Graeme Hall Park Mentioned In 1981 Barbados Government Plan

Google is virtually a living, breathing creature that is ever-developing – becoming more and more intelligent every day. What other explanation can there possibly be for the a United Nations Environment Programme report just now delivered to us by a Google Alert some seven months after we sent out the initial search for “Barbados + Environment”?

Maybe this is old news to some, but it is new to me seeing as how I was just a puppy in 1981…

Graeme Hall Park Mentioned In 1981 Barbados Government Plan

Excerpt From a 1996 United Nations – Caribbean Environment Programme Report on Barbados…

CEP Technical Report No. 36 1996: Status of Protected Area Systems in the Wider Caribbean Region

Policy and Legislation

In the National Development Plan 1983, the Physical Development Plan 1983, amended 1986, and the Barbados report to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED 1992), the government has articulated a commitment to environmental conservation, including plans for a system of parks and protected areas throughout the island incorporating both terrestrial and marine systems (St. Hill, pers. comm., 1992).

In 1981, the government stated in its policy that a new park would be created at Graeme Hall Swamp, an important bird habitat. However, the project has been delayed on economic grounds (UNEP/IUCN 1988, Wilson 1984). Scott and Carbonell (1986) note that this is the only wetland of its type in Barbados, and as a relatively unspoiled wetland ecosystem in a heavily populated island the swamp has great potential for educational purposes. The swamp also contains the only mangrove stand on Barbados.

The Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act of 1 March 1976 provides for the preservation and protection of coastal and marine areas, while permitting recreational and scientific activities. There is also a Wild Birds’ Protection Act, 1907 which was revised in 1979.

Two pieces of legislation establishing Barbados Marine Reserve were gazetted on 16 February 1981. The Designation of Restricted Areas Order, 1981 established the boundaries of the underwater park, while the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) (Barbados Marine Reserve) Regulation, 1981 created four zones within the park (scientific zone, two water sports zones and a recreational zone). A second site, Harrison’s Cave, is also protected by legislation (St. Hill, pers. comm., 1992).

Story Links

CEP Technical Report No. 36 1996: Status of Protected Area Systems in the Wider Caribbean Region

United Nations Environment Programme website link here

UNEP – Caribbean Environment Programme website link here

Graeme Hall National Park website link here

Canada Says Missing 2 Billion In Taxes From Merck – Merck Says Money Sent To Barbados!

UPDATED – Oct 22/06 3am BDS

The Canadian Broadcasters Corp has done a story on the Merck taxes and says…

“Canada Revenue Agency is going after a portion of the income from sales through the affiliate because Barbados doesn’t collect taxes on pharmaceutical royalties.” (link here)

Original BFP Posting…

You know what they say… a billion here, a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking real money!

Who said, “I just want enough to whet my beak?”

Was that Owen or Mia?

Oh… sorry… that was the mob boss in Godfather II the day before he was shot by Vito (the Godfather) as a young man in New York City. (Love that movie!)

Anyway, somebody “whet their beak” for sure with this…

Ottawa claims Merck owes $2B in tax
Oct. 20, 2006. 12:56 PM

Revenue Canada is seeking $2 billion in unpaid taxes from pharmaceutical giant Merck Frosst, but Merck says the assessment is “without merit.”

The Montreal newspaper La Presse reported yesterday that the federal department sent a notice to the company this month seeking taxes on a portion of the global profits from its popular drug Singulair, an asthma treatment that was developed in Montreal. The claim covers taxes for 1998 to 2004.

Merck says it transferred a part of its profits from the drug to Barbados.

from Toronto Star Daily (link here)

Barbados Panned In Yahoo’s “Over-developed Tourist Destinations” Story

Hmmm…. Do you think Barbados would have come off better in this internationally syndicated story if we had, say, a National Park System and had done a better job preserving some of our natural splendor?

Articles like the following on YAHOO! are read by tens of thousands of people as (naturally) Yahoo favours it’s own articles during searches.

Excerpts from YAHOO! Syndications (link here)…

You Can’t Have It All

By Nicola Venning Fri Oct 20, 1:25 PM ET

Who doesn’t dream of an unspoilt, palm-fringed island holiday home by a turquoise sea? Yet we also want our vacation paradise to include everything from groomed golf courses to competitive prices and frequent flights. Sadly the two categories rarely mix. In the tug of war between authenticity and accessibility, our island escapes often change out of all recognition once the 747s land. Like a good beach in a bad storm, untarnished simplicity can be washed away as development takes over.

The once tranquil west coast of Barbados is served seven days a week by international flights and regularly suffers from traffic jams that would make any big-city dweller proud. “In peak season, the coast road can get very congested,” says Georgina Richards of estate agency Knight Frank. “They are trying to widen the main road [but] it is a problem.”

But, thanks to a sound economy and ease of access, the former British colony has prospered. Foreigners consider it a safe place to buy and prices are high. “On the tip of the west coast, at Port St Charles, a one-bedroom apartment with a berth would be approximately $700,000,” says Richards. Inland, at Sugar Hill, that would drop to about $350,000, while in gated Turtle View in St James, a three-bedroom semi-detached townhouse with communal pool starts at $610,000.

“Barbados has great restaurants, shops and nightlife but it is no longer your typical Caribbean island,” Richards adds. “Some people are worried about overdevelopment and if you want laid-back Caribbean life with empty beaches, you need to look at another island.”

That relaxed calypso charm can, in fact, be found on St Kitts and Nevis, island twins barely three miles apart in the east Caribbean. There is only one direct UK flight to St Kitts and a further 45-minute ferry journey or short aircraft-hop to Nevis. The alternative is to fly to Antigua and then take a connecting flight. This minor “hassle-factor” has ensured that the islands are as different from Barbados as a Michelin-starred restaurant is from the local beach bar. “We are getting ’emigrants’ from Barbados who knew Barbados in the old days and have given up on it and moved to Nevis,” says Glynis Watts of Nevis Island Estates.

The appeal is immediately apparent. Not only are there mango trees dripping fruit over roads that have never seen a traffic light but house prices are also roughly a third cheaper. A spacious off-plan apartment such as Ocean’s Edge being built on Frigate Bay in St Kitts starts at just over $300,000, while a two-bedroom beach-front semi-detached condominium is about $250,000. On the slightly more exclusive Nevis, which is only 32 sq miles and also very lush and hilly, a villa with half an acre at inland Fern Hill starts at $370,000, while two- or three-bedroom condos at Nelson’s Spring on Pinney’s beach are priced from $465,000.

…read the rest of the article here.