The Conservation and Sustainable Tourism of Grenada course will be offered again in February 2017.

Objectives: To understand natural history, conservation, and socioeconomic roles of flora and fauna of Grenada, and to understand the role and potential roles of sustainable tourism in contributing to environmental conservation and well-being of local communities. Students will directly contribute to the development of sustainable tourism activities related to conservation of Grenadian birds.

For more information please contact Dr. Nicola Koper at Nicola.Koper@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-8768.

The April 2014 field course on Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in Grenada was a tremendous success. We all gained first-hand experience learning about the complexities involved in developing ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable agricultural and tourism programs and businesses on the island. We will build on this experience in future offerings of this course.

     

Following several background lectures before we left Winnipeg, our course started with presentations at St. George’s University on Grenadian issues related to cultural, historical and ecological conservation, to lay the ground work for the observations we would make over the following two weeks. We had field trips almost every day, including a biocultural island tour, snorkelling in marine protected areas, rainforest hikes, visits to St. George’s and other markets, visits to national parks, observing nesting leatherback sea turtles, and several trips to the organic Belmont Estates. We are extremely grateful to Belmont for welcoming us, feeding us, touring us around their estates and plantations, and even making us a (HUGE!!) traditional Grenadian oil-down meal over a wood fire in the heart of their plantation.

     

As well as being interesting, the course was SO much fun! We enjoyed fabulous housing right on the beaches of the Caribbean Sea, lots of swimming, fantastic food (including lots of roti, fresh Caribbean fruit, and nutmeg ice-cream), and the wonderful companionship of students and faculty from St. George’s University.

     

     

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who helped make our course a tremendous success: our St. George’s University colleagues, including Dr. Oliver Benoit; Dr. Reccia Charles; Dr. Andrea Easter-Pilcher and students; and a special thanks to students Wayne Smart and Shari Sinclair. In addition, we are indebted to numerous colleagues from other parts of Grenada, including Shadel Nyack Compton, Paula Lewis, and Mr. Smith, of Belmont Estates; Cutty McMeo, our driver and guide; John Criswick, horticulturalist; Leonard and Reccia Charles, and many other friends and colleagues. We couldn’t have done it without you.