Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Wetland conservation site in Christ Church, Barbados.
Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary covers 42 per cent of the Ramsar wetland at Graeme Hall in Christ Church, Barbados, and is managed by the Barbados Wetlands Trust. Its Graeme Hall Swamp holds red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) in brackish water, plus a lake with Atlantic tarpon and small fiddler crabs (Uca burgersi) along the paths. Aviaries keep captive birds including Saint Vincent amazon parrots, scarlet ibis and flamingos.
The Graeme Hall swamp was declared a Ramsar wetland in recognition of its role as a staging post for thousands of migratory birds. Visitor facilities with a cafe, shop and education room were planned in the early 2000s, but from at least 2006 the public was barred from the inner grounds. A 2006 plan for a Caribbean Splash Waterpark nearby was vetoed by the Barbados government, and the owner then closed the lakeside paths, aviaries and gardens amid a dispute over pollution and the blocked Worthing Beach sluice. In late 2024 Anthony Da Silva formed the Barbados Wetlands Trust, which purchased the property in December 2024.
The swamp's name comes from the Graeme Hall estate on whose land it lies in Christ Church. Until about 2006 the wetland drew paying visitors, and the early-2000s plans foresaw catering, a souvenir shop, information boards, written guides and an education room. Since then only the outer grounds have occasionally opened, on condition of a purchase from the small entrance cafe.
The inner grounds have been closed to the public since at least 2006, and the sanctuary is managed by the Barbados Wetlands Trust, formed in late 2024. Access is not a matter of timing: the owner and the Barbados government remain in dispute over pollution and the blocked sea-water sluice at Worthing Beach.
The sanctuary covers 42 per cent of the Ramsar wetland at Graeme Hall. Its aviaries held a small group of Saint Vincent amazon parrots, brought from neighbouring St. Vincent, which the owner and the Barbados government were urged to move to an offshore island or back to St. Vincent for captive breeding.
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