|
Environmental Planning is the discipline that takes into account the existing natural conditions of an area with respect to the physical development process. It also promotes sustainable development through the application of scientific and technical principles of research, planning, design and management of both the natural and built environments. In doing so, it incorporates the disciplines of ecology, landscape architecture, architecture, urban design and land use planning through an integrated and holistic approach to the development of both natural and man-made areas in order to ensure that impacts to the natural environment are minimal. |
|
|
Ideally, environmental planning should be the first step in any physical development process that adds a ‘footprint’ to the landscape so that developments of any scale, including infrastructural elements, are applied in harmony with nature. The principle becomes even more critical in territories such as the Caribbean with limited land masses exhibiting fragile natural environments. |
|
|
ABOUT THE CARIBBEAN ...
The Caribbean region is not only vulnerable to natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, droughts, and tidal waves, but is also subject to man-induced environmental disasters such as oil and chemical spills, sand mining, deforestation, soil erosion, solid waste mismanagement, habitat alteration and pollution. In this regard, environmental planning procedures form a critical part of the Caribbean physical development process.
|
|
|
The majority of Caribbean settlements are concentrated in coastal areas that are highly vulnerable to sea surges and sea level rise as a result of natural disasters and global warming. Inappropriately planned coastal developments have contributed systematically to beach erosion, loss of natural habitats, deforestation, pollution, destruction of coral reefs and associated marine communities, and deteriorated coastal water quality. Inland settlements have also contributed to these problems, and are aggravated by poor agricultural practices that alter natural habitats, inject toxic chemicals into the ecosystem (fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides), and increase sedimentation flows to coastlines.
Many Caribbean states are becoming increasingly dependent on the tourism industry to support their economies. According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (2000), the Caribbean is the most tourism dependent region in the world. Tourist arrivals almost tripled between 1980 and 1998, and cruise passenger arrivals had increased fourfold over the same period. With this magnitude of increase in demand comes an increase in pressure on the region’s natural resources. |
|
Environmental planning techniques introduced at the outset of any development initiative can help to ensure that impacts on the environment are minimized and the quality of the tourism product is maximized, with the ultimate aim of achieving sustainable tourism for the Caribbean region. |
|
|
