Objectors to development

These environmentalists seem to have a strong conviction for nature only when it means developing TT .

Speak about a highway to Point Fortin, desalination plants for Tobago, a highway to Toco, a hotel in Chaguaramas, a water park in Chaguaramas or a roadway from Blanchisseuse to Matelot and the objectors will be out ready to die if necessary to ensure things remain the same.

One wonders where these people are now when the mountains are being raped by uncontrolled quarrying.

Where are the animal lovers when crabs and lobsters are harvested throughout the year, especially during their reproductive season when they migrate? Where is the outcry for the thousands of animals that are slaughtered through unregulated hunting that allows one to kill and as many as one may wish regardless of size? Our forests are exploited by illegal squatters who slash and burn, our rivers and seas are not policed and there are no systems in place to ensure our environment is protected.

This sad state is allowed to exist without a word from the socalled environmentalists.

But simply try and develop the land and they come out of the woodwork.

There is a false belief that development means the destruction of nature. In many countries one can see deer, squirrels, birds and other wildlife living in close proximity to humans. Right here in TT one can see this harmonious existence with a visit to the Asa Wright Nature Centre or to Mount St Benedict.

A drive through the mountains on the way to Blanchisseuse from Arima or to Las Quevas from Maraval demonstrates that it is possible to construct roadway through our forests without the destruction of the wildlife.

What is urgently required and should get the attention of the sincere environmentalists is the need for architecture that is sensitive to the wildlife and the environment. Architecture that eliminates excessive noise from air conditioning, lighting that does not contaminate the natural night light, waste water management that does not contaminate the rivers and streams, and controlled levels of vehicular traffic. Mountain lodges, for example, should only be accessed through cable cars and supply vehicles that are sensitive to the environment.

There is need for protests and complaints but those should be for legislation to control hunting and the harvesting of crustaceans.

There should be calls for the establishment of a park ranger service to patrol our State lands and beaches. There should be enforcement of the laws regarding squatting and quarrying.

When these are the areas of focus of the protestors then one can see them as more than obstructionists to development.

Steve Alvarez via email