Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

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Master Plan for Botanic Gardens - Update Reports

Sepember 2006: Scribal’s Final Report (click here) – The Final Report (Master Plan for the Roseau Botanic Gardens, Dominica) essentially integrates the First and Second Interim Reports - the Physical and the Institutional Plans. Overall, it is quite a good Report. Among its several recommendations, it reiterates the need to re-establish the old economic crops section with “plants of economic interest,” and the construction of a lily pond; it recommends relocation of excess buildings outside the Gardens, provision of parking facilities for tour buses and a visitor center with cafeteria, gift shop and toilet facilities. It also provides a wealth of photos to illustrate Scribal’s vision and recommendations. However, there are a few recommendations we would question, for example, developing and maintaining a plant nursery in the Gardens (this would be a misuse of high value space when there are more suitable alternatives elsewhere), constructing a Peripheral By-pass Road at the Back of the Gardens (apart from loss of Gdns acreage, exposure to massive water run-off from the Morne, and a high susceptibility to landslides, such a Road, as Scribal itself reported, would be “riddled with problems of a civil engineering nature.” Nevertheless, apart from these and a few other debatable issues, which need not impede action, the Report provides a detailed and comprehensive road-map for moving forward with the much-needed rehabilitation of the Gardens.

August 2006: Scribal’s Second Interim Report – The Institutional Development Plan (click here) discusses the institutional arrangements that will be required for the effective management and continued development of the Gardens. It consists of seven broad sections including the core Institutional Framework, a Marketing Strategy, a Financial Plan, and a Policy on Ecotourism Development. (click here) for a brief comment on this Second Interim Report.

June 2006: Scribal presents the First Interim Report – The Physical Development Plan (click here). The Report discusses the physical layout of the Gardens, its infrastructure, and importantly, its locational and traffic considerations. It concludes that the current condition of the Gardens and its environs need significant improvement for the Gardens to play its needed social, cultural and economic roles. The Report discusses four “Practical Development options stemming from the short to medium and long terms.” This is confusing. A more critical reading of this Report suggests that these so-called “options” are more like four stages of a long-term plan.

April 2006:: Scribal Consultancy submitted a Preliminary Assessment report for the development of the Botanic Gardens. The document (click here) collates opinions from various stakeholders and embodies the preliminary analysis of the consultants for the Master Plan. It is not the completed task, and will be revised and updated in accordance with the reviews of the primary and secondary clients, the Ministry of Tourism-Eco Tourism Development Programme and the Forestry and Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, respectively.

February 2006: A St. Lucian firm, Scribal Consultancy Services and Historical Tours, has been awarded the contract to prepare the Gardens Master Plan. A principal of the firm, Mr. Sylvester Clauzel, visited Dominica in late February to sign the contract with the Ministry of Tourism which will administer the contract that is funded by an EU grant. He also made a familiarization visit to the Gardens, and held talks with Mr. Dave Williams, "Curator" of the Gardens. Mr. Clauzel planned to return shortly to begin work on the Plan, in the first instance holding consultations with stakeholders, such as the Ministries of Tourism and Communication, the Divisions of Agriculture and Forestry, the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association, the Cricket Association and the Taxi Association.

Jan. 2006: - The Master Plan for the redevelopment of the Gardens is being prepared under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, with funding from the EU Eco Tourism Development Project. It is reported that a consultant will shortly be approved, and the consultancy should be on its way.

SUN Newspaper, Dec. 2005: - A Master Plan is now underway for the facelift of the Botanical Gardens in Roseau, after receiving a donation of EC$22,147.31 by Cable and Wireless. “There is a master plan that has to be developed and is in the process of being developed for the development and improvement of the Botanic gardens,” said Mrs Claudia Bellot, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture.
“And I hope,” she said, “that when this master plan is completed, we can in some way engage Cable and Wireless and try to get some more benefits for the improvements of the gardens through that master plan.”
The annual Creole in the Park event has been held at the Botanical Gardens from it’s inception in 2003. This year, donations of $1 per person were collected to go towards the upgrade and development of the Park.
The Director of the Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Mr Arlington James said that major repairs needs to be done to the soil at the gardens now. Although he is grateful for the donations from the people of Dominica, he thinks that Cable and Wireless should give some additional help. “If anybody goes through the gardens now, we are left with a little sore which is going to take a while to heal. “Some folks say the grass will grow back but I think we need to help it. We are hoping that Cable and Wireless will help us to help the grass to come back,” Mr James said.
The company’s Chief Executive Mr Colin James believes that the donation should ensure the continuity of the Creole in the Park event at that venue. “This partnership will see the development of the scenic Botanical Gardens as part of our commitment to make it the permanent home of Cable & Wireless,” he said.