By Robert A. Emmanuel
Construction work at Cedar Tree Point continues to attract controversy among Barbudans who claim the development infringes on their livelihoods, including those who earn a living from the nearby frigate bird sanctuary.
A group of Barbudans recently planned a group inspection in “opposition of the luxury development in a national park, frigate bird sanctuary and internationally protected wetland”.
The creation of two large luxury homes on the fringes of Barbuda’s world-famous bird sanctuary has never been accepted by most Barbudans, and according to a source who attended the inspection, the recent Barbuda Council election result is further testament to that.
“We voted democratically twice in the last couple of months…[and] we had a clean sweep of the council. The will of the people is 100 percent clear; we are not giving up our land for mere money.
“These developments are benefitting others whilst destroying our environment and our livelihoods, fishing and hunting and agricultural rights,” the source wrote to Observer.
He said Barbudans want to “stop this wanton destruction of our environment…ask that leadership be proactive in halting this project immediately which is within our right, and let them explain exactly who, what and when the approval came from”.
The source also questioned why a judicial review was not underway and if persons were “going to wait for the project to be complete before any challenge is made”.
The development is said to span nearly 114 acres, with 98 acres making up a so-called ‘security buffer’ placing the area off limits to Barbudans.
It is also said to intrude on lands protected under the Ramsar Convention—wetlands of international importance that have been designated for containing representative, rare or unique wetland types or for their importance in conserving biological diversity.
According to the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), the visit followed an official letter of complaint submitted by Barbudans to the Department of Environment in March 2023, following up on a previous letter dated August 19 2022.
“The official letter of complaint requested the DoE conduct an investigation as soon as possible, referring to the Environmental Management and Protection Act, to assess damage and in particular inform the public about the state of the environment,” GLAN said.
Land use in Barbuda continues to be a source of contention between central government which considers land to belong to the unitary state of Antigua and Barbuda and thus subject to its administration and the Barbuda Council which considers land in Barbuda to be owned in common by Barbudans.
Recently, the Solicitor General submitted a letter to the Barbuda Council, claiming that members were engaging in seditious actions by “inciting disaffection and animosity towards the government of Antigua and Barbuda”.
After January’s general election, the new Minister for Barbuda Affairs said he hoped for a reset of diplomatic relations between the two islands, however, whether this issue of lands was part of that reset remains to be seen.
