APPLICATION OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION-SYSTEMS IN WATERSHED MANAGEMENTPLANNING IN ST. LUCIA

The use of geographic information systems (GIS) to develop conservatio n-oriented watershed management strategies on St. Lucia is presented. A soil loss model was executed within a GIS environment to evaluate ag ricultural management strategies in terms of soil loss on two agricult ural watersheds. The GIS provided a fast and efficient means of genera ting the input data required for the model and allowed for easy assess ment of the relative erosion hazard over the watersheds under the diff erent land management options. The model predicted substantial decline s in soil loss under conservation-oriented land management compared to current land management for both watersheds. The results of this stud y indicate that soil loss potential on the Soufriere watershed is appr oximately four times higher than on the Marquis watershed. This study represents the first attempt in the application of GIS technology to w atershed conservation planning for St. Lucia. The procedures developed will contribute to the evolution of a decision support system to guid e agricultural and forestry land planning in St. Lucia. (C) 1998 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.