School Children Learning At The Last Mangrove Wetlands On The Island - The Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary
Graeme Hall National Park or… Condos & Quick Cash
For about the last ten years there has been a serious movement by Barbadians to preserve the last mangrove wetlands on the island. The Graeme Hall Wetlands are a national treasure and vital to the environmental health of the south coast, but selfish interests want to build on these wetlands for profit.
These evil people would have ordinary Bajans see tall concrete towers instead of trees. They would rather have gated enclaves for the rich where our children now learn about their connection to the natural world around them. Pavement instead of a quiet sanctuary where ordinary folks can enjoy a respite. Commercial and residential developments like the rest of the South and West coasts.
In a cash grab that put their own pockets ahead of the common good, the last bunch of greedy pigs known as the BLP Owen Arthur Government approved the construction of the Caribbean Splash Water Park/Theme Park on the Graeme Hall Wetlands. Only when thousands of Bajans rose up and signed petitions, wrote letters and stopped Members of Parliament on the street to give them “a piece of wat-for” did the BLP government back down.
Preserving The Graeme Hall Wetlands Isn’t Just About Natural Beauty… Beauty Is Only A Small Part Of The Value That Belongs To All Bajans
If preserving the Graeme Hall Wetlands was only about preserving some green space on the south coast for beauty – preservation would still be a wise decision. But beauty is only a starting point because natural areas contribute so much to Barbados in very tangible ways.
A few months ago the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary published a report by Dr. Allan N. Williams that assessed the value of the wetlands to Barbados.
I didn’t read the study. I didn’t pay attention.
I should have.
I watched the new Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary video (really excellent – you must watch it… link here) but I didn’t read the report of the valuation of the wetlands or I would have immediately written about it.
You see, after reading the report I am convinced that the Graeme Hall Wetlands area is worth every bit of the half a billion US dollars as concluded by Dr. Williams.
More than ever, I am convinced that the wetlands must be permanently protected for the future and that the only sure way of doing that is to create a Graeme Hall National Park.
Prime Minister Thompson Says He Wants To Preserve Graeme Hall Wetlands - Time For Action, Sir!
Unlike the past government, Prime Minister Thompson has made positive statements about the necessity of preserving the Graeme Hall Wetlands. Various ministers have also made statements that sound like they are sincere in their desire to preserve the natural environment of Barbados.
But as we said a few months ago…
From what I saw in that Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary video,…
If we want this last bit of green on the south coast to be around in five years, the government had better do something besides talk and it better happen soon.
Excerpts From The Graeme Hall Wetlands Valuation
“Our analysis identifies 12 valuable functions of the wetlands at Graeme Hall. These include, Habitat, Refuge; Regulating Hydrological Flows; Storage and retention of water; Hosting unique biological material; Capacitance and absorption of pollutants; Removal or breakdown of excess compounds; Maintaining ecological characteristics of the landscape; Monitoring coastal zone changes; Impacting local community quality of life; Providing cultural attraction and Being a repository of scientific information.”
“The Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary (GHNS) is a privately owned property whose primary mission is the conservation of the Wetlands of Graeme Hall. There are many features of this Wetlands that are worthy of conserving. These include being the last remaining mangrove forest of its kind in Barbados, a major roosting area for migratory and native water-birds, a “living laboratory” for researchers and scientists to examine native Barbados ecosystems and an opportunity to understand how changes in human population and the built environment in Barbados have influenced issues relating to aquifer and surface water management, drained wetlands, wetland recreation, coastal zone management, urban sprawl and agriculture.
Of more importance are the under-valued linkages between the ecological characteristic of the Graeme Hall Wetlands and its multiple roles in sustaining tourism activities in the south west coast; supporting the quality of life and maintaining open green spaces and lower population density in the Parish of Christ Church; and avoiding a major catastrophe of sewage contamination of the beaches and coastal zone of the most important location of stay-over accommodations in Barbados. To achieve such an understanding, this study has pursued a goal of assessing the value of this nature asset that the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary seeks to conserve.”
Will Barbados Sacrifice The Last Remaining South Coast Green Space & A Vital Environmental Asset For Private Interests’ Greed?
