The Grenada Dove - Leptotila wellsi is a medium-sized tropical dove which is endemic
to Grenada.
It is the national bird of Grenada.
This dove is considered to be one of the most critically endangered doves in
the world.
The Grenada Dove has
a white throat, face and forehead pale pink shading to dull brown on crown and
nape, upperparts olive brown, underwing chestnut; neck and upper breast pink-buff
fading to white on lower breast, belly and undertail coverts.
Very little is
known about this species.
Population
estimates by various researchers indicate that there may be fewer than 100
individuals remaining in the wild.
Conservation Status - critically endangered.
Grenada Dove in trouble: -
The Grenada Government is planning to sell
Mount Hartmann National Park to Four Seasons for a mega-resort
with golf course and marina that would destroy about half of the
remaining habitat for the endangered endemic.
Great news: -
According to Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson of
BirdLife International that admirable process
of communication between developers, scientists and government, along
with a willingness on all sides to share information, has led to very
significant improvements to the Four Seasons project at Mt Hartman. C88,
the project's developer, has been working with scientists to do
everything it can to reduce the impacts of its work at Mt Hartman, and
to give the dove its best possible chance of thriving. The most obvious
achievement has been the consolidation and strengthening of the Dove
sanctuary.
The population of the Grenada Dove (based on extensive surveys in the
latter half of 2007 by Bonnie Rusk, Grenada Dove expert) is 68 calling
males (c.136 birds in total). There are 58 birds in the Mount Hartman
Estate, 50 of which are within the boundaries of the new national park
(which was re-designed based on the distribution and centre of abundance
for the dove). Thus there will be more doves in the new national park
(which is one contiguous area of habitat) than there were in the old
park (which comprised three totally separate areas), and the new park
includes significant opportunities for habitat creation.
The Four Seasons development will result in the habitat
loss of four territorial male doves, which means the birds will be
displaced. A loss of habitat of 6% of a Critically Endangered species is
significant and regrettable and could have serious consequences. The
Grenada Government recognises this, and is working hard to designate
other critical habitat -- on the west coast -- as a national park. This
area, like the new Mount Hartman National Park, includes lands suitable
for habitat restoration that will ultimately -- through the activities
of the Dove Trust -- allow for the Grenada Dove population to increase.
In spite of the loss of habitat mentioned above, we are very pleased and relieved to report that:
- 1. Excellent progress has been made to mitigate the loss of Grenada Doves to the Mount Hartman development,
-
2. In terms of sustaining a viable population of the dove, the newly
defined national park looks stronger and more robust than the old one.
Everyone concerned should be congratulated on this.
-
3. This area has already begun to regenerate and will likely be left to
do so naturally. It is important that the Dove Trust be established with
enough financing to enable such critical management actions to take
place.
-
4. Because a the habitat of a number of territorial male doves will be
lost to this development, we sincerely hope that additional areas can be
found in which formal protection can be given to other dove populations
-- in the Beausejour area, for example.
In the next stages of this increasingly impressive process, the outstanding issues seem to be:
- 1. What will be the terms of reference and the responsibilities of the Dove Trust?
-
2. How much funding will be needed to ensure the Trust functions effectively.
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3. Where will the funds come from?
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4. How can everyone involved contribute to the establishment of an additional national park, such as Beausejour.
We will endeavour to keep this website updated as events warrant.