The news of a plan to destroy the Maria Islands’ unique species (Plan for £2bn St Lucia resort prompts fear for rare snake and lizard, 1 April) filled me with horror. Until now St Lucia has had an excellent record on wildlife conservation combined with tourist enjoyment of, and local pride in, its unique wildlife.
In 1983 the St Lucia National Trust designated the Maria Islands a nature reserve and I was invited to make a study of the St Lucia whiptail lizard. The lizard lives only on the two Maria Islands and my advice was that its conservation required no special habitat management bar ensuring the islands remained free of the introduced mongoose and rats. I was also lucky to rediscover the St Lucia racer snake (assumed extinct at the time) now recognised as the world’s rarest snake.
Today, the trust allows visits to the islands – entirely compatible with the needs of the wildlife and an excellent tourist experience. Linking the Maria Islands to the mainland with a causeway will certainly destroy the only populations of these two reptiles. I urge those thinking of visiting St Lucia to contact the island’s tourist office to emphasise the importance of nature conservation to discerning tourists.
Dr David Corke
Saffron Walden, Essex
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