Nature in Grenada

Grenada is a volcanic island country whose natural systems include central highlands, cloud forest, rain forest, dry forest, freshwater systems, agricultural landscapes, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, beaches and estuaries. Forests and watersheds regulate water, reduce soil loss, store carbon and support livelihoods. National forest cover is estimated at about 17 percent and includes four major forest types. Mangroves, reefs and seagrass beds also reduce coastal damage, trap sediment and provide nursery and feeding areas for marine life. The Grand Etang Forest Reserve covers highland landscapes at roughly 300 to 760 metres. Grand Etang Lake is a crater lake at about 530 metres and covers approximately 36 acres. The reserve contains more than ten steep coastal valleys and headwaters, including areas associated with Mt. Qua Qua, Southeast Mountain and Mt. Sinai. Its forests, watersheds, species and trails make it one of the country's most significant natural areas. Common trails include Morne LaBaye at about 200 metres, Beausejour at 300 metres, Shoreline at 2 kilometres, Mt. Qua Qua at 3 kilometres, Cross and Seven Sisters at about 5 kilometres, and Concord and Annandale at about 6 kilometres. Forestry and National Parks manages forest resources and trails, while visitor facilities are associated with the Grenada Tourism Authority. A reported Grand Etang visitor fee is XCD 5.34 or USD 2. Trail and guide availability can change with weather and season. Levera Wetland combines mangroves, freshwater, beach, reef and seagrass habitats around Levera Pond and Sugarloaf Island. It is Grenada's Ramsar Site, an internationally recognised wetland, listed as site number 2034. Current Ramsar information gives an area of about 518 hectares, while a national portal gives about 512 hectares, so the boundary and area should be checked before a geographic-information or legal decision. Levera Pond covers about 23 acres and Levera Beach extends for roughly 700 metres. The wetland controls floodwater, traps sediment and helps stabilise the shoreline. Grenada's terrestrial protected areas include the Grand Etang Forest Reserve, Mt. Hartman National Park, established in 1996, the Perseverance Dove Sanctuary or Protected Area, and Levera Wetland. The National Parks and Protected Areas Act, Cap. 206, the Forest, Soil and Water Conservation Act, Cap. 116, and the Grand Etang Forest Reserve Act, Cap. 124, provide overlapping legal bases. Responsibilities and enforcement can be fragmented, so the designation, boundary and current management rule for a particular place should be confirmed with the responsible authority. Marine conservation uses several designations. Marine Protected Areas, commonly abbreviated as MPAs, are managed sea areas where activities such as fishing, extraction or construction may be restricted. Grenada's examples include Moliniere/Beausejour, Woburn/Clarks Court Bay, the Grand Anse MPA established under SRO 10/2020, and Sandy Island/Oyster Bed MPA around Carriacou. Zones may be described as a marine park, marine reserve, marine sanctuary or marine historical site. Sources give conflicting information about the legal status of Sandy Island/Oyster Bed: older government and National Adaptation Plan material describe it as established, while a 2025 House of Representatives record describes a 2010 launch without a legally declared status. The current Gazette and management status should therefore be checked before relying on its restrictions. Grenada's most threatened wildlife includes the endemic Grenada Dove, Leptotila wellsi, the national bird and a Critically Endangered species. A 2013 estimate placed the population below 250 birds; a later local synthesis gives about 160, with an estimated range of 107 to 229. Two fragmented populations are separated by about 9 kilometres, and Mt. Hartman and Perseverance protect less than 10 percent of the known habitat. Habitat loss, fire, development, agriculture, invasive predators and storms remain major pressures. The Grenada Frog, Pristimantis euphronides, is also Critically Endangered and is one of Grenada's two endemic terrestrial vertebrates. It survives mainly in moist montane forests above 300 metres. Canopy loss, drying, storms, changing rainfall and climate conditions, and the invasive Lesser Antillean Whistling Frog threaten its habitat. Five sea turtle species occur in Grenada's waters: leatherback, hawksbill, green, olive ridley and loggerhead turtles. Levera is the main leatherback nesting beach, with nesting generally from around March to August. Hawksbills use places such as Isle de Caille, Isle de Ronde and Carriacou mainly from around May to October, while green turtles mainly use feeding habitat. Olive ridley and loggerhead records are rare or incomplete. Ocean Spirits conducts monitoring, and SPECTO supports community tours and co-management. The Small Indian Mongoose, Urva auropunctata, is not native to Grenada. It can prey on Grenada