Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands

Dominica workshop papers

Encouraging Coastal Stewardship in Nevis through the Establishment of a Social Contract

Lillith Richards 

Over the past decade coastal developers and other users have expressed a growing concern about the alarming rate of coastal erosion as well as the types of activity being experienced on beaches.  The primary proponents of mitigating measures are property owners who have clearly distinguished the marked change in the shoreline position and are now actively seeking to mitigate coastal erosion with the most readily available measures.  As a result, in the period 1997-2000, several applications were submitted for protective armouring, revetments and groynes in front of developments on the northwest beaches.  During this time it was noticed however, that while revetments do protect developments, they also cause significant erosion of land on either side of them and may even result in the loss of the beach. Groynes, on the other hand, did not protect property, but aided in the accretion of the beach up-drift of the structure and erosion immediately down-drift of it.  While the outputs of these activities are not always desirable, the willingness of developers to practice stewardship is commendable, however, much assistance is needed to encourage their ‘good stewardship’. 

General users, namely those who utilise beaches for bathing, picnicking, fishing, jogging etc., are not only concerned about beach erosion, but also about the growing exclusiveness of these areas.  Traditionally beaches are used during vacation for family retreats but currently these areas have been heavily marketed for tourism purposes and this has resulted in the intrusion of coastal developments on sandy areas at certain locations.  As a result it has become very difficult for nationals to enjoy these facilities as they once did, consequently, there is a growing concern that Nevisans are being-planned-away from the coast.  

Quite often these groups would file complaints about the developers to the respective government agency.  Complaints filed are usually related to the introduction of armouring, clearing of land, sand mining, building development and waste disposal. While the last two activities are not frequent, they are all serious issues in need of urgent attention, and have not been dealt with due to the limitations of existing legislation.

Enabling Good Stewardship  

The need for better stewardship is becoming an increasingly important element for the proper management of coastal areas.   However, in a small island such as Nevis, individuals are not always willing to report offenders to the relevant authority.  As a result it may be easier to provide a mechanism aimed at seeking compliance rather than enforcement. This may prove to be more beneficial in this small island where the following are true:

A social contract for coastal land management is a viable option, as it provides key stakeholders in the area with the opportunity to develop and establish non-binding agreements for land management.  Developers themselves have already adopted a precautionary approach where their activity on the coast is concerned.  Furthermore, community groups are informally monitoring and reporting on coastal activities; this is an indication that people are ready for some mechanism that would provide them with options best suited to their individual needs. 

In light of the limited success experienced with binding agreements, the exploration of non-binding mechanisms may provide us with the opportunity to adopt a new approach to deal with development conflict in the coastal zone. These mechanisms offer four main advantages:

Framework for a Social Contract

A social contract should be designed with the expressed needs and views of key stakeholders. The contract should focus on a selected group of principles, which could be in the form of accepted plans, actions, guidelines, or memoranda, designed to address the needs of the following stakeholders:

The arbitrating body may be an organised group comprising both government and non-governmental stakeholders, with the largest part being government personnel. This arrangement is to facilitate monitoring and reporting as well as to ensure that local government authorities, collectively the single largest developer on the island, are encouraged to adopt a system for voluntary commitment with other stakeholders groups, where the development of coastal lands is concerned.  

A key factor in the preparation and implementation of a social contract is the development of a social grouping capable of identifying their long-term and short-term goals and the necessary measures needed to attain them.  The following existing constraints may introduce some difficulties in the process:

		With the exception of beach monitoring data, very little comprehensive and collated scientific information is available for Nevis’ coastal areas.
		The need for more creative, didactic encounters among stakeholders is often difficult to achieve due to preconceived educational methods.
		The diverse interest of stakeholders may constrain efforts aimed at uniting groups under a single moral /social objective.