• Summary
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Site description (2007 baseline)
The Government Forest Reserve (GFR) comprise of 7290 hectares of tropical moist forest that straddles the central mountain massif running from north to south of the Island. The GFR is divided into 5 ranges for management purposes, these are: Northern Range, Dennery Range, Millet Range, Soufriere Range and Quilesse Range. Northern Range is located in the north of the Island and is adjacent to the communities of Desbarrah, Des Chassin, Forestiere and Marc. Dennery Range lies more east/central and is adjacent to the communities of Aux-Leon, Denniere Riviere, Grand Riviere and Dennery. Millet Range lies west/central and is bonded by the communities of Millet, Ravine Poisson, Anse-la-Raye and Cannaries. Soufriere Range lies south/western and is adjacent to the communities of Fond St. Jacques and Saltibus while Quilesse Range is adjacent to the communities of Desruisseaux and Tirocher in the southeast. There are no human settlements within the Government Forest Reserve.

Key biodiversity
The bird species of national importance within the GFR are as follows: St. Lucia Amazon Amazona versicolor, St. Lucia Black Finch Melanospiza richardsoni, St. Lucia Oriole Icterus laudabilis, St. Lucia Pewee Contopus oberi, St. Lucia Warbler Dendroica delicata, St. Lucia Flycatcher Myiachus oberi sanctae luceae and Semper’s Warbler Leucopeza semperi. Other bird species that inhabit the area are: Banana Quit Coereba flaveola, Lesser Antillean Bullfinch Loxigilla noctis, Black-faced Grass Quit Tiaris bicolor, Broad-Winged hawk Buteo platypterus, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, Green heron Butorides virescens, Grey Trembler Cinclocerthia gutturalis, Brown Trembler Cinclocerthia ruficauda, Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor, Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina, Red-Necked Pigeon Patagioenas squamosa, Caribbean Elaenia Elaenia martinica, Purple-throated Carib Eulampis jugularis, Antillean Euphonia Euphonia musica, American Kestrel Falco sparverius, Ruddy Quail Dove Geotrygon montana, Bridled Quail Dove Geotrygon mystacea, Scaly-Breasted Thrasher Margarops fuscus, Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus, Antillean Crested Hummingbird Orthorhyncus cristatus, Carib Grackle Quiscalus lugubris, Lesser Antillean Saltator Saltator albicolis, Bare-eyed Thrush Turdus nudigenis, Grey Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis, Black-whispered Vireo Vireo altiloquus, Zenaida Dove Zenaida aurita. The proposed IBA is important for many species of migrants including warblers. The area is wholly forested with high canopy forest sustaining a myriad of species.

Non-bird biodiversity: Other endemic species found in the GFR include the St. Lucia Boa constrictor Constrictor orophias, St. Lucia viper Bothrops caribbaeus, St. Lucia anole Anolis luceae and St. Lucia Pygmy Gecko Sphaerodactylus microlepis Mammal species found in the forest include, Agouti (non-native, naturalised) Dasyprocta Antilles, and the bats Artibeus jamaicensis, Brachyphylla cavemum, Monophyllus plethodon and Ardops nichollsi (none of these are island endemics but the last 3 are regional endemics) Endemic Flora: Acalypha elizabethae, Bernardia laurentii, Beilschmieda pendula, Chrysochlamys caribaea, Daphnopsis macrocarpa, Miconia luciana, Miconia secunda, Siparuna sanctae-luciae, Lobelia sanctae luciae.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Castries and Dennery Waterworks Reserve and Marquis (St Lucia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/castries-and-dennery-waterworks-reserve-and-marquis-iba-st-lucia on 23/12/2024.