The Tribune

By DENISE Maycock

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT - A representative of the Bahamas National Trust said the developers of the proposed aragonite mining project for East Grand Bahama have not had any official discussions with the organisation about their plans at Bursus Cay, one of several sites that is being considered for inclusion in the proposed Marine Protected Area.

The Nassau Island Development Company (NIDC) is proposing a $50m aragonite mining project on Grand Bahama. The developers are now awaiting a formal government response as to how it should proceed with its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The company believes the Bahamas is the only country in the world that produces high quality oolitic aragonite in commercial volumes. Its studies suggest Bursus Cay has “an infinite amount”.

The NIDC held a town hall meeting in McClean’s Town last Wednesday. Lakeisha Anderson, BNT Grand Bahama Parks Manager, said that East End residents have asked the trust to expand the proposed protected area boundaries to include Bursus Cay.

“The trust was surprised to hear that a meeting was to be held for locals when the community had not even been presented with, nor aware of any formal proposal for the proposed dredging, nor an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA),” she said.

The BNT held a community meeting with residents, and conducted walkabouts last week in the East End area. “We had a strong turnout from residents at that meeting, urging BNT to assist them in protecting their prime fishing grounds. Most especially they noted the threat of proposed mining operations and requested proposed boundaries to be extended to Bursus Cay,” Ms Anderson said.

“We have been hearing about a proposed project, but had not had any contact with NID prior to this event or any official word from the Government either,” she said.

“We have been dutifully working in East End, consulting with locals, speaking to residents and hearing their desires and concerns about a proposed Marine Protected Area.”

Ms Anderson and her team have held multiple consultations in the East, as well as meetings and site visits with local government representatives and stakeholders. She indicated that BNT has to present “a strong case” to the government when recommending new areas as national parks.

“Our team has been meeting with residents and has begun gathering signatures to demonstrate the community’s support, along with scientific justifications, for the protection of East Grand Bahama,” she said.

The BNT has been working with the East End communities since last June towards the protection of the areas proposed for East Grand Bahama, North shore/Gap, and for the expansions of Peterson Cay National Park and the Lucayan National Park.

According to Anderson, plans are currently underway to finalise the park proposal documents for submission to government and the Grand Bahama Development Company.

Eric Carey, BNT’s executive director, believes that a very solid case has been made for the proposed national park in East Grand Bahama.

“The East End Communities, especially the fishermen, have made a strong case for this proposed national park. Noting the importance of Bursus Cay to the sustainability of their fishery and the threat that the proposed dredging represents, they have asked BNT to expand the original proposal to include this important area,” he said.

At the town hall meeting held by the proposed developer, Anderson corrected the presenters and advised them that residents had requested that the Bursus Cay area be added to the park during their last meeting.

“We were very concerned to hear at the meeting, a statement claiming we (BNT) had met with the team reportedly hired to conduct an EIA on this matter. The statement also suggested BNT had been advised of the scope of this group’s work and the town meeting,” she said.

“This is not the case and BNT came to the meeting, like most of the residents, unaware of any plans, and left the meeting without full knowledge of the plans and still with no proper EIA to review.”

The BNT has launched a petition opposing dredging at Bursus Cay. Persons interested in signing it can visit the Local Government Offices in Sweeting’s Cay and High Rock.

The Bahamas National Trust was created by an Act of Parliament in 1959 to build and manage the national park system of the Bahamas. Possibly the only non-governmental organisation in the world charged with such a responsibility the Trust, as it is commonly known, works daily to conserve and protect the natural resources of the Bahamas, through stewardship and education for present and future generations. There are currently 27 National Parks managed by the Trust with more than 1m acres of marine and terrestrial areas protected.