mangrove coastline, including the more than 30 wildlife species they contain, in perpetuity.
UPDATE May 2012 - Work on this project began in late August. The first phase was completed in mid-September, and included the building of a 12 by 12 foot viewing platform at the Calivigny project site, and renovation and roofing of a 12 by 12 foot viewing platform at the Woburn project site. The work was carried out by a team of skilled and unskilled construction workers from the two communities, and therefore had the added advantage of directly contributing to the income of families in the area. Both platforms have been timely and very beneficial additions to the project sites, and have been very heavily used by residents and organized tour groups of visitors (locals and tourists). The second phase of the project, production and erection of signage in both communities, is still outstanding.
†Support for dagger-marked projects is provided fully or in part by: 
