St. Maarten Private Eye

Love the Lagoon, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean

Ever since the first issue of the Lagoon Log was printed, EPIC has been overwhelmed with emails and phone calls from people posing questions about the Simpson Bay Lagoon and expressing their support of the Foundation’s efforts. EPIC is pleased to learn that so many people are interested in the well being of the Lagoon environment. The next few issues of the Lagoon Log, including this one, will be dedicated to answering questions posed in emails the Foundation received from the Log’s readers. One often repeated and very interesting question can be interpreted as follows: Which overall measures does EPIC recommend Government to take in order to prevent the further degradation of the Simpson Bay Lagoon? EPIC’s recommendations regarding measures Government should take to protect the Simpson Bay Lagoon are listed in the following paragraph.

Measures Government should take to protect the Simpson Bay Lagoon.
Government should take the following measures in order to prevent the further degradation of the Simpson Bay Lagoon:
• Place an immediate moratorium on all future large scale developments planned for the immediate vicinity of the Lagoon.
• Support EPIC’s Love the Lagoon project and its Blue Flag for Marinas program components which are designed to raise environmental awareness and increase sound environmental practices among tourists, residents, beach and marina management and staff.
• Inventorize all commercial and residential areas surrounding the Lagoon and zone the regions accordingly.
• Revise existing often outdated legislation and develop, implement and enforce comprehensive environmental legislation such as a Beach/Shoreline Protection ordinance, a Wetland Protection Ordinance, a Building Ordinance, a Waste Management Ordinance and a Sewage Ordinance.
• Require, through proper legislation, environmental and social impact assessments to be carried out by independent consultants when any major facility development in the vicinity of the Simpson Bay Lagoon is being considered.
• Restructure and allocate more funding, responsibility and authority to the Lagoon’s managing organization and include St. Maarten’s Conservation NGO’s in the Lagoon’s daily management.
• Include the entire Simpson Bay Lagoon in the Marine Park Ordinance and establish conservation, commercial and recreational zones in the Lagoon.

There has been much talk lately of placing a moratorium on large scale developments on St. Maarten in general and in this case on large scale developments in the immediate vicinity of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. But what does a moratorium entail and why should such a moratorium be implemented? The next issue of the Lagoon Log will focus on what a moratorium is, why a moratorium should be implemented for large developments in the Simpson Bay Lagoon and why a moratorium will prove to be beneficial to St. Maarten in the long run.
Make sure you read the next Lagoon Log for more answers to your questions and for more information on the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Rueben J. Thompson
Project Manager Love the Lagoon,
Environmental Protection in the Caribbean

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