Read the Graeme Hall Wetlands Valuation Report…
Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary press section link here
30 Comments
October 24, 2008 at 7:37 am
I’m being optimistic. I believe we in Bim will not allow such a terrible thing to happen, and furthermore that the current government will eventually, hopefully very very soon, remedy the situation and protect this wetland. I will continue to pray.
October 24, 2008 at 11:17 am
I have seen the nature sanctuary and I must say a massive WOW on the incredible beauty and work done by those contracted to do so. It is of stupendous beauty, as it is wonderfully serene and captures the imagination.
The mere fact that a former administration could have consented to its demise in the form of foreign investment for further development, not in sync with preserving its naturalness but moreso for the creation of further concrete and steel is incredulous.
October 24, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Graeme Hall is the most wonderful place and must be preserved for future generations. There are few peaceful protected areas left on this Island, and some of them are in danger (East Coast) despite what the Government says, of being turned into condo’ land. So many tourists are appalled with the West Coast development, but no one listens……….
I really hope the Government comes to its senses on this and leaves Graeme Hall to develop nature naturally.
October 24, 2008 at 1:31 pm
http://www.nationnews.com/story/309610710968669.php
October 24, 2008 at 2:14 pm
The comments of Minister Boyce reported in the Nation story of 24.10.08 (link above) should offer some comfort to The Graeme Hall Sanctuary and the locals and tourists who are affected by the non working sluice gate.
Will be interesting to see if it is really taken past the talk stage and action taken.
One has to wonder why the Graeme Hall wetland, such a valuable natural national asset, has been so neglected by government as evidenced by the situation with the sluice gate that has not functioned for years.
October 24, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Thanks Hants for the article link. I remember this gate and beach. Now is time to finally fix this problem! I hope Government this get resolve immediately.
The comments by the visitor/s not being able to use the beach for 4 days, etc was laughable. They never heard of going to another nearby beach. What they come to Barbados for – to stay in one place and get fat? lol. It was really funny.
October 24, 2008 at 2:49 pm
The new Amended Physical Development Plan permits development in the buffer zone.
Will Clico or some similar company be the new Caribbean Splash and is the agreement already in place?
Will The Prime Minister have to pay his poltical dues or can he see that the whole area needs to be protected?
October 24, 2008 at 3:06 pm
The new Physical Development Plan supports the Chief Town Planner’s idea for an urban corridor along the ABC highway at Graeme Hall. Right where the infamous Water Park was going to be.
And beware the use of the word “buffer”. The ARA study recommends only an 18 acre buffer around the 91 acre wetland.
Even if the ARA buffer recommendation comes true, what this means is that out of the total 240 acres being proposed for Graeme Hall National Park, about 120 acres could be grabbed for development. This includes the land where the Ministry of Agriculture is located.
October 24, 2008 at 3:33 pm
The new Amended Physical Development Plan also allows a landfill at Greenland!!!
This plan has not been debated in Parliament!!!!!!
We don’t know how our representatives feel about these two contentious issues …….. or do we????
October 24, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Saw the brown water in the Nation today.
Yuck!!!
But then I thought of
…. the mud that goes into the sea on the east coast and discolours it during heavy rain
…. the outflow from the gullies from Carlisle Bay almost to North Point …
All these are natural occurrences and produce visible traces to announce their existence.
…. but how about the man made flow of sewage from the urban corridor promoted/described in the New Amended Physical Development Plan into the nearshore environment, …. something we could have done and can do something about?
This occurs all the time and is colourles, sometimes odourless, not always, but there….!!
I have avoided the West Coast Beaches for more than 20 years and about a decade ago stopped going to the South Coast Beaches
….. and it isn’t only because I can’t swim too good although this is mostly what keeps me out of the sea on the East Coast!!
For me, the sea sucks in Barbados!!
It is a problem that exists all around the world …. google Surfers against Sewage as an example!!
October 24, 2008 at 4:51 pm
The folks at the Nature Sanctuary proposed in 2005 to help build technical capacity for the Government of Barbados, but to me it reflects another part of the tragedy at Graeme Hall.
