“Disney has a responsibility to ocean nations around the world and especially The Bahamas”
Eagleray Empress: Mega corporation should fund program for local scientists to research true impact of Lighthouse Point project
CAT ISLAND, BAHAMAS — The Cat Island Conservation Institute (CICI) is urging the government to hold off on approving Disney’s Lighthouse Point, Eleuthera, project for one year until the company completes a community environmental impact assessment (CEIA).
A letter from CICI member Nikita Shiel-Rolle, otherwise known as Eagleray Empress, was submitted to the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection on Friday, May 7 — the same day public feedback for Disney’s 500-page environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the proposed project closed.
Citing what she called “egregious gaps” in the EIA, Shiel-Rolle argued a CEIA would provide higher quality data about the project and “illustrate the true environmental impact of this development in a way that the Bahamian people can understand”.
“I would like to emphasize that I am deeply concerned with the underwhelming and egregious lack of substance in the EIA as it relates to the environmental impact of the cruise industry in perpetuating the climate crisis and the environmental impact of the industry on the entire country of The Bahamas,” Shiel-Rolle said.
“We urge the government of The Bahamas to place a one-year pause on this project until a community environmental impact assessment has been conducted and publicly reviewed.”
She added: “As a member of the Sustainable Development Goals Technical Advisory Committee to the SDG Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, I would like to clearly state that Disney has a responsibility to ocean nations around the world and especially The Bahamas.
“This is our opportunity to request that Disney demonstrates global leadership by willingly participating in the sustainable development of the new Bahamian blue economy. This requires that all Bahamians have a fair opportunity to understand really what is at stake in development decisions.
“This is critical as our colonial history has created extreme gaps in literacy and our ability as Bahamians to truly understand the value of our natural resources.”
The CICI member who also founded the Young Marine Explorers group sympathized with Eleutherans eager for a boost to their local economy.
“We cannot stress enough to our Eleuthera people that we are not against you. We are from the north of Cat Island and we know what it is to suffer,” she said.
However, she underscored that more information and education are needed so Bahamians understand exactly what the impact is and the country’s resources are not “taken advantage of”.
Shiel-Rolle asserted “the fact of the matter is that there are huge data gaps”.
“The EIA continually refers to the fact that protocols will be developed in the Baseline Management Plan in lieu of discussing the actual environmental impact,” she said.
“It is evident that there is not enough data to really determine what the true long-term environmental impact of this development will have in South Eleuthera and North Cat Island, and this is another reason for a more thorough environmental impact assessment.”
She claimed Disney’s EIA had insufficient data on a Nassau Grouper school of fish allegedly in the cruise ship path and a lack of understanding of the resident marine mammal population in relevant areas and how it might be affected by increased ship traffic and noise pollution resulting from “engines running every day”.
It also failed to acknowledge the “ecological significance” of an alleged high density of sea urchins within the proposed development site, she said.
“It is because of the above mentioned egregious concerns that we are proposing that community environmental impact assessments be conducted by certified local community marine scientists from South Eleuthera and North Cat Island and that this story become an educational tool that Disney creates to introduce Bahamians to understanding the great value that lies within our oceans.
“A CEIA will not only provide higher quality data about critical economically important ecosystems and illustrate the true environmental impact of this development in a way that the Bahamian people can understand, additionally, it will meaningfully elevate community voices in our national development process.
“A community-based environmental impact assessment will not only develop critical blue economy skills for members in South Eleuthera and the neighboring North Cat Island, but Disney will also be seen as a leader in supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in their business practices.”
Shiel-Rolle also proposed “a long-term spatiotemporal community biodiversity monitoring program funded by Disney” and engaging certified community scientists from South Eleuthera and North Cat Island to collect data to fill the “major gaps” in the EIA and simultaneously “develop critical skills that support a flouring blue economy and that position Bahamians to be in greater control of their financial future and overall well-being”.
“This is a key sustainable development benefit that must come from all developments taking place in The Bahamas, especially those, like the DCL Lighthouse Point project that negatively impacts our marine biodiversity,” she said.
I want to know what the Island School and the Cape Eleuthera Institute has to say about the Disney Lighthouse point project. Maybe you should send a reporter to the Island School to speak to Ben Dougherty who heads both originations.