As a part of our commitment to local biodiversity, we are keen to announce that Range Developments has started the delicate process of soil and landscape rehabilitation at the Six Senses La Sagesse, Grenada. This process will be carried out in stages and will involve implementing a smart design, promoting functionality with an aim to create an eco-system that will take life of its own.
It is important to understand that the vegetation in the pre-construction stage, as per the third-party Environmental Impact Assessment, consisted mostly of monoculture (bushes), and as such was limited in its ability to support a diverse range of fauna. In our aim to attract a wide variety of species such as butterflies and moths, humming birds, as well as crustaceans and amphibians, we have sourced a combination of shrubs, tall grass, bushes and trees, pre-dominantly of native origin with a careful selection of exotic species.
The idea behind this is to create an improved version of a landscape, which not only suits the intended use of beautification, but will supply a wide variety of micro habitats and food sources to support a diversity of fauna, both native and migratory. In time, this will create its own sustainable environment as the wind, birds and animals will introduce new specimen that will naturalize. In line with this principle, the design of the new lagoon was done using detailed computer simulations to achieve the best possible natural flushing mechanism to maintain the quality of the lagoon water as well as the overall health of the ecosystem.
To this end, 3 islands will be created that help improve tidal flows and will also allow fish and crustaceans to establish themselves. Similarly, both native and migratory birds will have a safe haven for roosting and breeding. Retention ponds around the lagoon will control surface water runoff and reduce its siltation. This source of fresh water will also attract wildlife during the wet season. Due to evaporation and natural drainage, this water will not stagnate and thus avoid the breeding of mosquitoes or large mats of algae as was common in the old lagoon.
A Total of 850 trees and palms and around 3,000 plants will be planted in creation of this complex eco-system. As an important strategy for conservation, special attention is paid to the mangrove forest. In its wide variety of functions such as shoreline protection, sediment regulation, nutrient retention, water quality maintenance, local microclimatic stabilization and many others, the mangrove is a secret weapon in the fight against climate change, and as such plays an irreplaceable role in local #biodiversity. Mangrove trees have been found on the property in small quantities in the pre-construction stage, while replanting will restore their original numbers and add on diversity of mangrove species to achieve an enhanced eco-system all across the property, namely in the coastal zone, the middle zone and inland.
