| Over the past year there has been a lot of loose chatter about environmental agencies hindering or slowing up the process of development in Anguilla. |
In recent months, there have been more talk about why an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is necessary and the unwarranted burden or cost to potential developers in requesting an EIA. Therefore, by way of this letter I would like to highlight the importance of an EIA, and to appeal to the powers that be not to see an EIAs as a hindrance to development but rather as a useful process aimed at ensuring that we protect the livelihoods and well-being of all of the people residing in Anguilla. An Environmental Impact Assessment is a management tool that has been around since the 1970s. It is an assessment of the potential positive or negative impacts that a proposed development or project may have on the environment. A widespread misconception of an EIA is that it only addresses the natural environment (i.e. birds, trees, fish, coral reefs, sea grass, etc.). However, this could not be further from the truth. In an EIA, the term environment is used to encompass both the natural and man-made environment. That is, it also encompasses the social and economic aspects of the society. The EIA process is useful in supplying decision-makers with an indication of the likely consequences of their actions. It ensures that decision-makers consider the potential negative environmental (to include socio-economic) impacts when deciding whether to proceed with a project. What is now being argued in some circles in Anguilla is no different to what happened in the USA when the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 was being debated. In the beginning there was widespread opposition to EIAs; however, the people later realized that the purpose of the EIA was to improve and protect their lives and so it was accepted. They soon realized that with an EIA all of the potential negative impacts of a development could be identified and mitigated against during the planning stage of a project. With an EIA there is a win-win situation for all. Modifications are made in the planning stage to ensure that any damage to the natural |
