Barbados is located in the Lesser Antilles, and is the easternmost of the Caribbean SIDS. It is highly urbanized and has a population of around 300,000 and a landmass of 432 km2. (Rawlins, 2003); (World Health Organization , 2013; Henshall, 1966). The Caribbean is mostly comprised of SIDS and is the island group that is most predisposed to natural disasters and extreme weather events (Pelling & Uitto, 2001). The metamorphosis of the land development in Barbados is closely related to the islands socio-cultural history. On account of their colonial legacy, the Barbados was a rural landscape. The dominance of sugar as a mono crop, therefore, favoured the development of the interior agricultural land. It is only recently that the locus of development has shifted outwards to the coast in order to respond to the tourism demands (Scruggs & Bassett, 2013).
Barbados is recognized as a leader in addressing the concerns of SIDS and was instrumental in drafting the widely adopted policy for sustainable development strategies in SIDS, called the Barbados Programme of Action. In terms of sustainable coastal tourism objectives, these are addressed indirectly through the Physical Development Plan and national development policy instruments, but they are regionally acclaimed for their coastal zone management practices (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2000; Scruggs & Bassett, 2013).
Barbados previously dabbled in the mass-tourism industry, but currently primarily offers a more up-market and luxury product. The success of tourism was traditionally measured in percentage annual increase of arrivals, however this type of measurement ignores important variables such as length of stay or visitor expenditure and seasonal variations. This fa...
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...f of the CZMU. Although the CZMU’s mandate is to address coastal management with an integrated approach, it is worth questioning whether all interests are accounted for equitably? Barbados’ urban planning strategies employ the top-down approach and the department is reputed for pursuing economically profitable projects. To have both the CZMU and the Town and Country Planning department engaging in public participation consultation would be favourable to pursuing environmental policy in tandem with socio-economic equity.
Economic valuation is an important component of environmental policy, although it is difficult to affix a cost on the environment and ecosystem services, it is a measurement that is relevant to most in society humans. Therefore, economic tools may be useful in reinforcing the importance of maintaining biodiversity and preserving fragile ecosystems.
The damage of the Sydney June storms was devastating. Though such a powerful storm could not have been prevented, measures could have been taken to improve and minimise the impact and destruction of the storm cell. There are a number of ways in which citizens of coastal environments and suburbs could promote the sustainability of their area and the safety of their homes. Apart from the local council, coastal environments and suburbs would benefit from establishing groups of concerned residents to solely promote sustainability and prepare for damage. This group will help monitor erosion, ensure laws and rules are followed by residents and visitors and suggest ways in which coastal environments can be improved. Sufficient signage around
Government of South Australia, 2005. Adelaide's Living Beaches. A Strategy for 2005 - 2025, December, pp. 5-27.
The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).
Beach driving is one environmental cost that is majorly linked to tourism on the island. To control this, Emu Bay is the only beach where cars are permitted on the sand. The preservation of this beau...
Pattullo, Polly, Last Resorts: “The Cost of Tourism in the Caribbean”. Kiniry and Rose 590-598. Print.
The way in which Benítez-Rojo and Mintz tackle the question of Caribbean identity in their articles, is a removed, objective ideal, in contrast to Michelle Cliff’s portrayal of Jamaican identity. Cliff’s portrayal touches the heart and soul of Caribbean identity. While Mintz and Benítez-Rojo are investigating trends in the Caribbean as a whole, from an outside perspective, Cliff offers the personal, tactile imagery of what it is to live in the Caribbean, utilizing the objective account of history as a background. Furthermore, Cliff deals with Jamaica, one island in the Caribbean, while Mintz and Benítez-Rojo are dealing with the Caribbean on a grand scaled overview. The fact is neither article can be taken as complete truth. In fact, although Cliff uses history in her novel, I believe the account of history from someone who has completely accessed the interior of a place, is always going to be biased. Likewise, Mintz and Benítez-Rojo in making their hypotheses, are lacking an insider’s view. It is the difference between a Caribbean person and Caribbeanist, respectively. Therefore, while on a logical level, an analytical level, Benítez-Rojo and Mintz’s, conclusions as to Caribbean identity could rightly be accepted, these two authors do not possess the experience and intensity to make me as a reader, convinced of their conclusions.
(2016),” the tourism system has some important inputs from an environmental perspective which includes natural, cultural and human resources.” The system has three subsystems which are tourism retailing, destination and transport, all of which are interrelated. Within the destination subsystem, the importance of natural and cultural attractions is emphasized as the basis for attracting tourists. The outputs of the system can be both positive and negative in that tourism can both conserve and destroy nature while bringing positive and negative economic cultural changes. Another output of the tourism system that is desired by governments is tourists’ satisfaction must be guaranteed. (pp.9-10) The pollution of the sea by sewage, overcrowding of beaches, removal of coral reefs and deforestation are the ways in which the environment is being affected by tourism. Hence, the need for environmental awareness in Jamaica as the impact is a major concern to the country. Although it is damaging the environment, it brings economic benefits.
