What is a wetland? And why should we be worried about their protection?
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, July 27th, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) will be hosting a community meeting to discuss the results of the first phase of a study to assess the economic value of our remaining wetlands. The meeting also aims to get feedback from the public about how things used to be, how the changes have affected life on St. Maarten and what people think is important about our remaining wetlands.
The wetlands of St. Maarten take the shape of ponds, lagoons, mangroves and coral reefs. Development in the last few decades has resulted in an extreme loss of our wetland areas and a decrease in the size of those that remain. But what does that mean for us? Surely removing mangroves and filling in ponds and lagoons to create more land for development is good for our economy? Simply put, it is not that simple.
Our environment, and especially our wetlands, provide us with a number of benefits which contribute to our daily quality of life. By destroying these environments, we are doing away with those natural benefits which will eventually lead to large costs on our economy in the form of natural disaster damage and health care services, to name just two.
Attend this meeting to discuss the economic importance of our wetlands, the changes which they have undergone and how we can work to protect them in the future. This meeting is open admission to the general public and basic refreshments will be provided. The Philipsburg Jubilee Library has generously donated the use of their hall for this meeting.
This project, “Economic Valuation of St Maarten's Remaining Wetlands - Phase I”, is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Prince Bernhard Cultural Funds Caribbean. For more information, contact Kippy at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or surf over to: www.epicislands.org.
