Measuring our losses

12.JUL.11

by Louise Mitchell Joseph, Chairperson, SVG National Trust

Did you know that a healthy birdlife is an indicator of the health of an ocean? Do you know the value of our natural resources to the overall economy of SVG?{{more}}

In Earth in the Balance, Al Gore identifies a truism that each of us, especially those in positions of leadership, should pay attention to. He states: “The hard truth is that our economic system is partially blind. Our GNP measures food, clothing, manufactured goods, work and money, but it ignores the [economic] value of fresh water, clean air, the beauty of the mountains, and the rich diversity of life in the forest. In calculating GNP our natural resources are not depreciated as they are used up. GNP treats the rapid and reckless destruction of the environment as a good thing.”

Al Gore brings to light the importance of measuring our losses, namely the economic value of the depletion of our natural resources. This depletion in turn negatively affects our GNP, because it means a reduction of the amount of fish in the sea; a slow degradation of our coral reefs and all the marine life that is dependent on it; a clearing of our forests and the loss of the biodiversity inherent in it; and finally this depletion leads to or exacerbates natural disasters. If the recent landslides and floods that happened in Georgetown had happened in North Leeward, where the extent of deforestation from poor farming practices is far greater, the resultant floods and landslides would have been much worse, possibly causing loss of life. Studies are needed to determine precisely what were all the causes of the recent disaster.

It is time that our national institutions made a greater effort to start measuring our losses, taking stock of the destruction that is happening to the environment around us, and the role we all play in this slow but steady destruction. We do in fact need to know about the percentage of our coral reefs that have died. It is estimated that sixty (60) percent of the coral reefs in the Caribbean have died. What is the percentage for St. Vincent and the Grenadines? Which ones have died and what is the reason for this? It is clear to see how the diving industry is directly affected by the degradation of our coral reefs. It is critical that we know which of our reefs are dying or dead, because for the ones that are dying but not dead, it is possible to rehabilitate these reefs.

There is one case where we have measured our losses and recognition must be given to the National Park Rivers and Beaches Authority, under its former chair Mr Vidal Brown, for seeking the assistance of USAID to prepare the Report on Sand Mining in St. Vincent. The report, financed by the USAID Caribbean Trade Support initiative (COTS), examines the current impact of sand mining on Diamond, Brighton and Richmond Beaches. The report shows the alarming negative impact of sand mining, and speaks to the environmental significance of the loss of sand dunes and coastal bluffs caused by it. It demonstrates that some 8.5 acres have been lost at Brighton beach, some 7 acres at Diamond Beach and some 4.7 acres at Richmond. It shows that the beaches receded up to 50 metres in some places. The loss of beach, dunes and coastal bluff means that a severe storm surge could result in the loss of some 30 homes in the Brighton and Diamond area. The Report warns that the Diamond Landfill is at high risk from the recession of the beach and potential storm surge – it literally may wash into the sea. On this point the Report says “this would have severe environmental consequences because it would release years of accumulated solid waste and their byproducts into the ocean … with a very serious impact on the tourism industry.” The COTS Report has many recommendations about how to stop this looming disaster at Diamond, but have we listened yet?

The reason why more and more of our topsoil is drifting into the sea every time it rains is that our land use is such that it has lessened the ability of the soil to resist the wind and the rain. When the soil ends up in the sea, this process, known as ‘siltation’, is greatly damaging to our coral reefs.

More research needs to be conducted on the depletion of our natural resources, in order that such depletion may be arrested. Research conducted by Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) on seabirds of the Lesser Antilles reveals the extent to which our seabirds are threatened and their population sizes diminishing. The study points to the damaging harvesting of sea-bird eggs on the fast degrading populations of seabirds. The new symbol of the Tourism Authority/Ministry is the majestic seagull. This expression of appreciation for our birdlife should be supported by strong policy on the part of the Government.

If we are seeking to continue to push tourism as our main economic product, then surely no tourism industry can survive without a thorough understanding of the rate at which the natural environment on which tourism almost solely depends, is depleting. In fact every tourism project will have negative effects on the environment. The key is that the Government must simply legislate for the absolute requirement of Environmental Impact Assessments being done prior to the projects so that (a) the damage can be mitigated and (b) the Government can measure the good against the bad to determine whether the overall result is positive or negative.

The success of a tourism industry is also dependent on the need to ensure that where the exploitation of our resources is allowed, it should be done in accordance with the principles of sustainability. The harvesting of turtles and turtle eggs by us is not presently being done in a manner that is sustainable, but rather one that is supportive of the extinction of certain turtle species.

Correspondingly, it is equally important to measure the economic value of our natural resources and the role that they play in our livelihoods. For example, are we aware of the value of seabirds to the fishing industry? Do we understand that a healthy birdlife is an indicator of a healthy fish population? We must take stock of the areas of rich biodiversity that still exist and take every measure necessary to preserve them before they too recede like the sand at Diamond.

It is time we as a people stand possessed of pride in our natural environment and started to act as custodians of it. If we continue to see the building of every new apartment, hotel or resort as ‘progress’ without demanding the results of an environmental impact assessment, then we are allowing our tourism to be a new more dangerous form of exploitation – this time not directly of human beings but of nature. We have not lived up to our moral obligation to preserve planet earth, and until we do, we will face disaster upon disaster. God may forgive, but nature will not.