Do we allow development at the expense of the environment?

Introduction

Over fifty-four years ago, I was born on the island of South Caicos, Turks and Caicos. I left when I was sixteen to pursue a BA in Accounting. Despite my departure of almost 40 years from South Caicos, my love for my birthplace has remained unchanged.

I remembered growing up, South Caicos was called the Big South. We did not have any physical infrastructure to support the claim, but we had a great social life. We had a movie theater, we had lots of entertainment. We had great sporting activities, especially cricket and basketball. We had a great community that shared with one another. Many residents had television and electricity. Many families did not have vehicles, but the island is only 9 1/2 square miles, so we were able get around on our feet as people live closely together.

One of the first hotels (The Admiral Arms Inn) in the Turks and Caicos was on the island of South Caicos. Over the years though, our economy started to decline dramatically, and I used to long for one day for South Caicos to develop and attract tourists to the island. In the 1980s, Our hopes were lifted when the East Caicos projected started, however that projected was short-lived.

In the mid-200s, hope was beginning to restore with the emergence of Sailrock Development and then later the restart of the East Bay Resort. I believe we all want development but at what price. Do we want development just to say the place is developed? Do we want development at the expense of our eco-system. Also, if our islands are developed, shouldn’t the people be better off too? Shouldn’t qualified TC Islanders be in key positions? And for those who are not qualified, shouldn’t there be plans in place to quality them.

This article is about Sailrock’s proposal to transform some of the areas into canals.

The proposal

The proposal for the Highlands comprises of a golf course, two luxury resorts and residential homes/villas. Canals will be built around the golf course in the western low-lying areas of the Highlands. The canals will be connected to the ocean and in doing so provide access for the villa owners.

The planning process

Before the construction of a structure takes place in the Turks and Caicos, owners must apply to planning for approval. Once approved, the approval is normally valid for three years.

I personally had the opportunity to go by planning to view the documents, which were very limited. The Highlands Limited did apply for the Highlands area of South Caicos.  However, planning provided a conditional approval pending an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

It seems EIA was done but I am unsure it was accepted yet by the Planning Department.

It should be noted that the DECR cannot intervene in this process unless the dredging takes place in the national parks. However, the Department can express their concerns. At the end of the day, the power currently rests with the Planning Department.

The concerns of the South Caicos residents and environmentalists.

First, let me congratulate the residents who turned out in numbers to discuss this proposal.

I believe the two major concerns are the environmental impact and accessibility. From an environmental perspective, there is a concern that the dredging will impact our ecosystems. In other words, there will be interference with our natural habitat of South Caicos. These include the possible destruction of our coral reefs and vegetation. Coral reefs are very important in the protection of storms and erosion of South Caicos. Another concern is that if a storm were to take place, where would the water go. Would the water go in the land causing disruption and harm to the residents?

The vegetation is a habitat for our birds, reptiles and other animals and it is simply part of our heritage. If the vegetation is destroyed, we are not only destroying habitats, but we are also destroying unique plant species that are only found in South Caicos.

From the accessibility point of view, residents are concerned that the access to certain areas such Jerry Camp is blocked. There is also a concern about the impact that this project will have on the future spinal link from South Caicos to East Caicos.

Perspectives from the Developers

According to the developer’s perspective, the canals will not impact the water coming into the island due to the risks that already exist at the natural low points in South Caicos. They also mentioned that the fill from the canals will be used to create higher ground which will contain any surge water in the canals. In terms of the road blockage, the developer said that it was always the case to move public road slightly eastward. They claimed access was not cut off between the town and Jerry Camp.

The good news is that developers have requested that Planning put the application on hold until additional public process is completed.

My opinion

While I appreciate the transformation that will take place in South Caicos due to this project, I believe we must be very careful when it comes to our environment and natural habitat.

I was not around when the salt industry started, but I know our vegetation was destroyed to accommodate the construction of salt pans on our island. It affected the quality of our soil. It interfered with rainfall, and it interfered with our natural habitat. Of course, some may argue that the salt pans now act as natural barriers for flooding.

Likewise, the design of lagoons or canals may have the same impact as the salt pans and maybe worse if our coral reefs are damaged.  I believe there is enough natural oceanfront properties on the island of South Caicos that can be developed and sold to potential investors rather than the creation of man-made canals.

Conclusion

I know there are number of man-made canals on the island of Providenciales and one may say what is the difference between those canals in Providenciales and the proposed ones in South Caicos. There is probably no difference with the canals, but people are more knowledgeable now about the impact these canals have on the environment.

If the development is going to create havoc on our environment, then we should not allow the construction of canals to take place. Utilize the oceanfront properties.