It is important, in order for the economy to see the environment worth something, to put an economic value on it. For this reason, a group of scientists for the Center for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment have developed an economic valuation for the environment. According to them, it is necessary to impute a value to environmental goods or services (Pearce et al, online). This value is necessary because the economy needs to see that the protection of the environment can prove cost worthy to business and industry. The purpose of valuation is to show true costs of using up scarce environmental resources. It is a way for environmentalists and economists to put a dollar figure on the services the environment provides. Robert Costanza, an ecological economist from the University of Maryland, has done just this. The estimate of services provided by ecosystems worldwide is 33 trillion dollars annually, surpassing the gross national product of al the countries on earth combined by eight trillion dollars (Zimmer 105). The environment provides services not only commercially, such as timber, but also in less visible ways. For instance, forests protect from soil erosion, which proves costly to correct. With these facts in mind, depleting ecosystems an resources proves costly, while protection them can only save money.
The United Kingdom’s main interest in Belize was purely economic. In the mid 17th century the African Slave Trade was introduced as a source of labor for forestry which continued to be the main enterprise until it was eventually supplanted by sugar. Although slavery in the British colonies was abolished progressively between 1833 and 1838, many early immigrants came from the West Indies. The only way England was able to farm British Honduras was by shipping massive amounts of immigrants to the country in order to be part of the working class. England’s economic interests in British Honduras pushed for a large mixed immigrant population, which ended up allowing the area to become populated by many interracial children. Although there were few British settlers that stayed on the island, interracial mixing began to develop due to the large population of Africans that came over as slaves and with a few original Amerindian or Mayan inhabitants. People of what is now known as Belize can be referred to by different ethnicities known as; Mestizos (mix of Mayan and European descent) and Garifuna or ‘Black Caribs’ (mix of Amerindian and African blood), and Creole (mixture of white and black), but the most predominant race that remains since the 17th century up till today are Black.
When one thinks of Barbados, one thinks of luscious, turquoise blue waters; soft white sand beaches; blue, white clouded skies; fresh fruits; exotic, delicious dishes and honeymoons. One, however, tends to forget the formation of this land. This Caribbean luxury Island has much history and great heritage. In this report, I will detail Barbados’s location, history, labor relations, population size and structure, industries, plus add a little zest with the beauty of the Island.
...ing public goods present problems of their own. Many of them provide incentives to undersupply and to free-ride because of the many suppliers that are relied upon. It is seen as better off from an individual’s perspective to minimize your individual costs while maximizing your benefits that are being provided by others. The conservation of marine biodiversity is looked upon as a whole, is important to everyone and provides great benefit. However, the individual’s self-interests are always taken into account and through each and every implemented strategy and system, there will always be those that look at those self-interests. In order for the perfect preservation of marine biodiversity, individuals need to ignore the incentives of the present, that influence them to try to maximize their current profits, and focus on the possible future profits of everybody.
Tourism has become an important part that has an impact on development of country economy. The main benefits of tourism are revenue creation and generation of jobs. For many Caribbean countries it is the most important source of benefit. The capacity of
...’s most easily accessible active volcanoes (Méheux, et al, 2004). Port Resolution is one of the few white sand beaches in Vanuatu and this type of location is being exploited by foreign investors (2013, pers. comm., Morris). In addition, the Port Resolution Community Project is also a prototype project to establish whether similar projects can be implemented in other communities on Tanna and throughout Vanuatu to support the education of Vanuatu’s youth (2013, pers. comm., Morris). Hence, the concept behind the Port Resolution Community Project is to provide tourists with a traditional cultural experience while meeting their expectations of first-world facilities such as electricity and modern amenities. Therefore, it is vital for the project that the community remains in control of the management, the land and the generated income (2013, pers. comm., Morris).
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1). The implications for tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into this matter. Since the 1970’s, research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse effects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574).
Subsequently, the values that are not of a single service, but a total economic value (TEV) or marked as ‘various’, had to be moved from the list for consistency. Finally, 70 data items from 27 articles remain in the analysis. The cross tables based on the data are given in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 shows the relationship between eco-services and wetland types in terms of the number of study cases, while Table 2 shows the relationship between the services and the methods used for their valuation. The most studied services are food and raw materials which happen mainly at wetlands unspecified by the authors or at floodplains; the most used valuation methods are the direct market pricing method, there are 41 data items out of the total 70.