LETBP Project in Dominica

The LETBP Project (Leveraging Eco-tourism for Biodiversity Protection in Dominica) enhances Dominica’s eco-tourism by improving protected area management and biodiversity conservation. It focuses on planning integration, awareness, and data collection. Key components include strengthening frameworks, promoting sustainable ecotourism, and supporting the Kalinago community for better governance and income.

About the LETBP Project in Dominica

The LETBP Project aims to coordinate and optimize the Dominica Government’s approach to Protected Areas (PAs) management and forest systems and support the Government in its efforts to conserve biodiversity as part of its pursuit to establish Dominica as an eco-tourism destination. This will be achieved by improving regulation and enforcement of its natural capital and by enhancing the Government’s capacity to manage PAs in line with international best practices to promote biodiversity conservation and economic development simultaneously. The project consists of three components, each addressing key pillars for eco-tourism and biodiversity protection and mutually supporting the overall Project Development Objective “to improve management of Dominica’s three national parks and the Waitukubuli National Trail”.

Key barriers identified to be addressed through the project implementation include;

1. A limited integration of PAs planning and management into national key development processes (land-use planning, agriculture, forestry management, etc.);
2. A lack of awareness at the decision-making level of the value of the country’s biodiversity; and
3. Insufficient baseline data, weak monitoring capacities, and information needed to measure threats at the ecosystem level.

The project components set out policy, investment, capacity building, and awareness-raising interventions to promote conservation through the development opportunities provided by nature-based tourism in pursuit of the Project Development Objective and Dominica’s National Biodiversity Objective.

The first component (Protected Areas Planning) will support strengthening the institutional framework for PAs planning and management for three national parks; The Morne Trois Pitons National Park, The Morne Diablotin National Park and The Cabrits National Park) and the Waitukubuli trail network.

This component will also assist in improving national and local capacities for PA monitoring and management through a robust stakeholder engagement approach. It will include a thorough assessment on the role and value of ecosystem services as well the impact of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). The second component (Biodiversity and Sustainable Ecotourism Operations) will enhance the physical and institutional environment for biodiversity protection through sustainable landscapes along the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT) and in the three National Parks. This component will also improve financial and visitor management, significantly contributing to revenue mobilization, increased visitor experience and promotion efforts. The third component (Sustainable Livelihoods) will support enhanced opportunities for sustainable livelihoods for the Carib/Kalinago Territory communities along the Waitukubuli National Trail and the areas surrounding PAs to engage in and benefit from Dominica’s nature-based tourism sector. This will be accomplished through investment in sustainable land use and the preservation and inter-generational transfer of traditional Kalinago knowledge and livelihood training to better integrate into tourism value chains.

The project will strengthen biodiversity protection and financial management and build capacity for the national parks, the national trail system personnel, and local communities. The direct project beneficiaries include communities and their members in targeted landscapes, farmers, tour guides, entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and community-based organizations (CBOs). Women, including those within the Kalinago Community, bear the heavy burden of ensuring the livelihood sustainability of rural households and, as such, are expected to benefit significantly. Benefits are expected to include improved access to skills training for business development, finance and markets, improved local governance, and subsequently more profitable community- or individually-owned businesses and increased household income, all while promoting the conservation of Dominica’s rich biodiversity endowment.