Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary is one of the treasures of the Caribbean (see its website), the gift of a Canadian philanthropist, Peter Allard. Sadly, according to news reports today, this will go "up for sale". Mr. Allard spent over US$12 million and took 11 years to make this sanctuary possible and recently donated extra land adjacent to the sanctuary to make a new National Park. The government response to this apparently has been to give no response but instead proceed with a plan to build a water park upstream of the sanctuary.I was reading just yesterday the Government's National Strategic Plan 2006-25 (see link), one of whose objective is to make Barbados a green economy:
GOAL FOUR advances the building of a green economy. This requires the protection, preservation and enhancement of our physical infrastructure, environment and scarce resources as we seek to advance our social and economic development. It demands that we find the right balance between our development and the preservation of our physical surroundings. It calls for access to adequate water and energy supplies, a good transportation system and the development and maintenance of sound infrastructure.
With so little land to play with on this small island, and the known pressures that come from intensive leisure developments (eg, vehicle traffic, down stream pollution, litter), it will be a hard sell to square this with the green economy vision.
Pushing things further to the brink?
4 comments:
How sad! It's such a beautiful place to be turned into a *gasp* water park! :(
I have many images of Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary that I took last summer. However, I have not edited them as of yet. Maybe they will become collectibles.
Funny thing is the big soft stone house that neighbors GHNS belongs to my aunt’s friend. She had a terrible time when the GHNS was being developed. Seems they had the boundaries all wrong and the matter was taken to court. She was compensated.
Maybe wise heads will prevail on the issue.
Can we hope for a Nicholas Abbey moment?
Nicholas Abbey was sold recently and for the first time in its history it is owned by a bajan.
Would be nice if that could happen here.
Marginal
The Friends of Graeme Hall Choo Choo Gravy Train Committee ( At Taxpayors expense of course ) are flogging a dead horse. R.I.P. !!
The Friends of Bajan Tax Relief Committee
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