The Tribune

TWO leading environmental groups have joined the chorus of those expressing reactions ranging from disbelief to outrage upon learning that the government has authorised negotiations with China for 10,000 acres of Crown land in Andros, farming and fishing rights, and 4,500 acres of Crown land for timber harvesting.

Waterkeepers Bahamas and Save The Bays said that “as partners in the struggle to call attention to climate change, and as champions of transparency, accountability, freedom of information and protection of the many natural resources with which The Bahamas is blessed, we hereby go on record opposing the granting of any such rights to foreign governments to farm, fish and harvest the precious resources of The Bahamas”.

The groups said that it was not their intention to cast aspersion or blame on the current or previous governments as both had contributed to the country’s growing dependence on a foreign government.

“Nor do we wish to cast blame on the representatives of the People’s Republic of China,” the groups’ statement said. “It is clear that with one fifth of the world’s population, the most populous nation on the face of the earth must find ways to feed itself in the future. We simply wish to reiterate that The Bahamas, which already faces a precarious future with some predicting that as much as 80 per cent of our land mass will be underwater due to rising seas in our grandchildren’s lifetime, this tiny island nation may not serve as a temporary foodbasket for a giant, risking the depletion of conch, crawfish and fish or losing Crown land with tens of thousands of Bahamians awaiting grants. Our arable land is already shrinking and we can ill afford to donate more.”

The groups said they stood “firm and united” with others in the environmental and freedom of information movement. “Please do not give away what makes the Bahamas one of the most desirable places to live, work and play on earth. Please, listen to the voices of the people who love The Bahamas and want the best for its future.”