Guyana developer cut protected mangroves (May 21, 2021)

 The developer of a Guyana oil and gas shore base cut a large swathe of protected mangroves in preparation for construction. But the clearing by Tristar Incorporated at Malgre Tout/Versailles, West Bank Demerara, has exceeded the terms under which it was granted permission to begin work to construct a shore base facility, reports Stabroek News.

Mangroves are a protected species here and concerns have been expressed previously that the oil and gas industry will pose a threat to large acreages. Conservation groups have emphasized that mangroves protect the coastline and riverbanks in Guyana, connecting saltwater from the  ocean to the freshwater produced by rivers.  Further, mangroves play an important role in supporting Guyana’s rich biodiversity, as they feature complex ecosystems where aquatic wildlife, coastal birds and  other animals thrive.

It is still unclear what measures should be taken if mangroves are on private land and what commitments the owners of those lands are tied to. (Stabroek News)

The company appears to have violated regulations that grant the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the right to conduct an environmental impact assessment and grant an environmental permit, reports Stabroek News.

Government has since stated that more mangroves would be removed from the West Bank of the Demerara River for oil and gas-related infrastructure because there is no more land space available on the East Bank of that waterway. 

In light of the controversy, WWF-Guianas called for a full environmental and social assessment of the growing oil and gas sector, granted that the strategic decision has been made regarding its development. “We call for such an assessment at a time when some developers in the oil and gas industry are  demonstrating low interest in keeping to their promises and acting in good faith at the very least,  and at times, even flouting the nation’s laws,” the organisation said. (Demerara Waves)

Climate Justice and Energy

• Guyana's Environmental Protection Agency recently revised the Liza Phase One Environmental Permit to include a provision by which  ExxonMobil could be required to pay for unauthorized flaring. The agency said the measure is being implemented in accordance with the Polluter Pays Principle. But the interpretation is incorrect, according to international Lawyer Melinda Janki, who said the principle requires the company to pay "to remove the greenhouse gases and other pollutants emitted by unauthorised flaring.” (Kaieteur News)

• U.S. lawmaker Jim McGovern criticized Colombia's crisis management in San Andrés, which was largely destroyed by Hurricane Iota last year, and called on the U.S. government to review aid allocated to the island's reconstruction. (Infobae)

Democracy

• Non-sovereign island territories in the Caribbean receive significant benefits from former colonial powers -- including passports, geopolitical clout, and financial aid. But to many, these arrangements feel paternalistic, and there is mounting frustration on some islands with the strings that come attached to funding, reports the Economist.

• Former Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló appears poised to return to public life as an elected lobbyist for Puerto Rican statehood in Washington, D.C., just two years after massive protests forced him to resign from office. Last Sunday's vote to elect six special delegates to push for Puerto Rican statehood in Congress has drawn widespread criticism from advocates who oppose making the island a state, reports the Miami Herald. Two of the elected lobbyists will operate at the Senate level, while the other four will advocate for the island’s annexation in the House of Representatives.

• Haiti's long-running political crisis is hitting a boiling point: The latest concern is President Jovenel Moïse’s call for a controversial constitutional referendum, scheduled for June 27. Haitian legal experts and critics call it illegal and few have confidence the vote can be pulled off democratically, writes Monique Clesca in Americas Quarterly.

• A growing chorus of Guyanese civil society groups, many representing the Afro-Guyanese community, have condemned an announced electoral reform project to be spearheaded by the International Republican Institute (IRI). The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has come out strongly against the reform. (Stabroek News, Stabroek News, Stabroek News)

Diplomacy

• The combined effects of a new government, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various other obstacles have thus far largely prevented China from realizing the majority of the commitments that it made in exchange for the Dominican Republic’s diplomatic recognition of the PRC in May 2018. But China’s vaccine diplomacy, and the government’s ambiguity regarding Huawei’s role in the Dominican 5G system, highlights the vulnerability of the Dominican government to Chinese pressure, according to Evan Ellis in Global Americans.

Regional

• The Persaud Commission's dual track regional integration proposal "offers a way out of the present implementation impasse," argues David Jessop. (Caribbean Council, and see April 2's Updates.)

Public Security

• Haiti’s ambassador to the US Brochit Edmond claimed Haitians deported to Haiti because of criminal convictions in the U.S. have become a big part of Haiti’s rampant violent crime problem. (St. Kitts Nevis Observer)

• The anti-kidnapping unit of Colombia's national police hopes to help Haiti tackle its epidemic of abductions for ransom, reports Reuters.

• Street lamps are being pilfered rapidly in Jamaica, hampering government efforts to illuminate crime-ridden areas, reports InSight Crime. Officials speculate that criminals are seeking to destroy the street lights – which have been shown to reduce violence in other countries.
  

Corruption

• A high-level investigation has been launched into claims of corruption and fraud in Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank, reports Barbados Today.

• United Kingdom government listed Barbados as a high-risk third country with respect to money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Barbados was placed on the list, even as UK officials acknowledged that the country's authoritieshave made efforts over the past few years to strengthen anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regimes. (Loop, see Jan. 28's Updates for critiques of tax haven blacklists.)

Covid-19

• The Trinidad and Tobago government declared a State of Emergency and an eight hour curfew to deal with a rising number of deaths and infections from the coronavirus pandemic. (CMC)

• Haiti has authorized the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as COVID-19 cases surge following months of delays in getting jabs, reports the Miami Herald.
  

Culture

• Katerina Gonzalez Seligmann’s Writing the Caribbean in Magazine Time examines literary magazines generated during the 1940s that catapulted Caribbean literature into greater international circulation and contributed significantly to social, political, and aesthetic frameworks for decolonization, including Pan-Caribbean discourse -- Repeating Islands.

• Is Caribbean history the key to understanding the modern world? -- History Today

• Esendom interviews  Repeating Islands blog editors Lisa Paravisini-Gebert and Ivette Romero: "As scholars, curators, editors, journalists, translators, bloggers and digital archivists, Paravisini-Gebert and Romero bring an interdisciplinary approach to their ongoing work at Repeating Islands where they capture the wide array of sounds, smells and colors that make the Americas."

We welcome comments and critiques on the Caribbean News Updates, which is still a work in progress. You can see the Updates on our website, as well as receive it directly through the mailing list. Thank you for reading.