Overview

The Batali Watershed, located in the Macoucherie River basin of Dominica, covers approximately 1,520 ha of high-relief terrain where steep slopes, heavy rainfall and intensive land-use combine to pose significant land-degradation risks. The 2023-2028 Management Plan provides a strategic pathway for restoration of ecosystem services, protection of water-supply catchments, and the promotion of sustainable land use and livelihoods in the Batali sub-basin.

Key Issues

• High erosion and landslide vulnerability on steep terrain due to conventional farming, poor soil conservation and deforestation.

• Upper reach hydrologic instability: sediment loads, reduced baseflow reliability, increased risk to downstream water infrastructure.

• Limited riparian buffers and poor land-use regulation in the sub-basin, leading to water quality challenges and habitat loss.

• Institutional gaps in monitoring, enforcement and community engagement related to watershed management.

Objectives

1. Stabilise and restore critical high-risk zones to reduce landslide and sedimentation loads.

2. Enhance hydrologic function through catchment protection, reforestation and effective land-use management.

3. Secure sustainable livelihoods for local communities by promoting conservation-linked agriculture and agroforestry systems.

4. Strengthen institutional capacity, data systems and stakeholder collaboration for long-term watershed governance.

Priority Actions

• Reforest upper slope and riparian corridors using native and fast-growing species and implement bio-engineering techniques for slope stability.

• Establish permanent water-quality monitoring and sediment-load assessment of the Batali stream network.

• Deploy sustainable land-management (SLM) practices on farms in the lower and mid-slopes, including contour farming, vetiver strips and reduced-chemical input systems.

• Upgrade institutional frameworks: create a Batali Watershed Management Council, appoint a Watershed Coordinator, and integrate GIS-based decision-support systems.

• Launch awareness and training programmes targeting farmers, community groups and youth in the watershed’s villages.