47
Human Interference
Policymakers and senior officials recognised the
wide-ranging negative impact of humans on the
environment and their contribution in worsening
the effects of climate change on small island
developing communities. Policymaker Y1
explained:
St. Vincent and the Grenadines collect surface
water from the abundant forests. Due to the high
volume of deforestation taking place in the mountainous interior of the island, we see notable
reductions in the flow of streams (rivers), resulting
in the decrease of water going to the water catchment tanks.
Youth also highlighted the issue of deforestation in the mountainous interior of the island as a
significant human interference. A young man
from X9 stated:
Over three-quarters of the forest cover on the
island is destroyed. Thousands of acreages of the
forest are cleared for marijuana growing. After 2 to
3 crops planting Ganga in the mountains, the soil
becomes poor (infertile), so the Ganga farmers
moved on to clear another area of the forest to start
planting another crop. When the rain falls, the
loose soil would be washed away by the rain. It
will travel down to flood the villages. (Yeh ova ¼ of
de tree dem don cut down. Dem Ganga man cut
down de trees fuh plant dem Ganga. Afta dem don
plant 2–3 time (crops) de dutty (soil) get poor so de
Ganga man ah move to ah next place feh cut down
mo tree feh plant e Ganga. So wen e rain ah fall de
dutty go wash way by e rain. Ah dah wata fram e
mountin way ah wash way de villeg ah dem belo).
Policymakers and senior officials expressed
their concerns regarding the continuous destruction of the islands’ natural resources by foreign
tourism developers and by the illegal marijuana
producers. Over 90% of policymakers and senior
officials interviewed expressed concerns about
the relaxed government planning and environment laws for tourism developers. Two issues of
grave concern were raised by policymakers
including (1) the dynamiting of vast acreages of
coral reefs by tourism developers in the
Grenadines island of Canouan for the development of a yacht mariner and (2) changing the
course of the river in Buccament Valley by the
tourism developers in order to build the five-star
Buccament Bay Resort. The river was diverted
into the local community and was the cause of the
flooding of hundreds of households and the deaths
of residents during the 2013 Christmas Eve storm.
Policymakers and senior officials were adamant
that two parallel states are operating in SVG, i.e.
one where local planning laws and standards are
enforced for some local people and the other
where foreign developers can do whatever they
like when constructing tourism facilities. This
suggests that economic concerns override other
factors in the decision-making process, and there
may be an element of corruption.
Over three-quarters of youth who participated
in the FGDs expressed anger regarding the high
levels of deforestation taking place in the mountains by illegal marijuana farmers who cleared
large acreages of virgin forest. Most of the youth
indicated that they are also aware of the destruction of mangrove swamps and coral reefs by tourism developers to develop mariners and tourism
facilities on the islands of the Grenadines.
Approximately one-third of youth, mainly young
women, called for new leadership in SVG to
address the deforestation problem. Most youths
felt that the “current crop of leaders” do not have
the interest nor the political will to solve the
deforestation problem in the mountains.
Rise in Temperature
Policymaker and senior official Y7 highlighted
the consequences of temperature rise on the
Caribbean island states:
Increase in temperature, causing the ice around the
Arctic Circle to melt, resulting in Sea Level rise.
Increase in temperature escalates the severity and
intensity of hurricanes and other weather events
such as droughts and heavy rains, which are causing flooding and landslides.
This view was supported by over threequarters of the policymakers and senior officials.
The rise in temperature is viewed by most youth
as a significant climate stressor impacting on
their communities. A young woman from FGD
X2 said:
Summary of Analyses of the Top- Down and Bottom-Up Approaches from Data Collected…
Human Interference
Policymakers and senior officials recognised the
wide-ranging negative impact of humans on the
environment and their contribution in worsening
the effects of climate change on small island
developing communities. Policymaker Y1
explained:
St. Vincent and the Grenadines collect surface
water from the abundant forests. Due to the high
volume of deforestation taking place in the mountainous interior of the island, we see notable
reductions in the flow of streams (rivers), resulting
in the decrease of water going to the water catchment tanks.
Youth also highlighted the issue of deforestation in the mountainous interior of the island as a
significant human interference. A young man
from X9 stated:
Over three-quarters of the forest cover on the
island is destroyed. Thousands of acreages of the
forest are cleared for marijuana growing. After 2 to
3 crops planting Ganga in the mountains, the soil
becomes poor (infertile), so the Ganga farmers
moved on to clear another area of the forest to start
planting another crop. When the rain falls, the
loose soil would be washed away by the rain. It
will travel down to flood the villages. (Yeh ova ¼ of
de tree dem don cut down. Dem Ganga man cut
down de trees fuh plant dem Ganga. Afta dem don
plant 2–3 time (crops) de dutty (soil) get poor so de
Ganga man ah move to ah next place feh cut down
mo tree feh plant e Ganga. So wen e rain ah fall de
dutty go wash way by e rain. Ah dah wata fram e
mountin way ah wash way de villeg ah dem belo).
Policymakers and senior officials expressed
their concerns regarding the continuous destruction of the islands’ natural resources by foreign
tourism developers and by the illegal marijuana
producers. Over 90% of policymakers and senior
officials interviewed expressed concerns about
the relaxed government planning and environment laws for tourism developers. Two issues of
grave concern were raised by policymakers
including (1) the dynamiting of vast acreages of
coral reefs by tourism developers in the
Grenadines island of Canouan for the development of a yacht mariner and (2) changing the
course of the river in Buccament Valley by the
tourism developers in order to build the five-star
Buccament Bay Resort. The river was diverted
into the local community and was the cause of the
flooding of hundreds of households and the deaths
of residents during the 2013 Christmas Eve storm.
Policymakers and senior officials were adamant
that two parallel states are operating in SVG, i.e.
one where local planning laws and standards are
enforced for some local people and the other
where foreign developers can do whatever they
like when constructing tourism facilities. This
suggests that economic concerns override other
factors in the decision-making process, and there
may be an element of corruption.
Over three-quarters of youth who participated
in the FGDs expressed anger regarding the high
levels of deforestation taking place in the mountains by illegal marijuana farmers who cleared
large acreages of virgin forest. Most of the youth
indicated that they are also aware of the destruction of mangrove swamps and coral reefs by tourism developers to develop mariners and tourism
facilities on the islands of the Grenadines.
Approximately one-third of youth, mainly young
women, called for new leadership in SVG to
address the deforestation problem. Most youths
felt that the “current crop of leaders” do not have
the interest nor the political will to solve the
deforestation problem in the mountains.
Rise in Temperature
Policymaker and senior official Y7 highlighted
the consequences of temperature rise on the
Caribbean island states:
Increase in temperature, causing the ice around the
Arctic Circle to melt, resulting in Sea Level rise.
Increase in temperature escalates the severity and
intensity of hurricanes and other weather events
such as droughts and heavy rains, which are causing flooding and landslides.
This view was supported by over threequarters of the policymakers and senior officials.
The rise in temperature is viewed by most youth
as a significant climate stressor impacting on
their communities. A young woman from FGD
X2 said:
Summary of Analyses of the Top- Down and Bottom-Up Approaches from Data Collected…