An evaluation of socio-economic conditions and environmental interactions on a section of the east coast of Grenada (2010)
Socio-economic monitoring (SocMon) in Grenada commenced in late May 2008 with a training workshop in the east coast town of Grenville, the site selected for the project. SocMon Grenada was part of a regional project Socio-economic monitoring by Caribbean Fishery Authorities (Fisheries SocMon) funded by a US Coral Reef Conservation grant for and jointly implemented by the Center for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM). Grenada opted to participate in this project because of the perception at the Fisheries Division that certain east coast communities were impacting on coastal ecosystems in a manner that was likely to negatively affect the quality of life of those communities over time.
The survey site, which is located along the east coast of mainland Grenada encompasses nine villages and one town. Within the site there are a variety of coastal resources which impact and are impacted upon mostly by adjoining communities. These resources include the sea itself, coral reefs, seagrass communities, beaches, mangroves wetlands and typical coastal vegetation. Human utilization includes sand mining, charcoal production, fishing and agriculture (both plant and animal husbandry).
The socio-economic survey revealed a wide selection of public concerns and perceptions regarding primarily issues as sand mining, coastal degradation, improper waste disposal and community involvement in decisions pertaining to the coastal zone.
To further validate the results of the assessment and to provide feedback to stakeholders the results of the survey should be disseminated to people within the study site and the public in general. Additionally, they should be encouraged to participate in any decisions related to the assessment.
A mechanism and individuals need to be identified in order to continue the socio-economic monitoring periodically as well as provide feedback and input at the policyor planning level.
As a consequence of intermittent delays, the activities of the project were carried out over a very prolonged period resulting in the validation workshop being held almost two years later in February 2010.
SocMon Grenada suffered from crippling absenteeism by team members and other supporters of the project which on several occasions paralyzed the execution of project activities. However, the primary activities such as the initial training workshop, development and execution of a survey questionnaire, analyses of results and a concluding validation workshop were eventually completed.
Area of interest: Grenada
Year: 2010
