Development of a Sustainable Charcoal Industry in Saint Lucia

1. Development of a Sustainable Charcoal Industry in Saint Lucia By Donatian Gustave (International University of Andalucía, Spain )

3. Background St. Lucia’s Piton Mountains is the one spot to visit in a lifetime. • American Academy of Hospitality Sciences’ Five Star Diamond Award; “World's Leading Honeymoon Destination” • World Travel Awards; Caribbean Travel & Life’s “Most Romantic Honeymoon Destination” Oprah Winfrey

4. Banana Industry Background Tourism Industry The Main Contributors to St. Lucia’s Gross Domestic Product

5. Objectives of the Forestry Department: Soil and Water Conservation and Using biodiversity to Increase the Benefits to Society

6. Justification- St. Lucia Adapting to Global Change Complex of Issues that Aggravate Production of Charcoal Tropical Moist Forest Will be converted to Tropical Dry Forest increased temperature 20% less rainfall and 2050 Figure 2 Climate Change Scenarios and Global Change (Lyndon John 2002)

7. Justification Charcoal Production was Identified as a cause of Loss to Biodiversity in the National Biodiversity and Action Plan (NBSAP 2000)

8. What? How? Where? Why? Who?

9. Problem:There is little knowledge of the use, perceptions, and trends in charcoal production in St. Lucia. Thesis Statement:In St. Lucia, any reduced impact on biodiversity loss associated with charcoal production can only be achieved through the establishment of a sustainable system of charcoal production which addresses the interests and needs of charcoal producers and other key stakeholders. Specific Objectives 1. Determine the interests and challenges of charcoal producers relating to charcoal production using data of 2002 for the five (5) Forestry Ranges: • The Quantity of Charcoal produced per unit time • Price of Charcoal per fixed volume • How is Charcoal Marketed by the producer • Type of Wood species used. • The preference of wood species of charcoal producers. • Differences in obtaining preferred wood • The Perception of the impact(s) of charcoal use. The dependent variables arethe locations of: Quillese, Dennery, Soufriere, Millet, Canaries, Anse La Raye and the North in St. Lucia.

10. Figure 5 Map of St. Lucia showing the Five (5) Ranges- Millet, Soufriere, Northern, Dennery and Quillese

11. Specific Objectives Continued • 2. To determine the stakeholders involved in the charcoal business and how this business is managed: • Identify the actors involved in extraction, production, processing, exchange, • transportation, distribution, final sale and end use of charcoal in terms of age, sex, and experience. • Evaluate the income and profit at each level of the chain that is of prices, quantity and expenses • 3. To assess available data of the extent of forest resources under government control that can be used for charcoal production. • 4. To assess the past and current forest management practices related to sustainable charcoal production. • 5. To make recommendations for sustainable charcoal production and use in St. Lucia.

12. How?

13. Methodology Table 1 Details of the Investigation on Charcoal Use in St. Lucia • The aim was to interview all charcoal producers in 2002 and 2009. In 2002, a total of 92 producers were interviewed and 214 in 2009. • The data from 2002 and 2009 survey was classified was classified under three headings: • Site and biophysical characteristics • Demographic and Cultural Factors • Socio Economic Factors

14. Methodology • Analyses Done: • Descriptive analyses • Cluster Analysis • Discriminant Analysis • Principal component • Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) • Kruskal Wallis test • Regression analysis, error, statistical significance, and the model fit R squared.  • SPSS software Version 10.1 • Interviews were conducted with Forestry Department personnel, Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture Lands, Forestry and Fisheries and interviews were conducted with the approaches and challenges in trying to manage charcoal production.  • Literature was consulted on the local, regional and international approaches and challenges in trying to manage charcoal production.

15. Results

16. Summary Table 2The Causes and Effects of Charcoal production Globally

17. Results for Site Characteristics

18. Results for Site Characteristics-Figure Wood Used for Charcoal Making • Figure 6 Wood Used for Charcoal Making- Logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum L.) • Figure 7 Wood Used for Charcoal Making Gliricida (Gliricidia sepium) Figure 3 e Wood Used for Charcoal Making

19. Results for Site Characteristics-Figure Wood Used for Charcoal Making • Figure 8 Wood Used for Charcoal MakingKakoli (Inga ingoides) • Figure 9 Wood Used for Charcoal Making(Lonchocarpus heptaphyllus)

20. Results for Site Characteristics- Continued Figure 10 Locations of Survey and the Method of Harvesting Wood for Charcoal Figure 11 Dendrogram of Clusters resulting from Similarity of Ranges in terms of Difficulty in Obtaining Charcoal

21. Results for Demographic and Cultural Factors

22. EDUCATON Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid Primary School 132 61.7 62.9 62.9 Secondary School 27 12.6 12.9 75.7 No Formal Schooling 50 23.4 23.8 99.5 Tertiary 1 .5 .5 100.0 Total 210 98.1 100.0 Missing 2 .9 System 2 .9 Total 4 1.9 Total 214 100.0 Results Demographic and Cultural Factors- Sex, Age and Education Respondents Table 3 Frequency of Males and Female according to Forestry Ranges in the Charcoal Survey of 2009 Table 4 Distribution of Respondents according to Age in the Five (5) Forestry Ranges (The Number 7 was assigned to one person who did not want her age known) Table 5 Frequency of Respondents for Level of Education according to Forestry Ranges

23. Experience Categories Less than More than 1 year 1 to 3 years 3 years Total Locations Quillese 3 4 25 32 of Survey Dennery 25 25 Soufriere 2 5 24 31 Millet 1 7 8 North 9 9 Total 5 10 90 105 Results Demographic and Cultural Factors- Table6Experience of Charcoal Producers in the 2002 Charcoal Survey Figure 13 Responses to the Question Is the Charcoal business your only occupation in 2009 Figure 12Responses to the Question Is this charcoal production your only Occupation in 2002

24. Results for Economic Factors

25. Results for Economic Factors Table 6Wood Quantities Extracted, Prices Purchased and Price Sold for Charcoal Production • Figure 14 Income of Respondents in 2009 Survey in 5 ranges

26. Results for Economic Factors Figure 15 Days Per month Charcoal was sold Figure 16 Number of Small bags of Charcoal sold Significant differences were detected in the analysis of “how many days per month do you sell Charcoal” and How many small bags of charcoal sold. The analysis of the graph shows examination of the means number of bags sold per month.

