The Environmental Awareness Group of Antigua & Barbuda
Raising awareness & promoting sustainable use of natural resources
Plants of Saint Lucia
Roger Graveson has been studying the plants of Saint Lucia for nearly 20 years. Recently, he has put together a wonderful website about the plants of Saint Lucia which anyone interested in plants must visit! Click here to visit Roger's site.
Walking Tours every Tuesday and Thursday. Read more>
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Do watch this very moving video about the effect of free-roaming livestock in the Nelson’s Dockyard National Park. Please contact your MP, the Ministry of Agriculture or the EAG if you are concerned about this problem.
Researching and Conserving Native Ferns
The EAG has made exciting discoveries in it’s project to conserve the native ferns of Antigua and Barbuda. The project seeks to increase awareness and will develop an educational booklet. The effort is being led by Antiguan biologist Kevel Lindsay.
Ferns in Antigua and Barbuda come in amazingly diverse forms including mangrove ferns which can grow to 4 metres high, tiny epiphytic ferns, a centimetre or so high, aquatic ferns, vine-like climbers and grass-like species.
CLICK HERE for a slideshow of our ferns and more about this exciting and important project!
Why are ferns so important?
Tropical ferns are extraordinarily beautiful plants with their delicate arching leaves, or fronds as they are usually called - undoubtedly the most beautifully shaped leaves in the plant kingdom !
Also, ferns beautify the environment in a way that other plants cannot. This is because many ferns live in environments that other plants cannot tolerate - on shady tree branches ("epiphytes"), on rock faces (lithophytes), in wetlands and in mangrove environments. Tourists from Europe and America are especially awestruck as they normally only encounter these beautiful plants as indoor pot plants!
As well as their beauty, ferns are especially valuable plants for the following reason: Because most fern species can only survive in healthy moist, shady forests, many of which are under threat throughout the Caribbean and also in threatened mangrove and wetland areas, they are an important barometer of the ecological health of the environment.
We are very grateful to the Rufford Small Grants Foundation and the Mohammed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund who have generously provided funding for this project.
Christian Valley Birding Trail Opens
The beautiful trail developed by the EAG was opened officially on Thursday January 26th, 2012. A variety of birds can be viewed on the trail which is a little over 2.5 miles in length. We hope to see you there!
This project is aimed at increasing awareness of our native birds and seeks to create livelihoods in eco-tourism by training community members in bird identification and in tour guiding.
See some of the beautiful bird photographs taken by members in our bird photography competition - click on the Facebook icon at the top of the page and select Photos or Click here
Read about the project and the trail: Click here
The EAG is very grateful for the sponsorship funding provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Camp GROW 2012
for children ages 8-11
was a great success
The Environmental Awareness Group and GARD Center held a second Camp GROW event in August 2012!
Camp GROW provided an opportunity for children, ages 8-11, to have fun while learning about the world around them. Over the span of two weeks campers discovered and explored the unique ecology of Antigua and its offshore islands; built a foundation in environmental and agricultural principles; developed team-work and critical thinking skills and tapped into their creativity with exciting craft projects using recycled and natural materials.
Read more about Camp Grow >
EAG 2013 Wildlife Calendars
Our 2013 wildlife calendar features high-quality, annotated, colour photographs of plant and bird species and coral reef inhabitants of the offshore islands,
complementing those in the 2012 calendar.
All photos were taken here by volunteers and friends of the EAG.
Hallmark days such as Earth Day and the start of the turtle nesting season, Holidays and moon phases are included.
For more information and to get copies for yourself and your loved ones, click here.
