The Green Page - October 10, 2001

Publication: Daily Nation
Paper Section And Page: 17A
Paper Date: Wed, Oct 10, 2001
 Byline: Compiled by Terry Ally

Page sponsored by Texaco Caribbean Limited  
   

Minister's policy on preserving heritage

by Andrea King

MUCH of the fear surrounding land ownership and land use in Barbados is not founded in fact. That is the view of new Minister of Physical Development and the Environment, Elizabeth Thompson, who said she discovered this from her own research.

She made the statement during her first speech in that capacity last Thursday at the opening of the 35th annual general meeting of the Caribbean Conservation, at the PomMarine Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church. Thompson said attention would be paid to the new Land Use Policy and the new Physical Development Plan.

"It is my firm view that there must be adequate tracts of land retained for economic, recreational, residential and aesthetic purposes. My role as a policy maker is to ensure that decisions we make today preserve our national and cultural heritage for future generations," the minister said.

She said she was concerned about the many complaints made about the Town Planning Department, (TPD), including the lack of customer friendliness, the length of time it takes to process and respond to even the most simple applications, and lack of equity in the time and granting of approvals of applications. She said approval had been given for the increase of professional staff for the department and one result should be an improvement in the delivery of service.

"The timely approval of Town Planning applications is critical, particularly in the context of the current climate of economic fear and investor caution. I firmly believe where individuals or corporate entities have money to execute projects of whatever nature, these individuals are not to be frustrated and the potential investment lost by undue delay of the planning procession.
"I hope by expediting the planning approval process the TPD can become one of the major vehicles for driving new investment in Barbados, thereby fuelling economic development," she said.
The minister said the National Conservation Commission should find ways to increase its revenue base in an effort to reduce its dependency on central Government for its upkeep.
"NCC will have to be restructured to have a more business-like approach to its activities and mandate, and to achieve greater efficiency in the use of its human and financial resources," she stated.
There are also plans to create a Natural Development Park Plan encompassing a marine offshore area which will contain guidelines for management and
 operation of a natural park and other natural heritage conservation areas, both marine and terrestrial. Thompson said the national park was intended to contribute to the island's economic, cultural and social well-being. 
 The Ministry of Physical Development and the Environment comprises and carries full responsibility for the Town Planning Department, the Public Investment Unit, the Coastal Zone Management Unit, the  Environment Division, the Environmental Engineering Division, the National Conservation Commission, Caves of Barbados Ltd, and the Environmental Special Projects.

$16 million to promote value of natural resources

by Andrea King

EDUCATION about preserving the Caribbean's environment has been boosted by a multi-million dollar conservation project.
The Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP) received 9.1 million Euro (approximately BDS$16 million) to promote regional education  and awareness of environmental issues, and promote education about the importance, value and benefit of  natural resources.
This was revealed last Thursday at the  Caribbean Conservation Association's (CCA) 35th annual general annual meeting at the PomMarine Hotel.
Programme manager, Cathal Healy-Singh, said  CREP had been a long time planning as the conceptualisation began in 1992 through consultations between governments and civil society organisations.
He said CREP had been authorised by the Caribbean Forum of ACP states (Cariforum)  which was established by CARICOM to negotiate trade/aid indicative programmes financed with European Development Funds provided by the European Union. The authorisation came after those organisations recognised that major stakeholders in the region "are not sufficiently alarmed nor fully appreciate the social and economic values at risk if environmental protection is ignored".
Cariforum recognised that the CCA was the ideal organisation to implement CREP, which is designed to strengthen regional co-operation in building greater awareness of environmental issues.
Two other CCA projects were launched as well, the Coastal and Marine Management Programme (CaMMP), and the Darwin Initiative Project "People and Corals Resource Pack".
The winner of the  2001 Euan P. MacFarlane Environmental leadership award for the Caribbean was announced.  It went to Guadeloupe's Charles Chavoudiga of the Green Valley Association community sustainable tourism project.

Workshop on effective EIA

THE Natural Resource Management Programme, University of the West Indies will be offering a workshop in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) October 15 to 20.  The workshop is designed to assist participants in understanding the process and methods of conducting EIAs and in performing effective reviews.
Interested persons, including planners, environmental research officers, natural resource managers, project managers, and students of natural resource management and environmental studies are invited to attend.   Members of both the public and private sectors are encouraged to participate in the programme.
Interested persons are asked to contact Neetha Selliah, Programme Coordinator, Natural Resource Management Programme at 417-4565 or e-mail nrm@uwichill.edu.bb.