Dominica / Special Interests / Conservation

By Sara Macefield , Stephen Thorpe

Many of Dominica’s conservation efforts are concentrated on the island’s natural attributes – of which there are plenty, but a number of Dominica’s designated National Parks also include some of the island’s historic attractions and the island’s community of Carib Indians, one of only two surviving communities in the Caribbean.

The Cabrits National Park has become a showpiece historic attraction with its 18th Century Fort Shirley after a restoration effort funded by the European Eco Tourism Development and lovingly overseen by revered historian and sage Lennox Honychurch since 2006. Tours available with Island Heritage Services.

The 3,700-acre Carib Reserve, now known as the Carib Territory, was established in 1903 for Dominica’s indigenous population of Kalinago who are known to have migrated to Dominica from around 600AD, though other tribes had journeyed to the island as early as 3000BC. Today, around 2,200 Kalinagos live in the territory on the island’s eastern coast and while there is little to differentiate them from the rest of the population, there are still traces of their ancestral roots in both their appearance and traditional crafts.

Dominica Conservation Association’s former programme director and long time erudite polemicist Henry Shillingford, is a guardian of all things worth preserving in Dominica, and an important voice in any environmental debate.

Urban Conservation

Nurturing what remains of Roseau and the island’s vernacular architecture is in the good hands of various dedicated personnel at the Society for Heritage Architecture Preservation and Enhancement (SHAPE), which has done a tremendous job in raising awareness of Dominica’s urban history and fabric. Look out for their great poster work which are pieces of art in themselves.

Roseau remains an atmospheric walking town, elements of its old fabric abound in the porticoes, narrow stairwells, hurricane shutters, upstairs verandahs and boardwalks. SHAPE has prepared an excellent self-guided appreciation from street level. Try and visit the slave market when all the stalls are cleared away in late afternoon and definitely linger in the museum.

Non-profit organisations and Government links:

Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation, 54, King George V Street, t 235 6565 | pascali@cwdom.dm

Society for Heritage Architecture Preservation and Enhancement (SHAPE), Castle Street, Roseau. t 275 5031 | shapedominica@gmail.com | www.dominicaheritage.org