Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Vulnerability reduction and adaptation to climate change through watershed management in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

  • Published:
GeoJournal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an archipelagic state of the Caribbean that regularly suffers natural disasters; climate change is increasing the frequency of intense hurricanes and storms. The southernmost watersheds of St. Vincent have a rugged topography that favours flash-flooding in rainy events, with great damage because the area concentrates most of the country’s population and infrastructure. To deal with this problem the Government has developed studies, engineering works and a watershed management plan. Land use management is an effective way of controlling hydrological impacts; the plan divides the watersheds in three uses, nature conservation (46%), agriculture and agroforestry (24%), and urban (30%), with categories, establishing permitted, prohibited and restricted activities. The area is close to the limit of urban development; if further expansion were essential it should be done by increasing density in lower and flatter areas. Many houses, usually low-income settlements, are in flooding or landslide risk areas, which should be decolonized, changing land use. It is also necessary to avoid hillside arable crops. Adaptation to climate change through land use management is essential, although unfortunately less socially and politically appreciated than engineering works.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angeles, M. E., Gonzalez, J. E., Erickson, D. J., & Hernández, J. L. (2007). Predictions of future climate change in the caribbean region using global general circulation models. International Journal of Climatology, 27(5), 555–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biasutti, M., Sobel, A. H., Camargo, S. J., & Creyts, T. T. (2012). Projected changes in the physical climate of the Gulf Coast and Caribbean. Climatic Change, 112(3–4), 819–845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas, A. K. (1990). Watershed management. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 6(4), 240–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boongaling, C. G. K., Faustino-Eslava, D. V., & Lansigan, F. P. (2018). Modeling land use change impacts on hydrology and the use of landscape metrics as tools for watershed management: The case of an ungauged catchment in the Philippines. Land Use Policy, 72, 116–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boruff, B. J., & Cutter, S. L. (2007). The environmental vulnerability of Caribbean island nations. Geographical Review, 97(1), 932–942.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, K. N., Ffolliot, P. F., & Manger, J. A. (2013). Hydrology and the management of watershed (4th ed.). Ames: Wiley–Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caballero, L. A., Easton, Z. M., Richards, B. K., & Steenhuis, T. S. (2013). Evaluating the bio-hydrological impact of a cloud forest in Central America using a semi-distributed water balance model. Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, 61(1), 9–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cashman, A., Nurse, L., & John, C. (2010). Climate change in the Caribbean: The water management implications. The Journal of Environment & Development, 19(1), 42–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CCME (2016). Summary of integrated watershed management approaches across Canada. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

  • Christensen, J. H. (2010). Summaries of likely climate change impacts, by country. In D. Verner (Ed.), Reducing poverty, protecting livelihoods, and building assets in a changing climate. Social implications of climate change for Latin America and the Caribbean (pp. 373–400). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Culzac-Wilson, L. (2008). St Vincent & the Grenadines. In D. C. Wege & V. Anadon-Irizarry (Eds.), Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean: Key sites for conservation (pp. 295–308). Cambridge: Birdlife International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewan, A. M., Yamaguchi, Y., & Rahman, M. Z. (2012). Dynamics of land use/cover changes and the analysis of landscape fragmentation in Dhaka Metropolitan, Bangladesh. GeoJournal, 77(3), 315–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ECLAC. (2011). An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the water sector in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. United Nations: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enríquez-de-Salamanca, A., Díaz-Sierra, R., Martín-Aranda, R. M., & Santos, M. J. (2017). Environmental impacts of climate change adaptation. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 64, 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (2017). Watershed management in action—Lessons learned from FAO field projects. Rome: FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferdinand, I. M. A. (2006). Hurricane risk reduction strategies in the Windward Islands: Public and practitioner’s perspectives. Thesis. Coventry University.

  • GSVG. (2006a). Kingstown and Arnos Vale drainage improvement study. Project No. SVGDMP-CON-ICB-F-B15/03. Kingstown: Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines-DLN Consultants.

  • GSVG. (2006b). Island wide flood risk assessment study. Project No. SVGDMP-CON-ICB-F-B12/03.Kingstown: Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines-DLN Consultants.

  • GSVG. (2014a). Rapid Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA). December 24–25, 2013 Floods. Report. Kingstown: Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

  • GSVG. (2014b). Hydrology/hydraulic modeling and geotechnical site investigation of bridges, fords and rivers. Contract No. 783/2014. Kingstown: Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines-Euroconsult.

  • GSVG. (2018). Protected areas. National parks, rivers and beaches authority. Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. http://nationalparks.gov.vc. Accessed May 20 2018.

  • GSVG, NEMO, UNISDR, & ECHO. (2018). Disaster Risk Reduction Country Document. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-National Emergency Management Office (NEMO)-United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)-European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO). http://dipecholactools.org/saintvincent. Accessed April 10 2018.

