The Graeme Hall National Park Team is getting support from the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and several other organisations as it presses ahead with a petition for the Government to declare the Graeme Hall wetlands a protected area.
What started as an online petition earlier this year now includes a physical petition for Government to declare the approximately 147.8 acres of Graeme Hall Swamp an open space category two (OS2) conservation area under the Barbados System of Open Space and Parks as per the 2003 Physical Development Plan (PDP) and the 2017 draft PDP.
Chairman of the BCCI Green Committee Andy Armstrong said the petition should be presented to Parliament soon.
He said his organisation was keen to see the island achieve its national energy plan to transition Barbados to 100 per cent reliance on renewable forms of energy by 2030.
However, Armstrong stressed, it was also important for Government to give consideration to conservation efforts, as he pledged the BCCI Green Committee’s continued push in that area.
“The Chamber from back in 2010 has been one of those voices which is really trying to be a catalyst to drive the green revolution in Barbados,” said Armstrong as he addressed a recent green energy forum organised by the BCCI.
“We are looking at the conservation of our natural ecosystems and resources in Barbados; let’s not forget that in our drive forward.
“Hopefully, you will have an opportunity to sign a petition from the Graeme Hall wetlands group. What they are trying to do is gather enough signatures that we can present to Parliament and ask Parliament to officially designate Graeme Hall as a conservation area and put in a plan to manage it,” he added.
Armstrong said the effort has received support from the political arena.
“We know we have some political support and hopefully we have wide political support for that. We certainly know that we have widespread support from the public. What I should mention is that no one who has been asked to sign has refused,” he said.
The team behind the petition has argued that, for decades, successive administrations have identified the Graeme Hall Swamp area as a unique coastal wetland habitat in need of conservation, and they want Government to act urgently to avoid further degradation and possibly irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
The group has argued that the wetland was a critical habitat for various species and the “last significant mangrove forest in Barbados” and could provide several benefits, including the promotion of community wellness, opportunities for economic development in the community, reduction of flooding in the area, and serve as a natural filter for water and air pollution and act as a nursery for fish while improving the fisk stock.
