Barbados Today

A senior policymaker has warned that modernization of this island’s infrastructure must not come at the expense of the environment.

‘You must not develop so heavily in one area that it compromises the survivability of other areas,” Minister of the Environment Dr Denis Lowe said, while stressing that there must be a balanced process.

“We must be able to steer the development process in a manner that is safeguarding those unique areas that are necessary to safeguard,” he added.

Piloting a resolution in the House of Assembly yesterday on the Barbados Green Economy Scoping Study, Lowe also revealed that Government was looking to increase the number of protected areas.

He recalled that when the idea of creating the Folkstone Marine Park was raised, there were complaints by pleasure boat users.

However, he said that since its establishment as a protected area, it had become recognized as, “a bastion in the Caribbean, which has its own legislation and the legislation is administered by the National Conservation Commission.

“Now there is a move to create another reserve where the Coastal Zone Management Unit is to identify those particular areas,” the minister disclosed.

In this regard, Lowe, who is the Member of Parliament for Christ Church East, said Government had been approached to extend the Richard Haynes Boardwalk all the way up to St Lawrence Gap.

He also said he intended to take the relevant authorities on a tour of Silver Sands, which has also been impacted by beach erosion.

“Another area that I think we need to designate is the Chancery Lane swamp . . . [It] has been a place over the years where migratory birds would come and hang out for the winter in their countries, the summer in ours.

“It is becoming less an activity now because the swamp has been unkempt. We need to do some work there to ensure that as a wetland it is preserved,” said Lowe.