27. Results for Economic Factors Table 7 Duration, Production, Use, and Sale of Charcoal Island-wide in One (1) Year Table 8 Production, Use and Sale of Charcoal according to Bag Type in 5 ranges for the 2009 Survey

28. Results for Economic Factors • Figure17 Mean Price of Small Bags of Charcoal Sold in the Ranges in the 2002 Survey Figure 18 Mean Price of Small Bags of Charcoal Sold in the Ranges in the 2009 Survey Figure 19 Mean Price of Medium Bag of Charcoal Sold in the Ranges in the 2009 Survey

29. Results Economic Factors Table 9 Summary table of the Prices of the 90 Pound Charcoal bag • Figure 20 Output of Regression analysis of the prices of charcoal from 1973 to 2009

30. April 2009 the Prime Minister’s Budget address speech • There was a change in policy of the St. Lucian government from subsidizing the price of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to a new “pass through mechanism” that passes the cost of LPG to the consumer (Government of St. Lucia, 2009) • The pass through mechanism came into effect in September 2009.

31. The Way Forward

32. Recommendations at the National and International Level

33. Recommendations at the National and International Level

34. Recommendations at the Range Level • Northern Range This range had the highest consumption, sale and prices of small bags of charcoal. Therefore monitoring systems should be put in place to know the source of the charcoal- from who and where. This is also the most active range during the wet season for the sale of charcoal. Given the specialty of this range, charcoal can be packaged to appeal to specific segments of the market namely: • Standards in the weight of charcoal and branding of sustainably harvested and certification by the Forestry Department and the Bureau of Standards. • Packaged with a plastic glove with an additional cost for upper and middle class. • Specifying the wood used- for charcoal making would appeal to the more savvy consumer • Establishment and expansion of facilities for storage, especially just before the wet season is another measure that would contribute to exploiting the market in the Northern range.

35. Recommendations at the Range Level • Millet • Millet range recorded the highest number of females involved in the charcoal industry. As such the issue of poverty alleviation using gender equality is one approach that can be used to seek funding from donors. For the high cost of transportation incentives should be developed or sourced to make it easier to obtain a transport. • As Gliricida was mentioned as the used and preferred wood species, research should be done on the adaptation and productivity of this species in the Millet range and incorporate the findings into management plans. • The research work should be done on private and on government lands. To address the issues of unavailability of wood and accessibility to areas for charcoal making there should be collaboration with the Crown Lands, Forestry Department and National Trust and private land owners can develop co-management arrangements, rent or leasing of lands based on contracts or agreements based on forest management plans. • Consideration should also be made to encouraging middlemen to source medium and large charcoal bags from the Soufriere range as Soufriere range recorded the lowest prices islands for the mentioned bag types. In addition, there is the opportunity to channel the sale of charcoal in the Northern range in the wet season as this range is the most active range, with the highest prices in the purchasing charcoal during that period.

36. Recommendations at the Range Level • Soufriere Range • Soufriere Range registered the oldest number of persons involved in the charcoal industry equal to greater than 61 years old. Hence for sustainability of the livelihood, it is necessary to have public education of the opportunities and impacts of charcoal production on the younger generations. • As clear felling was noted in this range the education efforts should explore creating awareness of the need for plant diversity and the dangers to soil conservation with bare soil. Educational awareness is also in reference to the Leucaena woodlot at Vieux Lite and the availability of forest designated for production in the Soufriere range. • Hotels may also be targeted for sale of charcoal. They also recorded the highest costs for transportation of charcoal but the lowest prices for medium and large bags of charcoal.

37. Recommendations at the Range Level • Quillese Range • This range is the most complex offering the three categories of bags of charcoal for sale, with the highest levels of production island-wide. In this site the availability of a least one kiln would increase productivity in terms of quantity of charcoal and the time to produce a given quantity. This kiln should be made available only under the supervision of the Forestry Department. In addition there must be high vigilance of forest cover in this range on a monthly basis. This can be done remotely and through patrols. • Similar to Soufriere range owing to the preference expressed for Gliricida and Savonnèt and specifically Logwood for making charcoal, the populations of these plants should be monitored in the range. Research plots can also be established with these plants and the growth rates monitored and determined and the information collected and in cooperated into the management plans. • To address the issues of accessibility to areas for charcoal making there should be collaboration with the Crown Lands, Forestry Department and National Trust and private land owners can develop co-management arrangements, rent or leasing of lands based on contracts or agreements based on forest management plans

38. Recommendations at the Range Level • Dennery • Dennery range had a higher proportion of females than males when compared with the other ranges. This was the only range with a younger range of persons involved in the charcoal industry. As such programs involving innovation with the current persons in the charcoal industry may begin here. • As the preferred or used wood species were Savonnèt and Logwood respectively, these plants should be incorporated in reforestation and research programs to monitor the growth rates and the formulation of forest management plans for the sustainable of these forests. • One main goal should be to supply the charcoal needs of the community and of the Dennery Friday Night every weekend. Hotels can also be targeted in other ranges. There is also the availability of Leucaena woodlots in this range in Louvet.

39. Thank You