Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands

CSI info 15

Appendix V    Island-specific Details Regarding the Workshops on ‘Wise Coastal Practices for Beach Management’ 

Anguilla  

Summary table 

Workshop programme 

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussion 

• The present planning process, whereby appeals relating to decisions made by the Development Control Board are referred to Executive Council, and 90% of the appeals go against the recommendations of the DPP, needs revision.
  See  ‘Planning measures need the support of all’ (user name = csi, password = wise)

• The draft Land-Use Development Plan, which includes the coastal development setback guidelines, needs to be revised and brought to Executive Council as soon as possible. 

• The needs of residents, for beach parking and access in particular, must be considered.  (These needs are included in the draft Land-Use Development Plan). 

• The UNESCO-COSALC short videos shown on Cable TV in 1999 need to be repeated and new videos produced. 

• There should be more public involvement in the planning process. 

• Coastal development setbacks need to be enforced. 

• The hoteliers present promised to work with government agencies in a constructive manner to remedy mistakes made in the past. 

• Education, particularly of tourists, must be continued to ensure visitors accept a ‘natural-looking’ beach vista (with seaweed and dead seagrass etc.) rather than a perfectly manicured sand beach. 

• Environmental activities must be coordinated among the different agencies involved.

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Antigua and Barbuda

Summary table

Workshop programme

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussions  

• The issue of beach sand mining figured prominently.  Mr. Nibbs presented the picture in Barbuda, where sand is an important resource and mining is conducted at a site 1.5 miles from the beach.  The mining operation follows guidelines prepared by the COSALC project in 1998.  Revenue from the mining provides a third of Barbuda’s operating budget.  Sand is exported mainly to Antigua. 

• Sand mining is also an important issue in Antigua, where mining is under the control of the Ministry of Communications and Works (MCW).  However, significant mining is carried out legally and illegally from the back section of the beach and the land behind the beach.  (A sand management project is at present under way through the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change - CPACC - project).  Sand is not valued as a resource in Antigua, and there are major shortfalls in the legislation and the level of fines, e.g. the beach is defined as the area seaward of the ‘beach crest’, a difficult feature to define on many beaches. 

• Building setbacks were another major issue discussed, and it was suggested a study be conducted of the economic impacts of inadequate development setbacks. 

• The possible introduction of the European ‘Blue Flag’ classification system for beaches next year in Antigua-Barbuda was discussed.  It was felt that this system was being imposed on the country and that conformation to the Blue Flag guidelines would be difficult.  However, the long-term advantages of the system, if it works, would be of benefit to the environment. 

• Other problems such as a lack of beach access e.g. at Jolly Harbour and Runaway Beach; lack of garbage removal, beach maintenance, tree planting; and inadequate legislation were discussed. 

• Ways to install a sense of civic pride also featured in the discussions.  A general sense of apathy and a ‘so what’ attitude exists.  The FD, who do a lot of work at the community level, pointed out that while there are a lot of staunch environmentalists at the local level, the problem remains how to unite these individuals to make a difference.  Suggestions included community meetings, schools, summer library programmes, churches.  However, the need for coordination of the efforts of the various agencies was very evident. 

• The need to make beach-monitoring data available to other agencies so that it is fully utilised, was also emphasised.  While the FD mentioned that MCW built sea defences on the beaches without consulting them, it was pointed out that it was up to the FD to take a proactive approach to ensure that their database and knowledge was made available to the MCW.

The following recommendations were made by the workshop participants: 

• Improve beach monitoring (frequency and the number of beaches monitored) in Barbuda by training FD officers based in Barbuda to do the monitoring themselves.  This will require the approval and support of the Barbuda Council, additional equipment and training of the officers involved.  (The Environmental Division offered to help with the training through an ongoing educational project in Barbuda - although this may be too soon for the FD).  The COSALC project may be able to help with the equipment.  This recommendation is to be implemented by the FD. 

• Increase awareness about the beach-monitoring activities, e.g. regular updates in the government newspapers, photographic documentation of beach changes (FD). 

• FD to prepare a report on beach changes 1995-1999, to follow up on the report prepared by Cambers for the period 1991-1995, also to prepare a summary for Cabinet and a fact sheet (by the end of 2000). 

