Mount Tabor Primary students and their teachers get a first-hand demonstration in how to construct gabions.
Plans still on for national park
6/3/2010
Plans are still on stream to establish a national park stretching from Archer’s Bay to Consett Bay and according to Minister of Environment, Dr. Denis Lowe, the National Heritage Department, together with the Soil Conservation Unit, will work to ensure that greater focus is placed on the implementation of the national park system.
His comments came as he addressed those gathered at Consett Bay yesterday morning during the opening ceremony of the Consett Bay Sustainable Fishing Educational Expo, which he is suggesting, should become an annual event like the Oistins Fish Festival.
“The proposed national park will seek to ensure that developmental activities in the environmentally sensitive Scotland District utilise sustainable land management approaches while at the same time ensuring that the residents enjoy a high quality of life. Accordingly, communities will be encouraged to boost their livelihoods in a way that is not detrimental to the local ecology through the employment of a number of policy measures,” he said.
The environment minister noted that as a small island state, Barbados is looking to make the successful transition to becoming a green economy and, as a result, it needs to continue to diversify its economic base, while incorporating prudent environmental management principles. Using Consett Bay as an example, Lowe said that it was an ideal case study in demonstrating to Barbadians that we can make that transition successfully.
“In addition to forming part of the proposed national park plan, the Consett Bay community and its neighbours have for generations operated as a cohesive, strong, proud entity, using its vibrant fishing heritage as a successful economic base. Evidence of the strength of this base is revealed by the increasing investments in social and physical infrastructure and business development over the years,” the minister noted.
With that in mind, the minister said that it was his ministry’s wish to see other communities across the island follow that level of enterprise and entrepreneurship, while at the same time being mindful of the delicate balance that must be maintained between socio-economic advancement and environmental sustainability.
“I believe an integrated approach to the future of Consett Bay is required as we move forward, more importantly in the context of Consett Bay as a national park community. It is imperative that we establish a process and mechanism to implement this integrated approach. This is a challenge I will issue to the staff of the Ministries of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage and Agriculture, as well as participating stakeholders,” he added. (JRT)
