Grenada Update: No ‘Peace on Earth’ for Rare Dove

22-12-2006

The Grenada Dove – less than 180 of which remain in the world - is faced this Christmas with news that its main refuge in Grenada, the Mt. Hartman National Park, looks set to be sold by the Government of Grenada to make way for a Hotel and Resort Development.

The Mt Hartman National Park – also called ‘The Dove Sanctuary’ - in the south-west of Grenada, supports at least 22% of the global population of the Grenada Dove - equating to just 20 pairs. [1] [2] With such a small population in just a few remnant patches of forest, news of the potential sale of the island’s stronghold for Grenada Dove has ignited uproar from conservationists worldwide. [3]

The move toward the hotel development was yesterday confirmed by the Government of Grenada in a public statement and in media correspondence in recent days. [4] Four Seasons, the hotel development chain involved, have so far declined to comment.

Early indications state that the development will be a 150 room hotel, with 300 separate luxury villas, a golf course, marina and conference centre.

Barry Collymore, a spokesman for Grenada's prime minister has publicly stated: "Grenada is not a place that has allowed infrastructure and concrete to destroy its natural habitats". He has also suggested that the project was not thought to harm the birds.

But conservationists disagree:

“The Government’s claim that the development will not harm the Grenada Dove population is totally unfounded since there has been no analysis of the potential impact of the development on the dove.” stressed David Wege, Caribbean Programme Manager at BirdLife International.

B. Rusk

Mount Hartman National Park forms part of Grenada's dry-forest ecosystem
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“The Government’s claim that the development will not harm the Grenada Dove population is totally unfounded since there has been no analysis of the potential impact of the development on the dove.” —David Wege, Caribbean Programme Manager, BirdLife International

“As a result of ‘high-impact’ development of this sort, the dwindling population will suffer further from increased isolation, from human disturbance, from non-native animals and with the planting of non-native ‘aesthetic’ vegetation. Such a development in the heart of the Grenada Dove's largest and most well-protected strongholds could force the eventual extinction of this species.” Wege said. [5]

Grenada Dove is the national bird of Grenada. In recent years it has been celebrated in Grenada as an icon for conservation, ecotourism and the environment; as such it has appeared in schools, festivals and even on stamps. [6]

ENDS

For further details:

Jules Howard, BirdLife International, Communications Officer. Tel: +44 (0)1223 279809, Mobile: +44 (0) 7971069098

Email: jules.howard@birdlife.org

Images can be downloaded directly from the Press Release section of the BirdLife website: www.birdlife.org

NOTES:

1. The Mt Hartman National Park was established by the Government of Grenada in 1996 to ensure the protection of the endemic Grenada Dove in one of the key habitats for the bird on the island. The National Park has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) for the Grenada Dove and for eleven other species that occur only on Grenada or in the Caribbean region like Antillean Crested Hummingbird Orthohyncus cristatus and Grenada Flycatcher Myiarchus nugatory.

2. Grenada Dove is listed by BirdLife International, the official Red List Authority for birds for the IUCN Red List, as Critically Endangered. As such it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. For an up-to-date species account of the Grenada Dove, its population and distributions; visit the BirdLife World Bird Database: ‘www.birdlife.org/datazone’

3. BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting them.

4. The Government of Grenada’s statement can be viewed on the Government of Grenada website: http://tourism.gov.gd/newsitem.aspx?nid=1108. The media response from Barry Collymore has been obtained via an Associated Press item on the subject released on Wednesday 20^th December. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20061220/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_grenada_rare_bird_1

5. Further quotes and information can be obtained by BirdLife International’s news-story on this subject: http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2006/12/grenada_dove.html

6. Grenada Dove is listed as the national bird of Grenada based on its globally threatened status and the fact that it is only found on Grenada. For more information on ‘National birds’ visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_bird