• In relation to the sand mining issues, recommendations were made to investigate the possibility of bagging ‘premix’ (sand and cement in one bag) so that individual users would not need to buy a load or a cubic yard of sand for small jobs; also to investigate new practices for building construction that use less sand.

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Dominica

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussions  

• The beach change database, which extends back to 1987, clearly shows the changes in Dominica’s beaches, some of which have disappeared, while others have changed from sand to rocks/boulders, and a few have grown in size (accreted).
• Many participants emphasized the need for an integrated and coordinated approach to beach management activities, in particular for individuals and agencies to work together.  For example, Mr. Terry Raymond of the Dominica Conservation Association (DCA), described how the DCA formed a national coordinating committee for the 1999-2000 coastal clean-ups involving Youth Development, Youth Councils, Solid Waste, Environmental Health, Roseau City Council, Fisheries Division, Local Government Department and the media.
• The issue of solid waste disposal was discussed by several participants, including the need to change attitudes to rubbish disposal, since rubbish dumped inland eventually ended up at the beach.  As one participant pointed out ‘The coastline is an eyesore with ravines of garbage.’
• The need for communities to take responsibility for cleaning their beaches was emphasized; best-kept beach competitions might provide an incentive here.
• The subject of beach clean-ups was addressed by several participants.  There is a need for such activities to be combined with widespread education campaigns and the enforcement of existing litter laws.
• A longer-term approach to beach management should include revegetation.
• Several participants felt that buildings are being constructed too close to rivers and the sea.  Mr. Raphael Francis, Chief Physical Planning Officer, mentioned that ‘Hurricane Lenny was a blessing in disguise’ since this hurricane clearly showed the public that there was a need for development control especially along the coastlines and rivers.
• Existing coastal development setbacks are 50 ft from the high water mark; however, the Physical Planning Division plan to use the coastal development setback guidelines proposed in the UNESCO-CSI publication Planning for coastline change: Guidelines for construction setbacks in the eastern Caribbean islands (Cambers, G.  1997.CSI info 4, UNESCO, Paris, 14 pp.) in new planning regulations.
• While in many cases, relocation of buildings away from the coastline may be the best answer, the costs of land acquisition may be prohibitive.
• The new seawall being constructed at Pottersville, as well as seawalls at Pointe Michel and in the north of the island, were the subject of much debate.  Questions were asked as to whether alternative structures, e.g. offshore breakwaters, had been considered.  The new seawalls will result in the loss of the beaches and of turtle nesting areas, and will severely disrupt fishers who are used to hauling up their boats at these beaches.  Mr. Felix Gregoire, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, mentioned in his opening remarks to the workshop that planning for future relocation of certain roads further inland should be considered.
• While it was recognised that beaches should be well managed and promoted as part of the overall ecotourism product, the primary goal of beach management in Dominica should be for the benefit of Dominicans.
• The likelihood of increased beach erosion during the present ‘active hurricane cycle’, predicted to continue for the next two decades was discussed.
• Ethical issues were also raised, such as the need for individuals to have a personal commitment to the benefit of the country.

Major recommendations for future action were as follows:

• To get the information out to the public through decentralised workshops such as this present one, but held in the coastal communities;
• To forward the major issues and recommendations from this workshop to the minister;
• To better coordinate the activities of government and non-government agencies in beach management activities;
• To utilize all forms of the media fully in getting the information out to the public;
• To pass the pending fisheries regulations;
• To enforce existing laws, especially the Litter Act;
• To include new coastal development setback guidelines in planning legislation;
• To establish a unit responsible for integrated coastal management;
• To prepare a zoning plan for the use of beachfronts.

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Grenada (Carriacou and Petite Martinique)

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussions 

• The need for beach cleanliness was a major issue for both Carriacou and Petite Martinique.  Problems included beaches being used as a dumping ground for garbage including dead animals, people using the beaches as a bathroom, garbage near fishers’ sites, solid and liquid wastes being transported via the ghuts to the beach and the sea.
• Discussion also focused on ways to solve these problems, including:

  • government needs to consider a budgetary allocation for beach cleaners;

  • increased awareness and education on a sustained basis, and the need for everyone to be a steward to get the message across;

  • in the short term, private residences need to construct soakaways, while in the long term, the government needs to plan for a municipal sewage system.