One rep from Coastal Zone, and one rep from Public Works participated in meetings for 3 days in Florida. They were both nice, but very, very young, and they did not represent any political will.
There was little or no acknowledgment of the effort by the high-ups in the Ministry of Environment and Physical Development (as it was known) or Public Works. No high-ups chose to go.
Through no fault of their own, these two low-level specialists came and looked, but the Nature Sanctuary got the message that the high-ups couldn’t be bothered.
At least one of the specialists, a young civil engineer with dreams of leaving public service to start a grocery store, left within a year to work in the Bahamas. The intellectual reservoir in Barbados is extremely susceptible to such things.
Their SFWMD report can be found at http://www.graemehall.com/press.htm.
Nothing else has happened since.
October 24, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Merv, wouldn’t a working sluice gate take away the day-time discharges that concern the beach goers, but also rejuvenate the wetlands a little bit without much fuss when it is done frequently at night?
October 24, 2008 at 5:18 pm
RLL you are right, but other factors include management of sea water intake into the wetland. Tidal actions, stormwater management, wetland water levels, and emergency sewage discharge affect any sluice gate or weir operations.
Merv, it turns out that actually 3 tech people from Coastal Zone and Ministry of Public Works went to visit South Florida Water Management District facilities. They learned about sluice gates, detention and retention pond technologies to clean and manage stormwater, and they received reference copies of technical specifications and drawings of many of the facilities in Florida.
The goal of the trip was to help increase the technical capacity of the Ministries so that they could address problems in the Graeme Hall and other watersheds, and develop working relationships between technical people in Barbados and US agencies.
Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary donated the funds for the entire trip.
October 24, 2008 at 5:32 pm
The Nature Sanctuary donated the funds for the trip and nothing was done by government to fix the situation?
LOL this must be Barbados.
October 24, 2008 at 6:11 pm
How much of the failure of the government to provide a new gate is related to Owen Arthur’s crew wanting to ruin the wetlands so they could build condos?
The Chief Justice threatened the park to try and get out of a lawsuit and I wonder how much of the holdups and neglect by government is deliberate.
October 24, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I hold little brief for the utterances of the new regime of David Thompson and Co.with regard to the last remaining natural habitat at Grahme Hall. They made promises on platforms during the election campaign earlier this year, and of course it did not take too long before they were reneged upon or ignored.
The previous dreadful government of Mottley/Arthur spoke fine words about the taking care of our environmental heritage but these were mere words, actions were minimal in the extreme. We have a horror story on the West Coast because the political clowns who were suppose to safeguard the Bajan national interest did not do so. We have been left a legacy of ugly concrete that scars our landscape and coastline. Planning rules were not enforced or either contemptuously ignored by the wealthy white Europeans and North Americans with the collusion of our lickspittle black politicians who seems unable to cease tugging at their forelocks in the presence of whites with money. Now it appears that Grahme Hall Nature Santuary may be in their greedy sights. But conscious Bajans who care about what legacy we leave for our future generations must begin to say in the loudest possible voice, enough. Thus far and no further.
The local opposition to the daft idea of the Caribbean Splash Water Park suggest what is possible when people organise.
We must never take seriously the empty waffle of politicians be they Owen Arthur or David Thompson. Words come only too easily to the big belly men and women of Bajan politics.
Bajan people can and must organise to save Grahme Hall if ever it is threatened, it is too precious a resource to be squandered for a few miserable English pounds or Yankee dollars.
October 24, 2008 at 6:24 pm
lol
October 24, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I meant lol to RLL last comment
October 24, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Who in TCP gave permission to Four Seasons to flatten that stand of mature mahoganys?
That is a crime against nature and all Barbadians , and who will answer to it …. no-one.
Sell out our soul for the dollar.
October 24, 2008 at 9:11 pm
A few years ago I was with someone from the Ministry of Health who told me that any request from the Sanctuary was not a priority for them. Another person working for another Ministry told me the same thing. These individuals liked the Sanctuary and wanted to help, but the bosses wanted to grind Allard down.
October 24, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Whatever happened to my water Park?
