Major eco-protection plan ‘in months’

A major environmental protection plan considered critical to helping Barbados to reach its 2030 clean energy goals has been announced by Minister of Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde.

Forde said his ministry would be introducing an extensive biological diversity action plan in a matter of months “to preserve what can be preserved” and ensure ecological protection and balance in the environment while making the country more beautiful. It is part of the ongoing Clean and Green project, he said.

Forde was addressing his parliamentary colleagues on Wednesday as the Estimates put his ministry’s spending under the spotlight.

If approved, the Ministry of Environment is to be allocated $39,690,227.

“I am happy today to report to the entire country that we have a biological diverse action plan that will be rolled out in the next couple of years to preserve our natural fauna and flora,” said Forde, who pointed out that the National Conservation Commission has started work on the plan.

Forde said when it came to waste collection, areas where garbage skips are currently located would be transformed into “a proper refuse hub”.

“We are having a problem with community skips that is why I say they will be replaced by community refuse house with doors that can open, that are painted in nice bright colours…and the community can come out and help paint these houses and be a part of it. We are even going further to have booked waste collection across Barbados. We have started this project in several communities,” said Forde.

He said a part of the community engagement project will be to encourage Barbadians to engage in the practice of reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering, repurposing and repairing.

It was also disclosed to the Standing Finance Committee that during the next financial year, which begins on April 1, the Sanitation Services Authority (SSA) is to buy four small garbage trucks to further improve waste collection.

“It is my quiet and unreserved determination to make Barbados the most beautiful place in the western hemisphere,” said Forde.

Pointing out that more green spaces would be produced across the island, Forde reported that infrastructure work was currently being carried out at the highly-touted National Botanical Garden at Waterford, St Michael.

He said: “Along with the trees that we are going to plant to sequester the carbon dioxide, we are going to have medicinal gardens, we are going to have ornamental gardens, there are going to be areas in the garden specific for indigenous plants in the area. There is going to be an area where the elderly can come and relax. The children can come and learn about taxonomy.

“This ministry is going to do every single thing that is humanly possible to ensure that Barbadians are protected in the environment, that this little sphere called Barbados will be recognized as the most beautiful country in the western hemisphere, and that we are able to have a green economic consciousness.”

He also noted that work would be ramped up to ensure improvement in indoor air quality.

Adding that the time for talk was over, Forde promised that stiffer policing and enforcement was on the way for landowners who refused to take adequate care of their property.

The environment minister said: “So we will be bringing legislation to enforce and ensure landowners take care of their property. We have a unit in my ministry that will be responsible for assessing these disuse lands and hopefully, with a ticketing system – the paper is at the Attorney General’s Office as I speak – if Government has to remediate we will be able to be compensated.” (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)