Saint Lucia
América del Norte
Saint Lucia is a volcanic island of very rugged relief, dominated by the Pitons, two spires of solidified lava that rise straight out of the sea and that are a World Heritage Site along with the geothermal zone that surrounds them, with fumaroles and sulphurous springs. The mountainous interior keeps tropical rainforest with tree ferns and an endemic birdlife, while the coast alternates cliffs, black sand beaches and reefs protected within marine areas managed together with the fishermen. The Maria Islands, two arid islets off the south coast, work as a refuge for reptiles that disappeared from the main island after the arrival of the mongoose and rats.
The nature of Saint Lucia
National animal: The Saint Lucia amazon, or jacquot, the national bird, endemic to the island
Did you know?
The Saint Lucia amazon came down to barely a hundred birds in the late 1970s. Its recovery came not only from protecting the forest but from a national pride campaign that put the parrot on stamps, T-shirts, buses and school programmes until it became a symbol of the country and made its capture socially unacceptable. The population has multiplied more than tenfold and the method has since been replicated in dozens of countries.
Biodiversity profile
Climate
- •Tropical con estacion seca (Aw), isla volcanica montañosa
Main biomes
- •Bosque tropical humedo de montaña
- •Bosque seco costero
- •Manglares en zonas de baja altitud
- •Bosque húmedo tropical de montaña
- •Zona geotérmica volcánica
- •Arrecife de coral
- •Islote árido
- •Manglar costero
- •Bosque seco de sotavento
- •Acantilado volcánico
Marine and coastal ecosystems
- •Arrecifes de coral alrededor de la isla, incluidos los Pitons (Patrimonio Mundial)
Flagship wildlife
- •Amazona de Santa Lucia o loro de Santa Lucia (ave nacional, en recuperacion)
- •Reinita negra de Santa Lucia
- •Serpiente lagarto de Santa Lucia
- •Amazona de Santa Lucía
- •Lagarto de las islas Maria
- •Tortuga laúd
- •Colibrí caribeño
- •Boa de Santa Lucía
- •Tortuga carey
- •Rabijunco colirrojo
- •Oriol de Santa Lucía
- •Ballena jorobada
- •Cachalote
Notable endemic species
- •Loro de Santa Lucia (Amazona versicolor, endemico, Vulnerable, exito emblematico de conservacion tras estar al borde de la extincion)
- •Reinita negra de Santa Lucia (endemica)
- •Lagartija whiptail de Santa Lucia (Cnemidophorus vanzoi, restringida a los islotes Maria Major y Maria Minor, menos de 1.000 individuos)
- •5 de 20 especies de reptiles registradas son endemicas
- •Amazona de Santa Lucía
- •Lagarto de las islas Maria
- •Oriol de Santa Lucía
- •Serpiente corredora de Santa Lucía
Notable threatened species
- •Lagartija whiptail de Santa Lucia (Vulnerable, poblacion menor a 1.000 individuos, unica especie de su genero en el Caribe)
- •Loro de Santa Lucia (Vulnerable, recuperado de un estado critico gracias a decadas de programas de conservacion)
Notable protected areas
- •Reserva Forestal de los Pitons (Patrimonio Mundial)
- •Islotes Maria Major y Maria Minor (refugio de la lagartija whiptail)
- •Área de Gestión de los Pitons
- •Reserva de las Islas Maria
- •Reserva Forestal Central
- •Área Marina de Soufrière
- •Sendero del Bosque Lluvioso de Edmund
- •Isla Frigate
Main conservation threats
- •Especies invasoras (mangosta, ratas) causantes historicas del declive del loro y la lagartija whiptail
- •Desarrollo turistico costero
- •Fragmentacion de habitat en la isla principal
Conservation
The Saint Lucia racer is one of the rarest snakes in the world and survives on a single islet after being wiped out by the mongoose on the main island. The marine areas managed with the fishermen have restored fish biomass within a few years.
Where and when to watch wildlife
The Central Forest Reserve at dawn for the amazon. The Maria Islands in the dry season for endemic reptiles, with a permit. The west coast between December and April for cetaceans.
Sources: Wikipedia - List of amphibians and reptiles of Saint Lucia | ECTTravel - Endemic Birds of St Lucia | Ecosystem Profile - Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot (CEPF)
Parks and reserves
Diving and snorkelling
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Especies documentadas en Saint Lucia
117 species found
Atlantic Goliath Grouper
Epinephelus itajara
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Southern Stingray
Hypanus americanus
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
Hexanchus griseus
Common Halfbeak
Hyporhamphus unifasciatus
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Cuban Brown Anole
Anolis sagrei
Greater Argonaut
Argonauta argo
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Little Tunny
Euthynnus alletteratus
Dwarf Sperm Whale
Kogia sima
Risso's Dolphin
Grampus griseus
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about Saint Lucia.