| Cabrits National Park | |
|---|---|
 Cabrits Peninsula | |
   | |
| Location | Dominica |
| Nearest city | Portsmouth |
| Coordinates | 15°35′07″N61°28′13″W / 15.58517°N 61.47017°W |
| Area | 1,313 acres (5.30 km sq) |
| Established | 1986 |
| Website | Official website |
Cabrits National Park is on a peninsula at the north end of the Caribbean island of Dominica, north of Portsmouth. The park protects tropical forest, coral reefs and wetlands. There are hiking trails and an English garrison called Fort Shirley .
Cabrits National Park was established in 1986, and covers an area of 1,313 acres (5.30 km sq). [1] [2] [3]
The park has two purposes: [4]
The park also protects a marine area of 421 ha, located between Prince Rupert Bay and Toucar Bay. [5]
Located north of the town of Portsmouth, the land of Cabrits National Park is an extinct volcano that was once its own island, separate from mainland Dominica. [4] It was connected to Dominica by the sweeping in of material from Douglas Bay and Prince Rupert Bay. [6]
The park's two peaks – East Cabrit (140 m) and West Cabrit (171 m) – were formed by a volcano, formerly called Morne au Diable (or Morne aux Diables), around 1 million years ago.
The word Cabrits is derived from "goat" in Spanish, French and Portuguese, and is a reference to the animal that has been indigenous to Cabrits. Goats were introduced to the island by sailors, who set them free on the island so that there would be meat available when they returned. [7]
Fort Shirley was formerly a military outpost, a sterling example of its kind in the West Indies. [7] The British began building it in 1765, on the order of Governor Thomas Shirley, as a garrison to defend north Dominica. [4] The fort was extended by the French during their occupation of Dominica from 1778 to 1784. [4] Georgian in style, the outpost consisted of over 50 buildings and housed over 600 men. [8] [9] [10]
The site is famous for having sheltered the revolt of the 8th West India Regiment of African slave soldiers in 1802, [11] [12] [13] an event which will contribute to the liberation of all slave soldiers on the island in 1807. [14] [15] It was abandoned in 1854. [16] After deteriorating for years, Dr. Lennox Honychurch began restoration in 1982. [17] [18] Several of the buildings are completely restored, while ruins of the rest can be found scattered around the peninsula. [19] [20]
The park is home to two species of amphibians, 162 species of birds, 18 species of mammals (including 5 introduced), 20 species of crabs, and at least 2 species of scorpions.
The Cabrits National Park has wetlands, dry areas, tropical forest, and coral reefs; [4] and within the wetlands, there are three main ecotypes: mangroves, swamp forest, and marshlands. [21]
Two types of vegetation populate the park: dry forest and scrub on the mountains (receiving little precipitation) with deciduous species ; and wetland, made up of marshes and swamps over 35 ha, which is one of the two largest in the Portsmouth area.
Three trees are endemic to the park: Annona glabra (Kachiman kochon), Pterocarpus officinalis (medal mangrove), and Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove).
The coastal fringe of the park is populated by coconuts, mancellin trees, sea grapes, catalpas, almond trees, ficus, and acomat boucan. A small forest plantation was established in the 1960s, [22] which introduced hibiscus, mahogany, teak, Caribbean pine, and pink poui.
More than 30 herbs and shrubs endemic to Cabrits National Park are recognized as medicinal or used for Dominican crafts.
Since the 2010s, the island, the city of Portsmouth and the Cabrits National Park in particular have been developing their tourist infrastructure.
In 2018, a scuba diving center opened its doors within the National Park. [23]
Cabrits National Park is the last stop on the Waitukubuli Trail which originates in the southern village of Scott's Head. Segment 14 of the trail runs from Capuchin to Cabrits. A path goes up to the fort and provides access to the two summits (East Cabrit and West Cabrit).
Saint John is one of Dominica's 10 administrative parishes. It is bordered by St. Andrew to the east, and St. Peter and the Espagnole River to the south. It has an area of 59 km² (22.78 mi²).
Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a national park in Dominica established in July 1975, the first to be legally established in the country. It became a World Heritage Site in 1997. The park is named after its highest mountain, Morne Trois Pitons, meaning mountain of three peaks. The park is an area of significant volcanic activity. Features within the park include the Valley of Desolation, a region of boiling mud ponds and small geysers; the Boiling Lake; Titou Gorge; and Emerald Pool. The mountain is the second-highest peak in Dominica, being exceeded only by Morne Diablotins.
Lennox Honychurch is Dominica's most noted historian and a politician. He is well known for writing 1975's The Dominica Story: A History of the Island, the 1980s textbook series The Caribbean People, and the 1991 travel book Dominica: Isle of Adventure. Also an artist and a curator, he was largely responsible for compiling the exhibit information for The Dominica Museum in Roseau. Honychurch is the grandson of writer and politician Elma Napier.
Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, with 3,630 inhabitants. It is located on the shore of a natural Harbor, Prince Rupert Bay, in Saint John Parish on the north-west coast of Dominica. The area was called Ouyouhao by the Kalinago and Grand Anse by the French. The Indian River is Portsmouth’s southern border and Cabrits National Park is located on a peninsula to the north of town.
Scotts Head is a village on the southwest coast of Dominica, in Saint Mark Parish. In 2001, its population was 721. Predominantly a fishing village, Scotts Head overlooks Soufrière Bay, which is protected as the Soufrière Scotts Head Marine Reserve. It is also a popular snorkeling and diving site for tourists.
Dominica officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union, the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. Its population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.
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The Waitukubuli National Trail is a hiking trail spanning the island of Dominica. It is the longest hiking trail in the Caribbean, at 115 miles (185 km) long. Its name comes from the original Kalinago name of the island, Waitukubuli, meaning "tall is her body". The trails’s management falls under Dominica's Forestry Division.
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Fort Shirley is a historic military outpost on the Caribbean island of Dominica. It was built by the British in 1765, and was named for Sir Thomas Shirley. The fort was the location of the 1802 revolt of the 8th West India Regiment. Today, Fort Shirley is part of Cabrits National Park, which was established as a national park in 1986.
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Fort Cachacrou was a historic military fortification and signal station on the island of Dominica. The fort was built by the British in the 1760s in present-day Scotts Head. During the American Revolutionary War, it was the site of the first battle in the French Invasion of Dominica. Remains of Fort Cachacrou include portions of the original walls and a canon. The site is accessible via the Waitukubuli National Trail.
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