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 2013
for children ages 8-11
The Environmental Awareness Group and GARD Center will hold a third Camp GROW event in August 2013.
Over the span of two weeks campers will:
- DISCOVER and EXPLORE the unique ecology of Antigua and its
offshore islands
- Build a foundation in ENVIRONMENTAL and AGRICULTURAL
principles
- Develop TEAM-WORK and CRITICAL THINKING skills and tap
into their CREATIVITY with exciting craft projects using
RECYCLED and NATURAL materials.
For more information and to register for Camp Grow 2013, please click here.
It’s Turtle Watch Time!!!!
Hawksbill Turtle Nesting Season has started and the EAG will be conducting Turtle Watching Trips once again.
Trips are Friday evenings only, 7:30pm to 10:30pm, starting on the 12th of July and will be running until the 4th of October. Space is limited and all reservations must be made in advance, so sign up early by contacting us For more information click here.
We look forward to an exciting and active season!!!
