The eco-park located on Sir Gillies Estate aims to educate visitors about agriculture and plants native to the Caribbean through educational tours. It consists of green energy through solar panels, a large greenhouse that cultivates flowers and fruits, a 20-acre green landscape of native plants, and two gift shops representing Saint Kitts and Taiwan built with sustainable materials. The park conserves and exhibits both native and non-native plants to the Caribbean, labeling them with their scientific and local names as well as health benefits and origins.

2. Date: Wednesday 17th
January 2017
Located at Sir Gillies Estate, Sandy Point, the eco-park is a co-operation Agro-
tourism farm demonstration project between Saint Kitts-Nevis and Taiwan.
Construction took three years and opened in November of 2014. Its aim is to
educate people both tourists and locals plants; fauna found in the federation and
other islands of the Caribbean. The park provides an educational tours about
agriculture and plants grown their and tip on planting and crop maintenance
The park consists of the 4Gs:
Green energy; by solar panels using photovoltaics and converting it to light energy
or electricity. The park using solar power as their energy source and sells and
provide information on photovoltaics which are made in different sizes and shapes
promoting solar energy as a form of sufficient renewable energy.
Green house; which is multifunctional and largest in the Caribbean, inside has
various flower and fruit trees cultivated for sale and display and a place for events
to bring in revenue to help support and maintain the park.

3. Green landscape; 20 acres property with fruit trees and plants that produce flowers,
herbs and shrubs and desert plants. The park exhibits plants that Caribbean native
such as Jujube and Sea Grape. The images below display a few areas of the
landscape.

4. Green buildings; which are two gift shop one representing Saint. Kitts and other
Taiwan promoting merchandise from their respective countries. The two buildings
are constructed with glass-fibre reinforced concrete which is a green material
comprising of natural products such as sand and stone which have no harmful
effects on the environment. The glass elements are from recycled materials and the
fly ash in the cement is from the waste produced by industrial pipes.
In the images mention above under green landscape, the gift shop allows tourists to
view the park and its surroundings such as the Dutch islands Saba and St, Eustatius
and Mount Liamuiga which overlooks the park. The green house has information
on large boards and artifacts of history on the island dating back to the sugar
revolution. Local artisans create crafts to be sold and/or displaced. Local artists
also contributed their pieces to be displayed in the green buildings. Taiwanese
crafts such as pottery and dining wear are displayed and sold in the other building.

5. Conservation
The plants are grown in the park to educate the locals and tourists and especially
farmers. They are also grown in the eco-park to be conserved and are labelled with
their local and scientific name and information about the plant health benefits and
origin. To preserve the fruits trees from predators, yellow sticky paper is placed on
plants to trap bugs and insects and bagging fruits to prevent birds from eating
them.
Plants grown for conservation that are native to the Caribbean which are called in-
situ plants which are grown in their own habitat. The Sugar Apple tree,
scientifically called Annonaceae squamosa L. is an in-situ native to tropical
Americas and West Indies.

6. Plants that are non-native to the Caribbean are called ex-situ and are not grown in
their habitats.
The Dragon Fruit Cactus which is scientifically called Pitaya plant is ex- situ
which are commonly grow best in jungles and moist soils that does not dry out, is
loosen and well drained. It is originally native to Mexico and are now cultivated in
Southeast Asia, the United States, Israel, Australia, Cyprus and the Canary Islands.

7. Birds are commonly spotted in the park; Green throated Carib, Cattle Egret, Shiny
Cowbird, Bananaquit, Antillean Crested Hummingbird and Lesser Antillean
Bullfinch just to name a few.