EPAL /PRol. 3/4,iN.r Proceedings of the I E. A Conference on e. Environmental Management and Economic Growth in the Smaller Caribbean Islands Wildey, St. Michael, Barbados September 17-21, 1979 IfSIATECA NACICYES OHMS LIFPLIO . E/CCPAL/PRoy, 3/4. /NA'. /7 B191,1fiTECt NAMES UNKIlitS tlEXIC9 TRANSACTIONS AT THE CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE SMALLER CARIBBEAN ISLANDS September 17-21, 1979 Edited by William S. Beller BtaiOi.th tiNtIttilS 111110S 1010 PREFACE The "Conference on Environmental Management and Economic Growth in the Smaller Caribbean Islands" brought together for the first time government- designated delegates from the islands to discuss ways to achieve the sound develop- ment of their lands. The Conference took only seven months to organize and hold. In that period, those concerned with it had formulated the programs, arranged for its sponsor- ship, funding, speakers, facilities, and had invited governments to participate. Five weeks after the Conference ended, the Transactions were in hand: transcribed, edited, typed, and made ready for the printer. In a total period of nine months, the Conference went from conception to the distribution of its published report. The Conference was accomplished this quickly, first, because it was needed; and second, because those who worked on it, did so unstintingly. Only a few weeks before the Conference took place, Hurricane David followed almost immediately by Frederick, had swept through the Caribbean wreaking havoc on many of the islands but the most serious damage on Dominica and the Dominican Republic. These events showed in terribly dramatic form how fragile the islands are: how external forces, this time nature's, but other times man's, can pro- foundly affect these lands. The hurricanes lent immediacy to the work of the Conference, and gave it a symbol. The international agencies who give or lend funds and resources to assist the smaller Caribbean islands in their development were eager to know the islanders' problems, and find out whether the funds and resources were going where they could do the most good. At the same time, the governments of the smaller Caribbean islands, seriously concerned about the socio-economic state of their citizens and the physical future of their lands, wanted help to allay their worries. Through the commonality of interests, the need for the Confer- ence was established. The delegates considered the way their islands could develop, discussed the ramifications of the problems, then the help available, and made their recom- mendations. They could not have accomplished more. The delegates spoke as representatives of their governments but without obligating their governments. This had to be because many issues were developed during the Conference, and governments had no opportunity to relay instructions. Nevertheless, the unanimous recommendations the delegates made came from in- fluential and policy-making officials, well-informed about the issues, positions, and problems of their islands. Editing these Transactions was a pleasure and a frustration: a pleasure because with somewhat more leisure than in Barbados, I could read the presenta- tions and listen to the tapes, and again experience the excitement of the Con- ference, and comprehend more fully the hopes, human understanding, astuteness, and brilliance shown by many who participated. Alas, editing was a frustration because there was room and time enough to publish only a portion of the discus- sions. Selecting the most important was the chore, and I chose those that ap- peared to reflect best the deliberations of the delegates, and some that offered help to their governments. There was another frustration I must share: the difficulty in transferring to paper the color, viability, and emotion the speakers gave to their thoughts. iii I therefore edited the discussions as little as I could in order to retain the speakers' development of their ideas. W1-, re I made changes, they were only for the sake of brevity or to improve clarity in the written form. How can one assign proper credit for this Conference without naming all who appear in the list of participants, and a few who do not? Trevor Louis Boothe served as the Secretariat for the Conference; additional- ly, he actively took part in the sessions, to the benefit of all of us. Were it not for him, and the UNEP/ECLA/Caribbean Environment Project office, we would have had a Conference with a lesser program and very few governments represented. The members of the Caribbean Islands Directorate of the U.S. Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program worked hard to initiate and design the Conference, structure its sessions, and serve as their Vice Chairmen/Rapporteurs. To Cruz A. Matos, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Development Programme, Trinidad and Tobago, goes much of the credit for arranging for many of the speakers to appear on the program. His wise and patient counsel also helped us avoid the pitfalls open to those who would organize an international meeting. Donald King, Oscar Olson, and Russell Burns of U.S. MAE, and Jose Lizarraga and Jaime Hurtubia of the United Nations Environment Programme gave the en- couragement that was essential for us to attempt to put such a Conference to- gether in the allotted time. Strong encouragement and help also came from Robert Otto of the U.S. Agency for International Development. O.K. Yhap and the Caribbean Development Bank gave the Conference unexcelled facilities. Beyond that, Mr. Yhap made program suggestions that figured heavily in the success of the Conference. Jill Sheppard, Executive Director of the Caribbean Conservation Association, made all the arrangements in Barbados. She went far beyond this activity, helping us solve sensitive matters of protocol and of press relations, and procuring for us needed experts and resource papers. We can not easily repay her, nor the CCA. On Phylis Rubin's shoulders fell the task of coordinating all the Confer- ence arrangements that U.S. MAB was involved in; and at the Conference, coor- dinating arrangements with the Secretariat and with CCA. She never stopped, and I hesitate to contemplate how the Conference arrangements would have fared had she not been in Barbados. Natalie Lee, untiringly and with boundless good humor, discussed papers with their authors, transcribed all the relevant tapes of the Conference, and directed and arranged for the entire production of the Transactions--all within five weeks. For assigning Natalie to this task, we are indeed grateful to the Publishing and Reproduction Division of the U.S. Department of State. This ends the printed list but not the unprinted one, nor the extent of the gratitude the sponsors and supporters of the Conference extend to all who helped. William S. Beller Program Chairman iv vv,.‘tittl` TABLE OF CONTENTS Page vi Conference Program xi Conference Participants xvii Some Abbreviations Used 1 SESSION I 29 SESSION II 55 SESSION III 107 SESSION IV 128 SESSION V 179 SESSION VI CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE SMALLER CARIBBEAN ISLANDS Conference Program MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 8:45-9:00 a.m. Introductory Remarks: William S. Beller, Program Chair- man 9:00-10:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks and Keynote Speech: The Honorable Billie Miller, Minister of Health and National Insurance, Barba- dos. "Basic Human Needs in Smaller Caribbean Islands, and Socio-Economic Goals of the Region's People" 10:00-10:15 a.m. Coffee break 10:15 a.m.-Noon SESSION I Development process: the options. What are the choices the smaller islands have for economic growth? A. Review of existing strategies B. Alternative strategies Chairman: Robert Creque, Senior Administrative Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources and Public Health, Tortola, British Virgin Islands Vice Chairman/Rapporteur: Fuat M. Andic, Professor of Economics, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico Author of Resource Paper: Dr. Courtney Blackman, Governor, Central Bank, Bridgetown, Barbados Noon-1:15 p.m. Lunch 1:15 p.m. Honored Address: The Honorable Sally Angela Shelton, Ameri- can Ambassador to Barbados, Grenada and the Commonwealth of Dominica, American Minister to Saint Lucia, and United States Special Representative to the State of Antigua, St. Chris- topher-Nevis-Anguilla, and St. Vincent 2:15-3:00 p.m. SESSION II Growth limiting factors, and carrying capacity: How do the natural and human resources of a small island constrain its economic growth, resources such as water, energy, and land? Chairman: Jeffrey Dellimore, Caribbean Development Bank, and St. Vincent Vice Chairman/Rapporteur: Ariel Lugo, U.S. Council on En- vironmental Quality, Washington, D.C. vi Authors of Resource Papers: 1. Simon Jones-Hendrickson, College of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 2. Kenneth Snaggs, Executive Director, PLIPDECO, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 3:00-3:15 p.m. Coffee break 3:15-4:45 p.m. SESSION II (Continued) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 9:00-10:30 a.m. SESSION III Accountability: how do different development strategies affect, or how are they affected by A. Natural resources and environmental matter--land use; coastal and soil erosion; pollution includ- ing oil spills; disposal of solid wastes? B. Social and cultural matters--population pressure; rapid changes in technology; values, attitudes, and societal structure? Chairman: Senator John Connell, President, Caribbean Con- servation Association, St. Michael, Barbados Vice Chairman/Rapporteur: Eapen Chacko, U.N. Ocean Eco- nomics and Technology Office, United Nations, New York, New York Author of Resource Paper for "A": Ivor Jackson, Town Planner, Government of the British Virgin Islands, Tortola, British Virgin Islands Authors of Resource,Papers for "B": 1. Allan Harris, Trinidad and Tobago Institute of the West Indies, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2. Dawn Marshall, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados 10:30-10:45 a.m.