• A presentation from the Tourism Board illustrated several initiatives they were planning to undertake together with other agencies/groups, including:

  • shade planting on Sandy Island;

  • beach signs;

  • toilets at Paradise Beach in 2001;

  • beach clean-up programmes with the schools (Esplanade);

  • controlling the number of visitors to Sandy Island by installing a limited number of mooring buoys and prohibiting anchoring.

• The removal of seaweed from beaches used by tourists was another matter for concern, e.g. one cruise ship agent refused to take visitors to Paradise Beach because of seaweed on the beach.  While there was much debate on this issue, the fact remains that the removal of seaweed loosens sand and removes nutrients from the system, while on the other hand tourists, do not favour swimming and using beaches with a lot of seaweed/seagrass on the beach and in the nearshore area.
• Sand mining, especially at Tibou on the windward (east) coast was another matter for concern.  It was estimated that 7,000 tons of sand a year are removed from the beaches for construction.  Already this is resulting in graves from cemeteries, once behind the beach, now being washed into the sea.  The recommendation from the meeting was that sand mining be stopped and sand imported.
• In answer to the question ‘What can be done now?’ several items were listed for immediate action by the communities

  • beach planting;

  • beach clean-ups;

  • awareness and education about the need to clean beaches.

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Montserrat 

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussion  

• Uses of beaches, e.g. recreation, tourism opportunities, source of aggregate, coastal protection, should be viewed as goods and services, and these are dependent upon ecosystem health.
• In discussing the history of sand mining since 1998 (user name = csi, password = wise), when the volcanic crisis abated, it was pointed out that Foxes Bay, an important turtle-nesting beach, was opened to mining despite the protests of local environmentalists.  However, with the help of international pressure via the Internet and the threat to bring in Greenpeace, the minister reversed the decision.
• The importance of beaches to provide a social climate for family bonding was stressed.
• Management issues, including access, cleanliness, ownership and the need to teach people (children and their parents) to swim, were discussed.
• The tourism industry, although small in Montserrat, is growing, and beaches are an integral part of the tourism product.  (There were 7,000 tourists in 1998 and 8,000 for the first six months of 2000.)
• A private sector representative pointed out that the sand mining issue had ethical considerations, in that beaches belong to everyone – and it is not right for the government to take away that right by allowing sand mining.
• The subject of political interference ( ‘the five year syndrome’) was referred to many times, as well as the need to strike a balance and seek compromises.
• Beach sand mining is not compatible with the concept of sustainability, particularly when so few beaches (7) remain accessible to Montserratians in the safe zone.
• Caribbean ports are being instructed to deepen their harbours to accommodate the ‘mega cruise-ships’ being built.  The inability of the Caribbean countries to unite over cruise ship passenger fees was discussed, this has led to the cruise ship companies ‘playing off’ one country against another.

The following way forward regarding the sand mining issue was proposed: 

• The Ministry of Communications and Works are already working on long term plans which will include the establishment of an inland quarry; the mining, sorting and testing of some of the recent deposits from the volcano; importation of sand; and the control of these enterprises by the private sector – not the government.  However, these measures will not solve the immediate problem facing the Montserrat building industry.
• The immediate problem, now that the east coast beaches are inaccessible due to the growth of the volcanic dome, is that at present only one beach, Iles Bay, is open for sand mining.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing and Environment had recently (the last week of October) presented recommendations to the minister on ways to manage the mining at Iles Bay.  These recommendations included: the employment of two beach wardens to monitor the mining, the issuing of a directive that no beach sand was to be used in any government building project, the imposition of a tariff of $ 25/ cubic yard on beach sand in order to cover the management costs.
• Besides these long- and short-term initiatives, the workshop participants recommended that key players (Ministry of Agriculture, Land, Housing and Environment, Ministry of Communications and Works, Tourism, National Trust, truckers and the private sector) set up a committee to conduct an education and awareness campaign on the sand mining issues.  Such a campaign should be carried out over a period of at least 12 months.