October 24, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Straight talk
October 24, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Who in TCP gave permission to Four Seasons to flatten that stand of mature mahoganys?
That is a crime against nature and all Barbadians , and who will answer to it …. no-one.
Sell out our soul for the dollar.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Looks to me like the change in the drainage patterns with the development to the east of the Lazaretto, …. looks like one big able car park, …. sent the water down through the animal pound.
The wall that had stood for perhaps a century, collapsed in a day.
The denuding of the water course from the bridge on Highway 1 to the sea meant water flowed quickly.
The bridge got undermined.
A parallel marl track was built to allow the bridge to be bypassed about a week or so ago.
Looks like it is giving problems too.
Highway one is blocked again.
Looks like alot of gabion work is being done.
Wonder who will pay for all this expense?
If only we had a curious reporter in Barbados with a modicum of common sense!!!
October 24, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Try to have some sympathy for politicians the world over. They want to save the environment, they really do. But then Mr. Bigass Developer comes in with his briefcase full of cash, and says: “This is just a gift for you and the family, from our Family.”
The politician has two choices. He can accept the “gift” and live happily ever after, or risk vexing the Family.
Organized crime is always watching the politicians from dark shadows. How can a man resist a briefcase full of twenties if “it is just a gift” and perfectly legal?
The world over, organized crime influences governments. Politicians may be good men, but when the latches pop on the briefcase, they often abandon their constituents and become whores.
October 24, 2008 at 10:22 pm
@Anonymous… “The politician has two choices. He can accept the “gift” and live happily ever after, or risk vexing the Family.”
Ah… Yeah… Here we go…
The “syndicated boogyman” who’s out to corrupt the Bajan politician. (But they *have* to accept the bribe, or their family will be killed!)
Yeah. Right… (And, as an aside, I have a few bridges at good prices away… “Call now! Operators are standing by…”)
You know, at some point, one must accept (and be willing to stand up for) one’s own future…
(Lenon: It’s easy — if you try…)
October 24, 2008 at 11:51 pm
@Anonymous
Good men do not take bribes. Oops sorry, I meant righteous men do not take bribes. People, including Politicians need to stand up for what is right and trust God to deliver (if they really have faith in God anyway).
October 25, 2008 at 10:34 am
Zephaniah Ch.1 8-9
…..I will punish…those who fill the palace of their lord with violence and DECEIPT.
Those of your leaders/courts who practice wrongdoing are fooling themselves if they think their deeds are hidden – they are not hidden from God. God’s judgement is still the same today as it was from the beginning of time. The politicians in their “high” places are abusing their power; what an abomination of the gift that has been given them. They ought to search themselves to weigh up the alternative of (a) do I sell my soul for 30 pieces of silver?; (b) are my deeds worth gambling with where I spend eternity? Fact is, they will be punished.
October 25, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Environmental Education Day At Graeme Hall
Place: Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary
When: SATURDAY, October 25, 2008
Cost: Free admission for all children age 17 and under. Adults $1.00
Free Nature Guidebook to the first 1,000 visitors on this day only.
October 25, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Dothemath
Thanks goodness for Freedom of Information
The ARA proposal just posted by Graeme Hall in section 11.1 refers to the whole area including the Ministry of Agriculture lands as a buffer zone not 18 acres. This is more misinformation. Its the whole 240 acres.
Graeme Hall Sanctuary’s consultants worked extensively with ARA and I am told these buffer zones had trails and biking paths consistent with the use of a nature sanctuary and national green space.
Water Parks and asphalt are NOT consistent with any other kind of development around Graeme Hall.
Unfortuneately, it looks as if BFP is correct. Short term issues of money and greed will ruin this space forever.
October 25, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Straight talk
October 24, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Who in TCP gave permission to Four Seasons to flatten that stand of mature mahoganys?
—————————————————————–
Too many times we blame the TCP and Chief TP.
Remember that there are certain applications that require the approval of The Minister responsible.
Who gave the permission in this instance I do not know, but let’s not be too quick to judge.
Maybe when the FOI Act comes ino being someone can ask to see the paperwork.
October 25, 2008 at 9:45 pm
The Minister responsible was the former PM Owing S After