Tuesday’s story on the loss of vegetation in St. Maarten should serve as a wake-up call. With green cover reduced by 25 per cent between 1956 and 1999, one could only imagine what additional impact the 22 years since then have made.
Growth remains necessary for progress, but conservation is becoming increasingly urgent. With undisturbed land already scarce, at the current rate there soon will be very little left.
This is important for environmental as well as economic reasons. The island’s nature, including its green hills, is very much part of the tourist product and helps attract visitors on whom the people’s livelihood depends.
Moreover, according to a related report commissioned by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI, trees prevent erosion, aid in water retention and provide a buffer between land and sea. They can offer some protection during storms too.
An attempt at preservation was made with the Hillside Policy, which forbids building at an altitude over 200 metres, allows only low-density residential development above 100 metres and established other rules. Member of Parliament (MP) Claudius Buncamper recently called it a “toothless tiger” unless anchored in law, but government assured enforcement is in fact taking place.
Nevertheless, giving the policy some more “meat” in terms of penalties could prove a useful tool to tackle violations, also as a bigger deterrent. To the naked eye at least, it seems some existing projects are already not complying.
Active controls and frequent inspections should help in that regard, along with education and promoting greater awareness. Ultimately, though, it’s mostly a question of setting priorities.
