THE last remnants of the dense forest that once covered this island is being put at risk. Human encroachment is taking a toll on the more than 70 acres of native flora and fauna of Turner’s Hall Woods in St. Andrew.
At a press conference on Friday to launch the new Biodiversity Conservation and Management website, Minister of Environment and Drainage, Dr. Denis Lowe, said that while they have not physically seen vehicles in the area, on a recent visit to the woods by officials of the Ministry, the tyre tracks they discovered was all the evidence they needed. These vehicles, most likely all terrain vehicles (ATVs), he said, are causing degradation of the soil, which is made worse by the rain. It is for this reason, Lowe said, that his Ministry is seeking to have the woods designated a protected area, just as they are endeavouring to do with the swamp at Chancery Lane.
“I have asked the Ministry to try to find some resources where we can do a replenishment of a number of the dying trees in the area of Turner’s Hall, so that we can keep that important green cover on the island,” he said.
He added, “Growing up in St. Andrew very close to Turner’s Hall Woods, I know the importance of that particular green space, not only to human beings. There was a time that a lot of livelihoods were maintained in the woods itself; there was a very healthy collection of fruit trees and other types of activities that many of the residents in the surrounding areas benefited from.”
The Environment Minister noted that Turner’s Hall Woods was also a thriving habit for the green monkeys, and suggested that the persistent intrusion of human activity in that area is responsible for the monkeys straying away from the natural habits and entering areas populated by humans. With that in mind, Lowe, who is “not a fan” of the monkey bounty programme, said it is hoped that if the woods become a protected area and the trees are replenished, that the monkeys will be encouraged to return to their homeland.
“If the world over the green monkey is observed as an important symbol of Barbadianism, then I believe that the green monkey deserves every protection and every support from the humans that share the space… I think we owe it to them to try to do something to protect them,” he stated.
To that end, he disclosed that he has requested that the Biodiversity Section of the Ministry seeks funding to undertake a study to place tracking devices on selected monkeys to see how far they stray and what kind of movements they engage in. (JRT)
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