Barbados to seal IDB loan to repair, restore south coast

By Emmanuel Joseph

Barbados is to sign the documents sealing an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) $100 million loan for a major coastal climate resilience project.

Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn said the IDB Board approved the loan after successful negotiations with his ministry and the bank’s country team last month. But already the project that the IDB loan is funding has been the subject of intense discussion over the future of the plan to link the south coast through a network of boardwalks and beaches intended to stretch from Accra to Oistins.

“The next step is for all of the loan documentation to be signed by both parties such that the Coastal Zone Management Unit can continue the good work on the coastal defences as part of Barbados’ effort to build climate resilience,” Straughn told Barbados TODAY as he rebuffed suggestions that the IDB’s public disclosure of the loan approval late last week was premature. 

Some South Coast residents have come out in opposition to the coastal project while others along with nature watchers are urging balance in the operation of the measures.

One person who did not want to be identified said that during a number of meetings between the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) and residents, “not one resident, villa owner or investor wanted the boardwalk to extend around the Champers [Restaurant] rocks, along Worthing Beach and Sandy Beach”.

He added: “In short, an extension of the boardwalk in Hastings to St Lawrence Gap will be built on a beach that is a huge turtle nesting beach. The environmentalists locally and globally are fighting this build as it would destroy nesting sites, add pollution to the beach and sea, add lighting which attracts hatchlings towards the boardwalk/road where they are killed.”

Director of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project Sea Turtle Carla Daniel said while the country has to do something about the effects of climate change, many of the solutions so far have been making it difficult for biodiversity.

Daniel told Barbados TODAY: “There are a number of issues that are created for turtles when we put these hard structures on the beach…. The existing boardwalk has caused significant problems for the turtles and the turtle nesting. So, the expectation is that any extension of the existing boardwalk or the construction of additional boardwalk will exacerbate those problems.

“There are a lot of factors at play. In terms of sea turtles… the more boulder developments that we put on our coastline, you will find the more turtles will get trapped in boulders. We had to have the Fire Service use the ‘jaws of life’ both [in 2022 and 2023] in an effort to free adult turtles from boulders.”

The turtle watcher also expressed concern about the difficulty these reptiles are experiencing nesting. She said erosion is quickly occurring at some of the beaches, especially those with existing boardwalks.

“And we have a lot of exposed eggs and so on as a result,” said Daniel. “Also, because the beaches are quite narrow, we have turtles crossing the boardwalk and trying to nest on the other side…hatchlings becoming disoriented by lighting from business places. So, it’s a very

complicated issue, and there really isn’t a whole lot, ideally, for us. The boardwalk must not be built across existing beaches like Rockley and Worthing. That’s the key.”

Executive Director of the Barbados Environmental Conservation Trust (BECT) Che Greenidge said her organisation and other stakeholders had been having meetings with the CZMU and Christ Church West MP Dr William Duguid and hopes to continue collaborating with the unit.

“CZMU is going to be making some documents publicly available based on what was shared at those consultation meetings. So, they do the follow-ups, the emails and so on. So, we are very much engaged, and we hope to continue working collaboratively with both CZMU and the government,” Greenidge told Barbados TODAY.

“For us at BECT, we want to find the best integrated solutions. I am sure this project may be at a stage where it is pretty much ready to go. But for us, it is probably how we can meet in the middle; where can we meet in the middle, knowing, of course, that we have to find a very delicate balance between the type of economic development, tourism development as well as coastal protection and adaptation measures as well.

“We are most interested in working with the government on this, where we can, in providing recommendations and solutions, and that is really BECT’s position.”

CZMU Project Manager  Ricardo Arthur said he was not in a position to comment. 

Last week, the IDB announced that it had approved a US$50 million (BDS$100 million) loan to help Barbados boost the climate resilience of its coastal areas and foster climate-resilient economic development.

The money is also expected to help reduce the risks of erosion and flooding along the country’s coasts and make coastal activities safer for communities and tourists.

The climate resilience programme will restore beaches and build integrated infrastructure —  breakwaters, drainage works, walkways, boardwalks and groynes — to reduce climate risk along the coasts.

The IDB said that more than 6 000 Barbadians in various coastal communities are to benefit, as well as nearly 2 000 people who directly enjoy the beaches’ ecosystem services that make recreation and other activities possible.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb