The Tribune

THE environmental activist group EARTHCARE has expressed deep concern following revelations in the press regarding the development plans for Bimini.

Several other organisations have been trying to find out if there is an Environmental Impact Assessment completed for the former Bimini Bay Resort.

The most recent entity to assume control of the project is the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate, which has renamed the project Resorts World Bimini.

EARTHCARE, founded on Grand Bahama in 1988, is a proponent of sustainable development, but said the proposed plans for a cruise ship terminal at the resort are not sustainable “by any stretch of the imagination”.

EARTHCARE founder Gail Woon said: “Who begins operating a cruise ship without a place to dock it, in the first place? The plans are to build the 1,000 foot long jetty along with a six acre island for a cruise ship terminal over a very sensitive ecological oceanic habitat.

“The cruise ship is operating and the developer is in a hurry to have the terminal constructed. In my mind, it is beyond belief to think that the authorities in charge of Bahamian resources would allow for endangered coral reefs to be for all intents and purposes destroyed.”

Ms Woon said EARTHCARE has seen video footage of the construction of the terminal in progress.

She said: “We need to see the permits if this construction has been approved. If it has been approved, was it by central government or the local government in Bimini?

“From our investigations, there have been no town meetings in Bimini to let the stakeholders, Biminites, know what the development plans are for their islands. If there is an Environmental Impact Assessment done, why is it not posted on the BEST (Bahamas Environment Science and Technology) Commission website for all and sundry to peruse?

“We have seen the better plan for Bimini proposed by the Bimini Blue Coalition involving using smaller vessels that can dock at the existing Government Dock.

“This would allow for the cruise ship passengers to experience the culture of Bimini. This would give ground transportation professionals to be able to share a piece of the prosperity. This would allow the cruise ship passengers to see the straw market and museum.”

Ms Woon also raised concern about plans to revive the golf course which were taken off the table years ago due to concerns it would cause further unsustainable damage to valuable marine nursery areas.

EARTHCARE said this golf course would entail bulldozing even more acres of mangroves than the over 160 acres of healthy mangrove wetland nursery habitat already destroyed by the Bimini Bay Resort development.

One Biminite observed, “Why don’t they play golf on the existing golf course on Cat Cay? We don’t need a golf course on North Bimini.”