St Lucia's Piton Mountains named World Heritage Site
Saturday, July 31, 2004
CASTRIES, St. Lucia: Last month, the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named St.
Lucia's Pitons Management Area (PMA) a World Heritage Site.
The Pitons, located in the picturesque south
of the island, are a respected symbol of St. Lucia and are the most
recognizable landmarks in the Caribbean. The Pitons were considered sacred to
the island's first inhabitants, the Amerindians, and are immortalized today in
the writings of St. Lucian Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott.
"We are all very proud that UNESCO awarded
World Heritage Site status to the PMA. It is recognition and a reward for all
the efforts made by local people and organizations to protect this national
treasure," says Director of Tourism Peter Hilary Modeste. "It will greatly
enhance the symbolic and economic value of the area and provide further
incentive to develop tourism in harmony with the local culture and
environment."
UNESCO names properties World Heritage Sites
when they are considered to have "outstanding universal value," from an
aesthetic, cultural and/or scientific point of view. Such an honor reflects
St. Lucia's beauty and commitment to eco-friendly development and
preservation.
The Pitons Management Area extends over 11
square miles and includes the magnificent twin peaks of Gros and Petit Piton,
the town of Soufriere, the nearby coral reefs, sulphur springs -- one of the
world's few drive-in volcanoes -- and the rare animal and plant species that
thrive in the area. This uniquely stunning location of St. Lucia is a result
of a natural volcanic process that helped shape these varying ecosystems.
The 11-square-mile Pitons Management Area
near the town of Soufriere on the island's west coast, includes the Gros and
Petit Pitons, two volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea (2526-ft
and 2437-ft high respectively), linked by the Piton Mountain ridge. The
volcanic complex includes a geothermal field with sulphurous fumeroles and
hotsprings. Coral reefs cover almost 60 percent of the site's marine area.
A survey has revealed 168 species of
finfish, 60 species of cindaria, including corals, 8 molluscs, 14 sponges, 11
echnioderms, 15 arthropods and 8 annelid worms. Hawksbill turtles are seen
inshore, whale sharks and pilot whales offshore. The dominant terrestrial
vegetation is tropical moist forest grading to subtropical wet forest with
small areas of dry forest and wet elfin woodland on the summits. At least 148
plant species have been recorded on Gros Piton, 97 on Petit Piton and the
intervening ridge, among them eight rare tree species. The Gros Piton is home
to some 27 species (five of them endemic), three indigenous rodents, one
opossum, three bats, eight reptiles and three amphibians. Source:
http://whc.unesco.org
The PMA is now one of only five natural World Heritage Sites in the Caribbean
region. One of the Windward Islands of the
West Indies' Lesser Antilles, St. Lucia is nestled halfway down the eastern
Caribbean archipelago. The "Helen of the West Indies," St. Lucia is known for
its natural beauty and diverse attractions, including the signature Piton
Mountains, a tropical rainforest and one of the world's few drive-in
volcanoes. Culturally rich offerings include the bustling marketplace in the
capital of Castries, a variety of Heritage Tourism sites, quaint fishing
villages along the coastline, and the annual St. Lucia Jazz Festival in May.
St. Lucia's wide range of accommodations includes world-class, five-star
resorts; all-inclusive resorts; intimate inns and value-oriented properties.
For information on the island of St. Lucia,
visit www.stlucia.org,
the official site of the St. Lucia Tourist Board.
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