ABSTRACT

INTEGRATED COASTAL AREA MANAGEMENT AND
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

             Ben L. Oostdam                             Paul A. Billeter
       Department of Earth Sciences                    Biology Department
         Millersville University               Charles County Community College
         Millersville, PA  17551                       LaPlata, MD  20646

The fascinating combination of geotectonic setting, geographic location and cultural diversity makes the Caribbean islands exert an irresistible attraction on millions of tourists. Yet these very attributes render the islands vulnerable to natural hazards, human impacts and institutional problems. Because Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) in the Caribbean constitutes a precarious balancing act between responsibility for preservation on the one hand, and economic lures of development and exploitation on the other, Caribbean ICAM practitioners need to be concurrently caring and cautious, as well as considerate and cooperative. Results are summarized of a questionnaire/contest survey concerning public perceptions about the hazards of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods and landslides, as well as the man-made or enhanced problems of marine pollution, beach mining, coastal erosion and degradation of such vulnerable coastal environments as coral reefs and mangrove swamps. Additional comments are included on tsunami, stormsurges and global sealevel rise. Seventy-eight (78) respondents of 20 island nations ranked sewage and solid waste pollution as the most serious problem (3.1 out of 5.0 = most serious), with coastal erosion and beach mining tied for second place (2.8) followed by hurricanes (2.7). Ranking by total problems, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and St. Kitts & Nevis led with totals of 26, 25 and 23 (out of 50 possible), respectively. A calibration exercise in which the leading Caribbean coastal expert completed 12 separate questionnaires for as many small East Caribbean islands, allowed some basis of intercomparison and validation of the results. The expert ranked the most serious problems as beach mining (3.4), coastal erosion (3.1) and hurricanes/flooding (2.7) and the total impacts by island as Montserrat (21), Antigua (20) and St. Kitts & Nevis (19), compared to the other respondents' ranking of St. Kitts (23), Antigua (22) and Nevis/Dominica/St. Lucia (21). It should be noted that no responses were received from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the French West Indies. Initial results are reported of data concerning the existence of laws and regulations relating to ICAM, which will be supplemented on the newly established Caribbean Coastal Studies (CCS) www- homepage, http://www.millersv.edu/~boostdam/CCS.html.(*) Public perception about the existence and efficacy of these laws is that they are on the books but that they are inadequate and poorly enforced. Public awareness and participation in ICAM related issues should be encouraged and improved. Although we are aware of the inevitable statistical shortcomings of our survey, we express our gratitude for the many thoughtful responses which provided a valuable alternate entry into the Caribbean ICAM labyrinth.