  • Hanson, D., Steenhuis, T. S., Walter, M. F., & Boll, J. (2004). Effects of soil degradation and management practices on the surface water dynamics in the Talgua River watershed in Honduras. Land Degradation and Development, 15, 367–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heathcote, I. W. (2009). Integrated watershed management: Principles and practice (2nd ed.). NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, P. D., Harpham, C., Harris, I., Goodess, C. M., Burton, A., Centella-Artola, A., et al. (2015). Long-term trends in precipitation and temperature across the Caribbean. International Journal of Climatology, 36(9), 3314–3333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, J. J., Stephenson, T. S., Taylor, M. A., & Campbell, J. D. (2016). Statistical downscaling of North Atlantic tropical cyclone frequency and the amplified role of the Caribbean low-level jet in a warmer climate. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 121(8), 3741–3758.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, M. G., & Park, S. W. (2015). An adaptive watershed management assessment based on watershed investigation data. Environmental Management, 55, 1006–1021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karmalkar, A. V., Taylor, M. A., Campbell, J., Stephenson, T., New, M., Centella, A., et al. (2013). A review of observed and projected changes in climate for the islands in the Caribbean. Atmósfera, 26(2), 283–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korah, P. I., & Cobbinah, P. B. (2017). Juggling through Ghanaian urbanisation: Flood hazard mapping of Kumasi. GeoJournal, 82(6), 1195–1212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Friant, A., Boudon, G., Arnulf, A., & Robertson, R. E. A. (2009). Debris avalanche deposits offshore St. Vincent (West Indies): Impact of flank-collapse events on the morphological evolution of the island. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 179(1–2), 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lugo, A. E. (2000). Effects and outcomes of Caribbean hurricanes in a climate change scenario. The Science of the Total Environment, 262(3), 243–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mashi, S. A., & Shuaibu, H. S. (2018). People and sustainable land management: Assessment of stakeholders knowledge of the nature of landuse/cover change in Abuja, Nigeria. GeoJournal, 83(3), 545–562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, W. H. (2001). Hurricanes, people, and riparian zones: Controls on nutrient losses from forested Caribbean watersheds. Forest Ecology and Management, 154(3), 443–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narimani, R., Erfanian, M., Nazarnejad, H., & Mahmodzadeh, A. (2017). Evaluating the impact of management scenarios and land use changes on annual surface runoff and sediment yield using the GeoWEPP: A case study from the Lighvanchai watershed, Iran. Environmental Earth Sciences, 76, 353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, S. T. (2010). Coastal livelihoods and climate change. In D. Verner (Ed.), Reducing poverty, protecting livelihoods, and building assets in a changing climate. Social implications of climate change for Latin America and the Caribbean (pp. 123–165). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, T. C., Taylor, M. A., Demeritte, R., Duncombe, D. L., Burton, S., Thompson, F., et al. (2001). Recent changes in climate extremes in the Caribbean region. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107(D21), 4601.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratomo, R. A., Jetten, V. D., & Alkema, D. (2010). A comparison of flash flood response at two different watersheds in Grenada, Caribbean Islands. International Symposium on Geophysical Issues. IOP conference series: Earth and environmental science, 29, 012004.

  • Pretty, J. N., & Shah, P. (1997). Making soil and water conservation sustainable: From coercion and control to partnerships and participation. Land Degradation and Development, 8, 39–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramos-Scharrón, C. E., & LaFevor, M. C. (2016). The role of unpaved roads as active source areas of precipitation excess in small watersheds drained by ephemeral streams in the Northeastern Caribbean. Journal of Hydrology, 533, 168–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhiney, K. (2015). Geographies of Caribbean vulnerability in a changing climate: Issues and trends. Geography Compass, 9(3), 97–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, R. E. A. (2005). St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In J. M. Lindsay, R. E. A. Robertson, J. B. Shepherd, & S. Ali (Eds.), Volcanic hazard atlas of the Lesser Antilles (pp. 241–261). Trinidad and Tobago: University of the West Indies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, S. (2017). Climate change adaptation trends in small island developing states. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 22(4), 669–691.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossing, T. (2010). Water scarcity, climate change, and the poor. In D. Verner (Ed.), Reducing poverty, protecting livelihoods, and building assets in a changing climate. Social implications of climate change for Latin America and the Caribbean (pp. 21–62). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossing, T., & Rubin, O. (2010). Climate change, disaster hot spots, and asset erosion. In D. Verner (Ed.), Reducing poverty, protecting livelihoods, and building assets in a changing climate. Social implications of climate change for Latin America and the Caribbean (pp. 63–91). Washington, DC: The World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Showqi, I., Rashid, I., & Romshoo, S. A. (2014). Land use land cover dynamics as a function of changing demography and hydrology. GeoJournal, 79(3), 297–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, M. C., Clarke, J. F., Scott, D. J., et al. (2012). CARIBSAVE Climate Change Risk Atlas. St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados: DFID-AusAID-CARIBSAVE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soil Conservation Service. (1985). National engineering handbook. Section 4-Hydrology. Washington DC: USDA.

  • Van der Zaag, P. (2005). Integrated Water Resources Management: Relevant concept or irrelevant buzzword? A capacity building and research agenda for Southern Africa. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 30, 867–871.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worte, C. (2017). Integrated watershed management and Ontario’s conservation authorities. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 33(3), 360–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, G., Guhathakurta, S., Lee, S., Moore, A., & Yan, L. (2014). Grid-based land-use composition and configuration optimization for watershed stormwater management. Water Resources Management, 28(10), 2867–2883.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y., Wang, Y., Gold, A. J., August, P. V., & Boving, T. B. (2014). Assessing impact of urban impervious surface on watershed hydrology using distributed object-oriented simulation and spatial regression. GeoJournal, 79(2), 155–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimale, F. A., Tilahun, S. A., Tebebu, T. Y., Guzman, C. D., Hoang, L., Schneiderman, E. M., et al. (2017). Improving watershed management practices in humid regions. Hydrological Processes, 31(18), 3294–3301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. DRABA ICM/Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Cañada Nueva 13, 28200, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain

    Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca

Authors
  1. Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Enríquez-de-Salamanca, Á. Vulnerability reduction and adaptation to climate change through watershed management in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. GeoJournal 84, 1107–1119 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-018-9914-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-018-9914-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation