Sombrero Anguilla’s

First Ramsar

Designation

Presenter: Kafi

S GumbsDesignation: Director of the Department of Fisheries & Marine Resources Anguilla BOTRepresentation: United KingdomDate: 1st

June, 2015Ramsar

Convention 2015, Uruguay 

Where in the world is Anguilla?

• Located: 18°N, 63°W• In the Caribbean• Forms part of the Lesser Antilles • Most northern of the Leeward Islands • East of Puerto Rico & the Virgin Islands • Directly north of Saint Martin • Anguilla is the mainland• Surrounded by 8 small uninhabited cays • Anguilla is 16 miles (26 km) long

• Widest point 3 miles (5 km)• 35 square miles (90 km²)• The island's capital is The Valley• Human population 13,500• Main economy is tourism• Language spoken is English• Currency used is the EC & USD• Parliamentary dependency under

a constitutional monarchy

Historical Overview

• First settled by the Amerindians. Artefacts

dating back to 1300BC • Columbus discovered them in ~1493 named it Anguilla(Eel)?• French explorer Pierre Laudonnaire in 1565 named it Anguilla(Eel)?• Settled by the British in 1650. Administered out of Antigua• Federation of Anguilla, St. Kitts, Nevis • No plantation slavery due to low rainfall & infertile soil• 1967 Anguilla Revolution against going independent with St. Kitts.

Anguilla remains BOT

Introduction to Sombrero

Ecological significance of Sombrero

• Coral reef ecosystems• Excellent fish habitats.migratory

species pelagics, turtles, mammals

• Five nesting bird species e.g

Brown Booby

(Sula leucogaster), Brown Noddy

(Anous stolidus), Soothy

Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), Briddled

Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) (Spoede

1999 &

Mukhida

2015)

• 900 pairs of nesting sea birds on Sombrero

(Spoede

1999)

• Bridled Tern 222 nesting pairs

(Mukhida

2015)

• Black Lizard (Ameiva corvina)• Endemic species listed as vulnerable under the IUCN Redlist

Ecological significance of Sombrero

Sombrero Today

• Used for fishing, esp. sport fishing

• Bird habitat• Bird watchers and

researchers haven

Ramsar

in Anguilla

Ramsar

in Anguilla

• Established in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran• Extended to Anguilla in 1991• 41 Ramsar

sites designated across 20 Caribbean countries

• March 2014, Ramsar

Secretariat gave the ANT in collaboration with the DFMR, DOE & the RSPB US$30,000.00 for wetland conservation work in Anguilla

Ramsar

in Anguilla

• ANT 1 year project to collect and analyse

local wetland wild life data & develop a framework to guide conservation action for the wetlands policy

• December 2014, ANT & RSPB stakeholder workshop to discuss potential local Ramsar

sites

• March 2015 ANT, DOE, DFMR, RSPB presented Sombrero to ExCo

as Anguillas

first potential Ramsar

site

Wetlands of Anguilla

• Salt ponds & mangrove forests • Cave systems • Seagrass

beds

• Sand dunes, bays & sandy beaches, • Coral reefs • Rocky marine shores • Islands

Why Sombrero?

• Sombrero Island is owned by the crown• Complement Memory of the World nomination• Already protected (land & water) through the Marine Parks Act • Very little GOA investment required• Protect it from harmful developments e.g. Beal Aerospace (Spoede

1999)

Why Sombrero?

• Sombrero fulfils Ramsar

criteria i, ii, iii, iv, & vi• Rare/unique examples of rear natural wetland types: coral,

rocky, marine shores (rock cliffs), karst

& other subterranean hydrological systems (human-made & marine/coastal)

• Regionally typical species -

seabirds & reptiles• Nationally protected (land & water) through the Biodiversity &

Heritage Conservation Act (2009)

Benefits of the designation to  Anguilla

• Fulfillment of an important MEA obligation• Increase international awareness about & respect for Anguilla• Access to a vast array of technical expertise• Access to Ramsar

Secretariat funding

• Increase Anguilla’s eco-tourism potential and potential economic earnings

• New tourism venture

The way forward& next step

Benefits of Anguilla Wetlands

• Resources provisioning e.g. water through groundwater replenishment, fish & plants with medicinal properties

• Nursery & refuge for fish, birds & other animals• Source for fish stocks• Recreational use for locals & tourists• Preserve historical & cultural artifacts & practices e.g. salt

harvesting, fishing & pond boat racing

Benefits of Anguilla Wetlands

• Stabilize & protect shoreline during storms• Help to prevent flooding• A natural function that has been estimated to save the Anguillian

Government XCD $3m annually (Homer, 2005)• Assist with pest control• Provide Anguilla with potential for international recognition which

could be used to explore new tourism markets through wetlands- & eco-

tourism development

Thank you…Questions?

Anguilla National TrustP.O. Box 1234The ValleyAI‐2640

AnguillaBritish West Indies

Tel. 264 497 5297Skype. farah.mukhidaFacebook.

www.facebook.com/axanationaltrust

Dept. of Fisheries & Marine Resources

Government of Anguilla

The Valley

ANGUILLA 

AI‐2640 Tel: (264)‐497‐2871 / 8705

Mobile: (264)‐583‐7070

Fax: (264)‐497‐8567

Email: kafi.gumbs@gov.ai