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Nevis 

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants 

Highlights of the workshop discussion

• There was some discussion relating to the Four Seasons beach restoration methods (offshore breakwaters and dredging/beach nourishment).  The need for continual on-the-site monitoring of the dredging operation by an outside party was recommended.  Despite a considerable number of public consultations about the beach work, there was still a lack of understanding of the issues.  Overall it had been a learning experience.
• Partly as a result of the situation at the Four Seasons, during which the DPD had taken a reactive approach, efforts were now being made to ensure that future approaches would be proactive.
• To achieve this the DPD would be preparing a Coastal Zone Management Plan between 2000 and 2003.  Phase 1 would be undertaken in 2001 and would cover Charlestown to the Airport.  A second phase would cover the rest of the island.  A coastal zone survey would commence in October-November 2000, based on door-to-door inquiries and questionnaires, to catalogue the land-based activities behind the beach.  Public involvement would be a key component of the Coastal Zone Management Plan.
• Major problems facing the DPD relate to the increased level of development as well as increased sedimentation from land clearing inland.
• Issues relating to coastal setbacks, maintaining a clear view to the sea, and the responsibility for the removal of eroded buildings were also discussed.
• There is a need to clearly establish and mark public accesses to the beach, as a matter of priority.
• Several management issues, such as the lack of enforcement of existing littering laws and technical decisions being over-ridden by politicians, brought out the need for continued and enhanced public education - ‘An educated public can adopt wise beach management practices.’  

• While the coastal zone is the area of highest risk, it is also the area where there is the highest level of financial investment, and added to these factors, there is the issue of public rights to the coastal zone and particularly the beach.  It was recommended that the management of the coast should not be solely dictated by financial considerations, but that an approach based on coastal stewardship be adopted.

• Agency responsibilities need to be clearly defined.

• A request was made for the public to inform the DPD about illegal development.  The NHCS also plays an important role in this ‘watchdog’ process.  

Recommendations from the workshop include:  

• The NHCS propose to make this workshop the focus of their November newsletter.
• A core group from this workshop consisting of persons from the public and private sectors, should meet to develop the recommendations further.  Such a group might form the foundation of a Coastal Zone Management Committee.

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St. Kitts 

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants 

Highlights of the workshop discussion  

• Many of the problems discussed relate to a lack of public input into government and development decisions. 

• While new development will always cause conflicts, as was clearly described in three cases dealing with fishers, the use of education, dialogue, and co-management together with clearly defined responsibilities and guidelines, can reduce such conflicts. 

• A lack of enforcement of existing laws is a major problem, and is compounded by the fact that the level of fines imposed is no deterrent. 

• A lack of political will is resulting in agencies such as Physical Planning being marginalised, so that planning decisions are being made by the political directorate with little or no technical input.  The only way around this problem appears to be through more education and public involvement. 

• There is a need to put in place proper management systems to control activities like sand mining and littering.  It is significant that other islands, e.g. Nevis no longer mine sand, but import sand instead. 

• Draft beach regulations, sent to the Legal Department two years ago, need to be passed and enforced. 

• The Physical Planning Division is trying to develop a policy to link development planning with hazard mitigation. 

• The St. Christopher Heritage Society is developing a role as a ‘watchdog’ agency such that their member’s, as well as the public, report infringements of the law and environmental problems to them.  They then take these matters up with the relevant government organisations.  The existence of a free press helps this process. 

• There is a need for government agencies to work together on beach management and for clearly defined guidelines and responsibilities, so that everyone knows who is responsible for enforcing laws relating to littering, sand mining etc. 

Following group discussions, some ideas were formulated for immediate action.  These will be forwarded to the ministry. 

• Increasing education and public awareness activities directed towards residents and visitors using print and TV media, and the preparation of videos showing wise and unwise beach management practices. 

• Developing standards to categorize beaches and rating them with the ultimate goal to bring all beaches to a high standard. 

• Zoning beach activities so as to reduce conflicts. 

• (DE) adopting a more proactive approach to sand mining which will involve greater public and private sector involvement. 

• Developing a specific unit within the DE, perhaps within the Parks and Beaches Unit for beach management.

• Commencing a coral reef monitoring programme.

