2.1 Natural regions and ecosystems
10. Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands, located at about Latitude 13° 10'N and Longitude 59° 35'W. Its land surface area is approximately 431 km2, measuring 34 km from north to south and 22 km from east to west at the widest point. The climate is tropical maritime, with temperatures varying from 23° to 29° C, moderated by prevailing 16 to 24 kph winds from the North-east Trades. The annual precipitation averages 1516 mm, rising from 1000 mm in coastal areas to approximately 2220 mm in central and north-eastern areas. The majority of this precipitation is received between the months of June and November.
11. Geologically, the island comprises a largely coral limestone cap, overlying almost impermeable but easily eroded basement material of mudstones, sands and shales, exposed by uplift in the north-eastern/central section of the island (Scotland District).
12. Topographically, the island rises from the south and west in a series of gently sloping coral terraces to reach its highest point at Mt. Hillaby in the north-central part of the island, at the edge of the Scotland District. The topography varies from the gently sloping coral terraces, dissected by gullies in the limestone areas, to steep broken slopes rising to 340m above sea level in the Scotland District, where the basement materials are exposed.
13. The soils of the island, generally, are derived from limestone and are shallow and alkaline except in the Scotland District, where they are developed from the basement materials of sandstones, shales and clays, and vary from neutral to slightly acid.
14. The island was completely wooded when "discovered". However, in the space of 30 years following European settlement in 1627, the land was almost totally deforested to make way for sugar cane agriculture, an activity which has dominated the island's landscape since then. The flora and fauna of the island were so severely affected by this activity, that today only vestiges of the original forest and wetland ecosystems, and very little of the original macrofauna, can be found. The most notable of the remaining floral ecosystems is the Turner's Hall Wood, an area of approximately 30ha, located in the north-central part of the island. Other major associations of natural/succession vegetation can be found in the existing network of gullies, along escarpments, on sheltered cliffs and along the sea shore (Appendix III). The network of revegetated gullies (formed by the collapse of the roofs of underground drainage channels of the coral cap) is an important reservoir of biodiversity, and has been a focal point of local NGO attention.
15. The ecosystems of the island consist of:
- moist tropical forests and gullies;
- drought tolerant forests and littoral vegetation;
- mangroves, wetlands and artificial swamps;
- windswept sea cliffs and sand dunes; caves; agricultural lands;
- urban and rural parks and gardens.
16. The above mentioned systems provide a range of habitats for plant and animal life, and produce a number of interesting faunal/floral associations, some of which are sufficiently unique to merit protection (See Appendix III & IV).
