The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources is engaged in advanced digital mapping to properly document Bahamian landmass and pinpoint critical areas for environmental protection.
The experts in the Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems (BNGIS) Department of the Ministry have been tasked with mapping, exploring geospatial data, discovering and building maps; and engaging others to address important issues affecting this beautiful archipelago.
” In the spirit of modern governance and technological innovation, this Bill embraces the power of digital tools to safeguard our environment and enhance regulatory oversight,” Minister Vaughn P. Miller said: when introducing the Mining Bill 2023 to Parliament this month.
“Innovation is not a luxury; in this instance, it is an absolute necessity. By leveraging
technology, we can balance development with preservation, and progress with
accountability.”
Digital mapping will help to:
* Identify environmentally vulnerable zones across our islands and cays, ensuring
sensitive ecosystems are flagged and
protected.
• Monitor encroachment and illegal mining
in real time, enabling swift intervention and
enforcement.
• Evaluate cumulative impacts of mining
activity through geospatial analytics,
allowing data-driven policy adjustments;
and
• Empower public oversight via open-access
digital portals, where communities can view
maps, track mining activities, and
participate in environmental stewardship
The Mining Bill mandates Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental Management Plans (EMP) as legal prerequisites for any mineral activity, ensuring that development proceeds only when the environment is respected.
“Mining has been an integral activity in the development of the many communities in these islands stretching back into the earliest centuries of our history,” Mr Miller said.
“For example, the mining of sodium chloride, the common salt, has been a major industry, particularly in the southeastern Bahamas for over 200 years. Raking salt in the saline ponds in Inagua, Ragged Island, Acklins, Long Island and Little Exuma, used to be one of the major economic activities, providing jobs and income. Today, the only surviving salt-producing facility is run by the Morton Salt Company in Inagua; and it is the major employer on that island of a little over 800 people. Current salt production in Inagua is said to be in the region of 1 million tons annually, all of which is exported to the United States.”
“Limestone or calcium carbonate, of which these islands are comprised, has been an integral part of the economy from the very beginning, being quarried in the form of large blocks for construction of all the major colonial structures, such as forts, churches,government buildings and mansions; and it has also been the major ingredient in road construction.”
Minister Miller said we cannot in good conscience speak of mining, minerals, or development without recognising the historical precedents that compel us to do better.
The Mining Bill 2023 is structured into nine parts: vesting of mineral ownership; institutional framework; licensing regime; environmental safeguards; landowner and community rights; fiscal provisions; monitoring and enforcement; transparency measures; and transitional provisions.
The Bill also has potential to aid in debt reduction. By implementing royalties, a 25% minimum profit-sharing mechanism, and the ability for the government to acquire at least 10% equity in mining ventures, the Bill seeks to provide new revenue streams for the Treasury.
Mining companies are also obligated to prepare and implement plans for training and employing Bahamian citizens, while also supporting technical curriculum development.
The requirement for closure and rehabilitation plans, financial guarantees,
and mine bonds will allow for repair of the land and protection of Bahamian coastlines from degradation.
Source: Felicity Darville
