The World Heritage Status of the Pitons is not under threat despite reports indicating otherwise, Acting Prime Minister Shawn Edward said this week.
The Piton Management Area (PMA) became a World Heritage Site on June 30, 2004 under Criteria vii and viii of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre Operational Guidelines. Located in the Southwest of Saint Lucia, the PMA is a multiple use conservation and management area of 1,134 hectares of land and 875 hectares of sea, respectively, totaling 2,909 hectares.
At a press briefing this week, Edward told reporters that “there was a meeting of UNESCO convened in Saudi Arabia last month and Saint Lucia was represented at that meeting and based on the reports coming out of that meeting there is no imminent threat but what I can tell you is that we have to control development within the PMA.”
The minister explained that “very recently there (was) a private land owner in the PMA who wanted to embark on a particular project which we believe can adversely affect the status that we currently enjoy and it was against that backdrop as a government we took a position where we were opposed to it as a Cabinet but it wasn’t the Cabinet that really went out there fighting it. The DCA (Development Control Authority) in their wisdom did not uphold the application for the development.”
He added that the matter was taken to court, however government was not successful “but we have appealed the decision of the court and even before that second hearing is convened we as an administration are speaking with international partners to see what can be done to ensure that we safeguard the World Heritage Status that we currently enjoy.”
Being named on UNESCO’s World Heritage List often brings worldwide acclaim, tourist revenue and access to international funding and expertise, an article on ‘CNBC Travel’ pointed out.
But there are strings attached, writer Monica Pitrelli noted:
“World Heritage sites are, in principle, inscribed ‘forever,’ said Mechtild Rossler, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, but countries have to do their part to protect and counteract threats to the sites. That includes agreeing not to materially alter sites. Failure to comply can result in being ‘delisted.’”
Further, “the process to be inscribed on the World Heritage List takes years, and several sites waited some 25 years to be named to the prestigious list; only countries that ratify the World Heritage Convention (adopted by UNESCO in 1972) are eligible to have sites within their territories named to the list.”
Saint Lucia’s World Heritage Status means a lot to Saint Lucia, Acting PM Edward said.
According to him, “We will spare absolutely no effort whatsoever to ensure that we preserve the Heritage Status. We understand that the lands within the demarcated areas that constitute the PMA belong to private owners— if we have to acquire lands or do whatever it is possible within the legal framework we will do so, but for us the priority is that we will preserve, at all costs, the current world heritage status we enjoy with UNESCO.”
The minister said there is no battle with UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
“I think if there is a battle it really is with maybe private property owners and it’s not a battle we’ve been speaking to them trying to dissuade certain developments but people have a right to resort to the courts to make their point. As I said the matter was brought before the court. We were not successful in the first round and it is as a result of the importance we ascribe to the PMA that we have decided to appeal. We will spend millions of dollars if we have to in the court process but our priority as a government is to ensure that the current World Heritage Status we enjoy will be preserved,” Edward said.
“I am very confident moving forward that we will retain our World Heritage Status for many years to come but it calls for a lot of engagement, a lot of dialogue (and) we have to continue to impress upon the minds of residents in Soufriere and even property owners within the PMA (and) show them the significance of that particular accolade for our country,” he added.