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Save The Bays releases video about anchor projects in The Bahamas
By Save the Bays
Jan 20, 2015 - 9:14:38 PM

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The following is a statement by Save the Bays:

The government’s continued support for the controversial “anchor project” policy of national development is the subject of a new video by prominent social and environmental advocacy group Save The Bays (STB).

The video, narrated by STB education director Joseph Darville, documents how the current administration promised to create sustainable local economies on each Family Island that would benefit Bahamians, only to revert to the shortsighted old model of mega-resorts owned by wealthy foreign interests.

“Anchor resorts and mega-resorts are continuing to flood our Family Islands, and as more and more invade our shores they are being kept secret from the Bahamian public,” Darville said.

“But hold on, didn't we hear that Perry Christie and his government had abandoned the anchor project plan? Didn’t they mention something about full-circle economies in the Family Islands? Something must be dead wrong, since all these new developments are like the old failing ones.”

Darville noted that the developers of anchor projects, which are mostly gated and exclusive, arrive in the Bahamas with promises of many jobs. The projects move forward with the full support of local politicians eager to announce new employment opportunities.

Far too many of the projects go bankrupt and fail, he said, but only after destroying the local environment and culture – which the government has a duty to protect for the prosperity of generations of Bahamians to come.

“All these anchor projects are dumped on our Family Islands, they are all the same. Now, they conjure up new buzzwords, like sustainability and full-circle economy, but they are nothing new. And if they have not worked in the past, they will not now, or ever. And yet our politicians keep up this charade, deceiving the public,” Darville said.

He explained that while many of these mega resorts were failing over the years, small sustainable developments throughout the islands have been succeeding.

STB has advocated for a tourism development model based on such smaller scale resorts with a modest environmental footprint. Such a policy, the group says, would not only protect the country’s natural resources for future generations, but also make Bahamian ownership in the industry a realistic proposition.

The new video is part of an ongoing series covering key aspects of the organization’s fight for a better Bahamas. It can be viewed on Save the Bay’s YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/1BbqfIi).


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