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Cultural & Archaeological Significance

Learn about the vital role mangroves play in Grenada's cultural heritage.

Grenada’s mangrove and coastal wetland landscapes exist within a wider environment shaped by thousands of years of Indigenous history. Archaeological research shows that people lived, travelled, fished, and created cultural landmarks across these coastal zones. Integrating this understanding into restoration work ensures that ecological efforts also respect and protect cultural heritage.

Coastal Landscapes With Deep Human Use

Archaeological surveys in Grenada, Carriacou, and the Grenadines have documented settlements, shell middens, pottery, and rock art along coastlines, rivers, and low-lying basins. These areas provided access to freshwater, marine resources, and travel routes—key factors in how Indigenous communities organised their landscapes.

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Not every wetland or mangrove area contains archaeological materials, but many coastal wetlands fall within broader cultural landscapes where past human activity is known to have occurred.

Evidence From Predictive Settlement Modelling

A major study by Hanna & Giovas (2019) analysed all known pre-Columbian archaeological sites across Grenada, the Grenadines, and St. Vincent, using an Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) model.


The research tested 24 environmental variables to understand what influenced Indigenous habitat choice.

The results clearly show:

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Proximity to freshwater wetlands was one of the strongest predictors of where Indigenous communities chose to settle.
 

Other key variables included:

  • net primary productivity (NPP),

  • reef size,

  • and access to diverse marine environments.

 

This means that wetland environments—especially freshwater and estuarine systems—were strongly associated with Indigenous settlement locations.

Although the study did not examine mangroves specifically, many of Grenada’s modern wetlands and estuaries now include or border mangrove ecosystems. For this reason, coastal restoration involving mangroves must consider the possibility of archaeological sensitivity in wetland zones.

Mangroves Within These Broader Cultural Landscapes

Mangroves today occupy parts of the same low-lying coastal environments that were attractive to Indigenous communities for fishing, travel, and settlement. While the archaeological record does not indicate that mangrove forests themselves were targeted as settlement sites, they often sit:

  • along estuaries,

  • at river mouths,

  • within wetland basins,

  • or adjacent to high-productivity coastal areas.

 

These are precisely the types of environments identified in the Hanna & Giovas study as having high archaeological potential.

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Therefore, ecological restoration in coastal wetlands must incorporate basic archaeological awareness, even when work is focused on mangrove systems.

Rock Art and Cultural Landmarks

Grenada has several documented rock art (petroglyph) sites. These carvings occur along rivers and in other meaningful places in the landscape, offering insight into the social and symbolic worlds of past peoples. The presence of these features highlights the importance of viewing coastal environments as part of a cultural landscape, not only an ecological one.

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Ongoing work, including the development of interpretive approaches such as the “PetroglyPath,” aims to connect communities and visitors with this heritage.

Insights From Current Archaeological Research

Recent archaeological research in Grenada and the wider island chain highlights several considerations relevant to mangrove restoration:

  1. Coastal sites are vulnerable. Erosion, development, and storm impacts can expose archaeological deposits. Restoration involving hydrologic changes, sediment movement, or excavation should include archaeological checks.

  2. Archaeological features occur across whole landscapes, not just individual points. Pottery, shell middens, and other materials often indicate broader use of wetland and coastal zones.

  3. Integrating archaeology strengthens restoration outcomes. Early coordination with archaeologists reduces the risk of accidental disturbance and helps ensure ecological restoration also supports heritage protection.

Why Cultural Heritage Matters in Restoration

Mangrove restoration is not only about ecological recovery. It is also an opportunity to safeguard the cultural landscapes that connect present-day communities with deep histories of human use and adaptation.

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Coastal wetlands are places where natural and cultural values overlap. By integrating archaeological awareness into restoration planning, we:

  • protect sensitive heritage resources,

  • honour Grenada’s long coastal history, and

  • create restoration projects that reflect both ecological and cultural resilience.

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