Barbados Government Dumping RAMSAR Commitment?

Is the Government of Barbados Intending To Back Out Of RAMSAR Treaty?

One of our readers posted this comment at the BFP article Graeme Hall National Park – Watershed Management Plan…

At the meeting of Concerned Residents prior to the Town Hall meeting at Christchurch parich hall, a member of the audience who appeared to be directly concerned with the Nature Sanctuary observed that, as Barbados was a signatory to RAMSAR, it could not back out of its commitment to protect the Graeme Hall watershed. In response a speaker on the podium, possibly Mr Paul, pointed out that although Barbados had signed its intention to be committed to RAMSAR, this had never been followed up with implementing legislation.

This means that it was not technically committed to the pact. In other words, the government of Barbados was not under any obligation to protect the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary and its surrounding ecosystem. This hypocrisy seems to have been forgotten among all the other hot issues raised about Caribbean Splash Inc. It is time it was revived to see whether Barbados will honour its declared intention or back out.

Another BFP reader contributes the following (link here)…

Vol. 17 No. 20
Thursday, 10 November 2005

RAMSAR COP9 HIGHLIGHTS

WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2005

…

Noting that few Caribbean countries are currently Parties to the Ramsar Convention, BARBADOS expressed its intention to become a Contracting Party in the near future.

A list of current parties to Ramsar is shown HERE

Barbados is NOT on the list.

The following URL is from the Nation article on 18 December 2005 wherein Minister of the Environment, Elizabeth Thompson, indicated the governments intentions as of that moment in time. (Link Here)

This URL for the Coastal Zone Management Unit indicates the same. (Link Here)

Does anyone have more current information?