A $250 000 initiative aimed at fortifying the island’s vulnerable coastline and shielding coastal hotels and businesses from millions of dollars in storm-related damage has taken off here, Barbados TODAY has learnt.
The three-year venture, being undertaken by the Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI) at Cave Hill, is a multi-faceted environmental initiative that seeks to address major challenges to the island’s sensitive mangroves, coral reefs, as well as beach erosion.
Laboratory and Marine Technician with the UWI Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), Joseph Weekes, said the project’s major aim is to build coastal barriers through restored mangroves and coral reefs.
“The purpose of it is to attenuate some of the waves using the coral to act as a natural barrier to help dissipate some of the wave action that hits the coast. The whole goal of it is to try to slow down the rate of erosion on our coast around the country,” Weekes told Barbados TODAY.
“What happens with erosion is that we lose a lot of our coastline, a lot of infrastructure is damaged, tens of thousands of dollars are being spent by hoteliers, the restaurant industry . . . . You could lose even millions of dollars.”
He also warned that a particular part of the island could become alienated in an extreme wave event or storm, thereby compromising any resilience that may exist. The marine environmentalist contended that when this happens, it creates a ready path for the waves and other storm events to come closer inland, causing even more damage.
“Right now,” he disclosed, “we are doing some mangrove monitoring around the island to restore the mangrove system. So we are looking at some mangrove restoration projects as well, along with some coral reef restoration projects. We are also using drones to save the coral reefs environment as well.
“Restoration has started with a coral nursery already developed, hence the possibility of out-planting the coral nurseries to out-planting sites later in the year. It’s a three-year project, but right now, we are about halfway. The first deliverables are already finished. So, by the end of the year, we should have completed the first major stage of it.”
He said the next step would be to monitor the nursery.
Meteorological officials have already put Barbados on high alert with a “dire” warning that storms are developing earlier every season, becoming increasingly more intense and powerful, and getting closer to the island.
Director of the Barbados Meteorological Services Sabu Best urged Barbadians to take the Met office’s predictions more seriously.
He said that above-average cyclones could affect the country this year with more rapid intensity, and the evidence suggests the hurricanes will match the forecasts in terms of gravity and potential impact on the island.
Just last week, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) raised the alarm over the continuing construction of coastal accommodations without adequate systems in place for the safety of hundreds of employees in cases of natural disasters.
BHTA Chairman Javon Griffith is particularly worried about the fate of hotel workers who, he said, are often expected to remain on the job during storms and incidents of flooding.
The vast majority of the BHTA members are hotels along the island’s coastal tourism belt.
“While building hotels along Barbados’ coastline boosts tourism, it does raise concerns about employee safety during natural disasters,” Griffith told Barbados TODAY in response to queries about the risks posed to existing employees and those who will work as a result of the apparent boom in beachside hotel construction.
“Coastal properties face high risks from storms and flooding, yet hotel workers are often expected to remain on site or return quickly after such events, placing them in harm’s way.”
The BHTA chair revealed that this has prompted the association’s secretariat to introduce a hurricane preparedness audit, which he said “will be an annual occurrence and will show us how prepared properties are, what plans they have in place, and what insurance coverage is in place”.
Griffith added: “I do believe all future hotel projects should include stronger disaster preparedness plans, specifically for employees, such as safe shelter and transport support.”
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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