Sustainable
Development for
Small Island Developing States
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VII. CONCLUSION
This Position Paper contains, in detailed fashion, background information on the salient macroeconomic activities, the national planning process, the management of the environment, the human resources development process and the strategies for our future development and internationally competitive entry in the global community. In this regard the Paper represents our articulation of the major development strategies, developmental direction and policies of the Government of the British Virgin Islands
(GBVI). More specifically, the paper elaborates our concept of what constitutes environmentally sustainable development in the context of the BVI and how we have set out to achieve it.
To achieve sustainable development in the context of the BVI there most be a clear definition of he roles and responsibilities of all actors in the community including the state, the regions, the communities, the individuals, the special interest groups and the international community.
Development is about producing the physical facilities, extending the human range of productive skills and providing the individual with security sufficient to increase his longevity, to increase educational attainment and to provide, on a continuous basis, access to resources. Development, in the context of the BVI and consistent with the globally accepted concept of sustainable development, is about improving the quality of life for all people (current generations) without compromising the ability of future generations to earn a living from the set of natural resources endowed to these beautiful British Virgin Islands. Development is about the strategic and sustainable employment of all resources natural, human and technological in a balanced manner.
Settlement planning and the rational use of land and other natural resources has become increasingly important in the BVI in recent years. The function of settlement planning has been characterised largely by development control as a regulatory procedure, with less emphasis on planning as a facilitator of investment opportunities and development. The complexity of human settlement planning in the BVI is compounded by the vibrancy of an economy based largely on tourism. To date the legislative, administrative and technical provisions for town and country planning in the BVI have been very modest. Development planning has not been undertaken in a comprehensive manner.
The coastal zone is one of the most varied and one of the most heavily impacted areas of the environment in the BVI, in addition it is one of the most important economic areas, most of the tourist industry is located in and is dependent on the coastal zone. The coastal zone consists of many different sub-systems e.g. beaches, mangroves, cliffs, coral reefs, sea grass beds, these are all interconnected such that impacts on one sub-system affect the entire system.
The BVI has been a leader in the area of Parks and Protected Areas in the Eastern Caribbean. The first national park was established in 1964. The establishment and management of parks and protected areas is viewed as an important means for preserving the natural and cultural heritage for future generations. The BVI National Parks Trust
(NPT) is a statutory, corporate body, established in 1961 to manage, preserve and promote areas which have been legally designated national parks by proclamation of Executive Council.
The British Virgin Islands, one of the few remaining British Dependent Territories, are located on the Eastern Caribbean about sixty miles east of Puerto Rico. They comprise over forty islands with the most populated ones being Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. Tortola with a population of over 13,000 and an area of twenty one square miles is the center of government. The islands economy is based mainly on tourism and servicing of international business companies.
Geologically, the BVI belongs to the Greater Antilles and, together with the United States Virgin Islands
(USVI), rise from the Puerto Rican shelf which lies about 213 ft (65 m) below sea level. Most of the islands were uplifted from submerged volcanos. The rocks of the BVI, with the exception of Anegada, consist of thick, steeply inclined metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary stratified series of Cretaceous age, into which dioritic and pegamites have been intruded. The stratified rocks strike east-west and dip north at angles of over 45 degrees to the horizontal. They are predominantly marine laid
pyroclastics, tuffaceous and normal marine sediments.
The future outlook, as suggested from the population projections, indicates among other things that the population will continue to grow and variables will change its structure over the reference period. Key variables indicating change are the sex ratio, age structure, birth rate, working age population and the school age population. These structural and absolute changes suggest a number of social economic, population and environmental imperatives which generally indicate the need for a new approach to managing these multi-disciplinary activities. It is the realization of these structural changes, socio-economic imperatives and new management approaches that lead us to select the integrated approach to development
planning based upon the concept of strategic visioning.
In summation, the population projections covering the period 1991 - 2021 suggest that population will become one of the most critical factors in the development of the BVI. In this economic development scenario of the country, featuring tourism and international financial services within the context of limited and fragile natural assets together with acute indigenous human resource shortages, the need for integrated planning of economic, social, population and environmental related activities is apparent and highlighted.
