In March 2014, the Anguilla National Trust (ANT), supported by the Government of Anguilla (through the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Department of Environment) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), was granted over US$30,000 by the Switzerland-based Ramsar Secretariat to support wetlands conservation work in Anguilla. As part of the one-year project, the ANT collected and analysed information about Anguilla’s wetland wildlife and developed, with project partners, a framework to guide national wetlands conservation action that could support a National Wetlands Policy.
On 2 December 2014, ANT staff and Mr. Lyndon John of the RSPB, facilitated a stakeholder workshop during which wetlands that could potentially be designated as Ramsar sites in Anguilla were discussed. Following this workshop, the ANT, supported by Ms Kafi Gumbs, Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Mr. Karim Hodge, Director of the Department of Environment, and Mr. John, presented project findings to Executive Council on 12 March 2015. Recommendations made to Executive Council included nominating Sombrero Island to the Ramsar Secretariat as Anguilla’s first Ramsar site, the nomination of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources to work with the Department of Environment as national Ramsar site Administrative Authorities, and the establishment of a multi-stakeholder and inter-Ministerial Ramsar National Committee. Executive Council agreed to all three recommendations.
As the lead agency on this project, the ANT is particularly pleased with Executive Council’s support in moving the Ramsar designation process forward in Anguilla and recognises the value in the Government of Anguilla fulfilling its national obligations under the Ramsar Convention. This project has established a strong foundation for future national wetlands conservation work – both on Anguilla’s offshore cays and its mainland. Additional direct benefits of Ramsar site designation also include the strengthening and improvement in the coordination of various related pieces of national legislation and policies, increased international recognition, increased potential to open a new tourism market through wetlands and eco-tourism development, and the provision of access to Ramsar’s technical support network and its small grants fund.
The Ramsar Convention was the world’s first multilateral environmental agreement. Signed by 21 countries in 1971, the Convention promotes and supports the conservation and wise use of wetlands. In 1991, twenty years after the Convention was enacted, the United Kingdom extended the agreement to Anguilla. As of May 2014, 168 countries have signed on to the Convention and over 1.5 million hectares are now protected under the agreement. Anguilla should soon be adding to this impressive number.
In June 2015, Ms. Kafi Gumbs of the Department of Fisheries attended the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, in Uruguay, South America. There she made a presentation on Sombrero Anguilla, to seek support for its designation as a Ramsar site. Following this, during September 7-11, Ramsar Secretariat Representative, Elise Allely-Ferme visited Anguilla and was accompanied by the Department of Fisheries and the National Trust, along with the Honourable Minister of the Ministry of Information Communication Housing and Utilities, Mr. Curtis Richardson and the Advisor to Fisheries Mr. Othlyn Vanterpool on a site visit to Sombrero on 8th September and Dog Island and Prickly Peer on 10th September. While on these visits Ms. Allely-Ferme noted all of the natural wetland features which makes Sombrero a suitable candidate for a Ramsar site. The visit to Dog Island and Prickly Peer were to observe the natural features on those Cays which also give them potential, as future Ramsar sites.
Sombrero island which was once world renowned for its light house, is now home to five nesting bird species: Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus), Soothy Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), Briddled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra); 900 pairs of nesting sea birds; 222 nesting pairs of Bridled Tern; and the endemic (IUCN Redlist) Black Lizard (Ameiva corvina); rich marine life with giant barrel sponges and vibrant coral reefs and patchy seagrass beds. The designation of Sombrero as a Ramsar site does not impact fishing around the island. It ensure that all activities on and around Sombrero are sustainable.
For more information about the project or the Ramsar Convention, individuals are encouraged to contact the Anguilla National Trust at 497 5297 or the Department of Fisheries 497-2871/497-8705.
Submitted by Farah Mukhida Anguilla National Trust and Kafi Gumbs Department of Fisheries
