Group wants swamp area protected

Government is being urged to declare the Graeme Hall wetlands a protected area.

An online petition, initiated by the Graeme Hall National Park Team, seeks to lobby government to declare the Greame Hall swamp an open space category two (OS2) conservation area.

So far, the petition has garnered just over 4,600 of the target 5,000 signatures.

The team argued that the Graeme Hall swamp has long been identified by government and other stakeholders as a unique coastal wetland habitat in need of conservation. They argue that the wetland was a critical habitat for the Golden Warbler bird and it was the “last significant mangrove forest in Barbados”.

“To ensure the perseverance of the Golden Warbler in Barbados, the long-term preservation of the Graeme Hall wetland via conservation area is imperative,” the group said.

“If the Golden Warbler were to be lost from the island, this treasure of Barbados would also be lost from the world,” it added.

Noting that the area was threatened by numerous human impacts “both locally and globally”, the group said the area should be managed as a single ecosystem using an ecosystem-based management approach as outlined in the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“We, the undersigned, are petitioning the Government of Barbados to make good on decades of promises to conserve and sustainably use this important ecosystem for the benefit of all Barbadians, including future generations by formally designating the entire ecosystem outlined below as a Conservation Area (OS2 category) under the Barbados System of Open Space and Parks as per the 2003 Physical Development Plan (and the 2017 Draft PDP),” the group said.

The Graeme Hall National Park team said there were several benefits to declaring the Graeme Hall wetlands a category two natural heritage conservation area, including the promotion of community wellness, opportunities for economic development in the community, reduction of flooding in the area, serving as a natural filter for water and air pollution, and acting as a nursery for fish while improving the fish stocks.

The group said it would also provide an ecotourism site for Barbadians and visitors to learn about local and migrant bird species and Barbadian ecology on a whole, among other benefits.

The group calls on the Government to act urgently to avoid further degradation and possible irreversible damage to the ecosystem. (MM)