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St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Bequia)

Summary table  

Workshop programme

List of participants 

Highlights of the workshop discussion  

• Offshore dredging which comes under the control of the Ministry of Communication and Works had been undertaken at Hamilton Beach in 1998.  This had resulted in the death of the coral reef and discussion centred around future dredging and sand replenishment at that beach as well as at others beaches.
• Other dredging projects in the Grenadines, e.g. at Canouan, and their often disastrous consequences were discussed.
• The merits and impacts of other sea defence measures such as seawalls and offshore breakwaters were debated.  As one participant put it ‘The hardest thing to come to terms with is that some hotels will end up not having a beach.’
• Problems relating to pollution were also discussed, especially land-based liquid pollution, and in particular discharges from coastal hotels.  Pollution resulting from yachts in Admiralty Bay was another issue for concern.
• Ways to control the proliferation of coastal structures with everyone ‘just doing their own thing’ as with a small groyne in front of Frangipani Hotel, were discussed.  Interestingly enough, the head of the Rotary Club, Mr. Chester Peters, advocated the top-down approach and the need for more control and better laws, because in a small island such as Bequia it was very difficult to enforce things at the community level when everyone was related or friendly with each other.  Other participants, though, advocated a more one-on-one/community approach to these issues.

Recommendations for action resulting from the workshop were: 

• The Rotary Club offered to assist with transport to some of the beaches such as Princess Margaret Beach, Friendship Bay and Lower Bay, so that the high school students can monitor these beaches.
• The high school students, with the help of Mr. Belmar and Mr. Cordice, will prepare a presentation on the monitoring for the annual general meeting of the Bequia Tourism Association on 4 December 2000.
• The students will prepare a training video on beach monitoring which could be used to help other schools and groups around the Caribbean/world start their own beach-monitoring activities.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Summary table

Workshop programme

List of participants

Highlights of the workshop discussion  

• Beach access, especially in Providenciales, was one of the major issues discussed.  When the development of Providenciales started in the 1970/1980s, the  development plan included designated access lanes to be kept open for free public access to the beach.  However, over the years, these access lanes acquired parcel numbers, and were sometimes sold, and certain hotel owners and private property owners have restricted access by incorporating these access lanes into their private property. 

• There have been cases where access lanes have been chained off, or developments have encroached into the lanes thereby blocking public access. 

• Except in the case of the National Parks, the laws are very unclear about many issues relating to access. 

• It was recommended that the government use the Compulsory Land Acquisition Act to acquire access for public use and then to deed them to the National Trust as inalienable land (to be held in perpetuity for the people of the TCI).  However, it was noted that there seems to be some reluctance on the part of the politicians to move into this arena. 

• It was also suggested that dedicated beach access lanes should also be designated in the Caicos Islands, now, before the development really gets under way there. 

• There is a need to extend the coastal development setbacks in the TCI, at present 100 feet from the vegetation line, but this would need to be combined with an extensive public awareness effort. 

• It was noted that there are sometimes instances when it is necessary to take difficult decisions regarding beach erosion, which may include deciding that it is no longer feasible to protect certain areas.

• Sand supply has reached crisis conditions in Grand Turk, and the possibility of importing from the Bahamas was discussed. 

• Problems also exist in TCI, relating to incidents where technical advice is over-ruled by the political directorate.  Examples were given where permits had been issued by Executive Council without even consulting the relevant technical departments or obtaining Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).  For instance, an offshore dredging permit had been granted for West Sandspit, a pristine diving site, with no input from the DECR or any EIA. As one private ecotourism entrepreneur asked ‘Where can the public express their viewpoint on issues such as these?’ 

• A visitor survey had shown that 71% of the respondents said that beaches were their primary reason for coming to TCI. 

• The need for beach carrying capacity was stressed. 

• In relation to a proposed development at East Bay, South Caicos, many environment and development issues were raised, such as the developer presenting an ecotourism concept to DECR while actually envisioning a very different proposal involving cutting through a barrier reef and major dredging of seagrass beds; the question as to whether this site was even suitable for a hotel; the political versus the technical viewpoints on development at this site.  As one participant said ‘In small islands, where tourism is the main income-earner, inevitably environmental issues take backstage.’

• A water quality survey, undertaken in 2000, had shown that while coliform bacteria in bathing waters were not yet a problem, increased nutrient levels were a problem and had caused large blooms of sea-thimble jellyfish in 2000. 

• Another major issue being faced by TCI is the social conflict generated by vendors selling directly to the tourists on the beach (and sometimes, but not always, harassing them) and the hotel owners, who want the vendors away from the beaches. Solutions being considered include licenses and establishing a permanent selling market for vendors. 

While some participants were in favour of preparing a workshop resolution on beach access, the consensus was that since this was such a complex and major issue, there was insufficient time to decide on such a resolution today, but that it would become a major focus for the follow-up meeting/seminar with politicians tentatively scheduled for mid-2001.

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