The government of the BVI is committed to the provision of a comprehensive system of health care delivery involving both public and private escorts, so that all may receive health care, regardless of social or financial standing. The Government fully endorses the Alma Ata Declaration of Health for All by the year designated for special attention include: women and children, the mentally ill and the handicapped. Maternal and child health care is of prime importance.
Education management and administration constitute a major social policy area for the Government of the British Virgin Islands given the development of highly skilled human resources as a prerequisite to the attainment of the national objectives.
Human resource development, of which education is a major component, is one of the four main development strategies of the Government to make the BVI a World Class International Financial Services and Tourism Centre. The other major strategy is the development of a lean and efficient public sector which is ready to adjust to international or domestic scenarios of change. To achieve our development goals, the education system must be World Class and oriented around major economic activities. Education and training at the primary and secondary level will be mandatory and substantially free-while tertiary education will be subsidized to a lesser extent.
The Social Development policy of BVIG is to provide a social safety net for those persons in our community who have been unfortunately excluded or disadvantaged in terms of socio-economic development. Additionally special groups suffering from abuse or finding themselves in difficult circumstances such as women and children, for whatever reason, are entitled, upon qualification, to receive assistance, both in cash and kind, from the Department of Social Development. However, constraints such as the spread out-island characteristics of the BVI and the limited resources available, both human and financial, have not permitted the Social Development Department to effectively delivery services required by this growing segment of the population.
Only 14 percent of the land in the BVI is suitable for agriculture. That is 5,304 across of the total of 37,608 acres of privately owned and farming is conducted mainly on a semi subsistence basis. Production is mainly for home consumption with small surpluses marketed. In Virgin Gorda, most of the lands are Crown Lands and the farmers are given long-term leases. Again most of the farming is semi-subsistence farming. The average size of holdings is about 5 acres but al of this is not cultivated, much of it is used for livestock.
The growth in the industry in the late 1970's and the late 1980's is most evident. In particular between 1984 and 1990 there was a 97% increase in the total holiday visitors. In 1990 317,670 persons visited the BVI, of which 56% were stop-over visitors. The gross expenditure by tourists in 1990 was estimated at US$ 132.1 million. The primary tourism markets are the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany.
The BVI imports a considerable quantity of fish. In future years the BVI could become self sufficient in fish. This will involve training younger fishermen in new methods, assisting them to purchase the necessary boats and fishing gear. The existing distribution and marketing system will need major work. At present fisheries resources are insufficiently documented, and a major effort is under way through catch/effort surveys to collect the necessary information to plan the future development and direction of the fishing industry.
During the decade of the period 1984-1993 Gross Domestic Product at constant prices increased threefold moving from $86.30m in 1984 to $197.50m in 1993. This spectacular increase in economic activity was spearheaded by the development of the British Virgin Islands a major world-wide yacht sailing and international financial services
centre. In achieving this sectoral development in tourism and financial services the related sectors such as utilities, communications, transport and construction were major beneficiary and supporting sectors.
In pursuit of the national goal of sustainable development, GBVI policy is to ensure resource availability, implementation capacity and post implementation analysis capacity. In this regard sustainable development is seen as on ongoing national project; accordingly, measures which amount to all the steps in project cycle management
(PCM) are to be put in place to ensure a sustained process. To this end, sustainable structural and organisational changes are expected in public sector agencies that are considered critical to this process particularly economic, spatial and environmental planning, project implementation, natural resources management and law. Other agencies of importance are those responsible for information, public relations, health and education.
Sustainable development based on land and water oriented tourism coupled with one of the fastest growing regional economics dictate that a strategic vision followed by an integrated approach are needed to formulate plans, policies, programmes and projects. The BVI Plan of Action for Sustainable Development is concentrated in the areas of integration of policies and strategies, sustainable management and use of our natural asset base, social integration and the development of appropriate human resources.
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