Doves, turtle hatchlings, amphibians and reptiles and can carry rabies. Management uses trained and vaccinated personnel and humane trapping or removal. Residents should report sightings through the relevant programme rather than attempting to handle or poison mongooses themselves. Natural areas support watershed protection, forest restoration, sustainable forestry, small-scale fishing, diving and other marine tourism, turtle watching, hiking, swimming, bathing, sightseeing and environmental education. The Blue Economy includes fisheries and aquaculture, coastal and marine tourism, marine services and conservation. These uses can conflict when forest clearing, fire, agriculture, housing, infrastructure, resort construction, overfishing, reef pressure, pollution or siltation damage the same ecosystems that support water, livelihoods and coastal protection. Levera faces particular ecological-character risks from resort or golf-course development, encroachment, erosion and sedimentation. Carriacou and Petite Martinique require separate attention because of their marine resources and the effects of Hurricane Beryl in 2024. The Forestry and National Parks Department, the Fisheries Division and Chief Fisheries Officer, the Physical Planning and Development Authority, the Grenada Tourism Authority, relevant ministries, non-governmental organisations and community co-management groups each have different responsibilities. The Ministry of Economic Development, Planning, Tourism, Creative Economy, Culture, Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, Blue Economy, Marine Resources and Cooperatives, and the Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy are central government actors. Grenada's biodiversity information resources support communities, educators, policymakers and visitors with information. Monitoring methods include acoustic and territory surveys, breeding surveys, mark-recapture work, turtle nesting and in-water monitoring, and citizen science. Wildlife rules under Cap. 34 prohibit taking or destroying turtles and turtle eggs and provide close seasons for wild birds, lobster, turtles and oysters. Wildlife, eggs and nests should not be collected. Forest felling, clearing, grazing and other forest use can require permission. Marine protected areas generally prohibit fishing without authorisation, removing flora or fauna, dredging, extracting sand or gravel, discharging waste or pollutants, and changing the natural area or constructing structures without permission. Levera Beach is a closed area each year from 1 April to 31 August, and public access is generally prohibited during that period. Exceptions can cover Fisheries officers, scientific research, and fishing with a special pass or permit. Turtle watching requires permission from the Chief Fisheries Officer, the prescribed fee and an approved guide; SPECTO tours operate only within the authorised co-management and guide framework. A breach can carry a maximum penalty of 5,000 dollars, two years' imprisonment or both. Marine-area fees and collection arrangements are not documented consistently, so current conditions should be confirmed with the Grenada Tourism Authority or Fisheries Division before a visit or commercial activity. Land development requires written permission from the Physical Planning and Development Authority. An Environmental Impact Assessment, or EIA, examines likely environmental effects and is regularly required for projects listed in the Third Schedule of the Physical Planning and Development Control Act 2016 when they may have substantial effects. The EIA process can include screening, notification, scoping, assessment, a report and monitoring. The 2022 EIA Administrative Manual provides guidance but is not itself statutory law. Resort, coastal, infrastructure and forest projects should therefore be checked for planning permission, protected-area restrictions, species impacts, water and sediment effects and any EIA requirement before construction begins. Grenada's National Adaptation Plan for 2025 to 2030 aims to protect or manage 25 percent of marine, coastal and terrestrial ecosystems by 2030. It identifies two new marine protected areas, monitoring of two additional ecosystems, a dry-forest vulnerability assessment and a 40 percent increase in reforestation. Its indicative ecosystem programme budget is USD 35.86 million. A 2026 consultancy review of the Protected Areas System Plan and management plans is a planning activity and does not automatically create new protected areas. Hurricanes, tropical storms, intense rainfall, flash floods, landslides, drought, coastal erosion, sea-level rise, coral bleaching, ocean warming and acidification continue to shape conservation needs. Hurricane Ivan destroyed about 95 percent of Grenada's forest cover historically, while Hurricane Beryl in 2024 caused particularly severe effects in Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Levera Pond can overflow during intense rainfall or storm surge.