Former French Environmental Official Warns Dominica about Overdevelopment

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`Caribbean leaders must protect their environment or face the hefty cost of cleanup paid by developed countries, said the former French environmental minister.

ROSEAU, Dominica — Caribbean leaders must protect their environment or face the hefty cost of cleanup paid by developed countries, said the former French environmental minister.


The path of growth pursued by developed countries has led to environmental degradation, which has had costly consequences, Dominique Voynet, head of France's Green party, said late Friday.


"The experience in Europe shows that it costs a lot not to manage the environment, as billions of dollars are being spent to clean up the environment," she said.


Voynet spoke at a meeting of the Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation of Dominica, which is working to protect the island's rain forest, declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997, from encroaching development.


Many developers have built houses and hotels in the park's buffer zone, causing environmental degradation, according to a recent report commissioned by the Waitukubuli group.


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The local planning authority has recently decided to end unsanctioned development in the park.


Source: Associated Press


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