There are two stories in today’s newspaper related to the island’s marine life. One is about making Little Key in Simpson Bay Lagoon a nature park and the other concerns establishing an underwater museum at Great Bay.
Both were made public by Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Egbert “Jurendy” Doran on the same day, which raises the question whether that’s merely a coincidence. It even creates the suggestion of a possible “quid pro quo” situation.
After all, a release announcing the park mentions “extensive consultations” with local environmental organisations, including St. Maarten Nature Foundation and Environmental Protection in the Caribbean EPIC. The museum, on the other hand, was supposedly “vetted and approved” by – among others – St. Maarten Nature Foundation and Sint Maarten Archaeological Center SIMARC.
Not that there is necessarily an issue with either of these projects. However, the park seems an effort to conserve nature, while the museum would be more of a tourist attraction with – no matter how small – an impact on such.
Pertinent information on the latter, like who is behind this venture, relevant investments and an exact location, is still sorely lacking at this point. It was billed as an artificial reef that celebrates West Indian history and culture.
That sounds somewhat reassuring, because anything involving animals in captivity, including an aquarium, is bound to face stiff opposition. As usual, the devil will likely be in the – now unavailable – details.
