Promoting Biodiversity : First Saint Lucia Mango Festival 2018 to be Held on August 31st !

The first Saint Lucia Mango Festival will take place on August 31st, 2018. Members of the public and journalists are invited to the event held at the Constitution Park in Castries from 10 AM to 6 PM. 

The impacts of climate change on the region have been far reaching and often devastating. In the light of this, land erosion was earmarked as a priority area to be addressed by Small Island Developing States.

Given the high soil stabilisation capacity of the mango tree, the OECS Mango Biodiversity Project promoted and supported the planting of mango trees as a solution to land erosion in participating OECS Member States. In Saint Lucia alone, an estimated 6,000 mango trees have been planted since the start of the project.

The OECS Mango Biodiversity Project forms part of a larger endeavour, namely, the iLand Resilience Global Climate Change Alliance (iLand Resilience GCCA). This initiative addresses climate change issues in the OECS Member States through Sustainable Land Management (SLM).

The Saint Lucia Mango Festival will mark the end of the OECS Mango Biodiversity Project and will bring together official representatives of Ministries, artisans, chefs and other professionals within the Agricultural Sector and the food industry. Participants will have a unique opportunity to understand the value of mangos as a “super fruit” - a term often used by nutritionists, given the rich nutritional value of the fruit.

The launch of a new cook book showcasing multiple mango recipes from local chefs will also be held at the event.