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Journalists on Nature's Trail in Antigua
April 2003

By Edward Registe, CERN correspondent

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Antigua's natural environment has great potential for ecotourism, but faces serious threats from other developments.

In February 2003, eight journalists from the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN) went on a trail, established by environmentalists working to preserve the country's tropical forest. The journalists were exposed to these natural resources in Antigua to improve their coverage of the environment.

The journey showcased some of the tensions between development and the environment and highlighted the role some Antiguans play in developing a new respect and appreciation for nature.

Junior Prosper, a 44-year-old nature enthusiast and geography teacher at the Clare Hall Secondary School was the tour guide.

"We are always looking for new places we can take people to," said Prosper. "The tourists and the locals are always asking for areas that have something intact or near original."

We visited a part of the National Park. It is a two and half hours hike from Walling forest to Rendez-vous Beach. It is a trip that reverses the contrast between this environment and the sand, sea and sun image which drives the Antiguan economy. The trail takes the journalists up and down hill and is punctuated with the noises of birds and wild insects and the occasional encounter with goats, mules and even cattle.

Our arrival at Rendez-vous Beach provided a welcome relief, rest and unexpected opportunity to speak with some young people from the Methodist Church. The group had just completed a hike about an hour before the journalists arrived. Their leader was Janice Herbert-Edwards, a senior flight attendant with the regional airline, Liat.

Like Prosper, Herbert-Edwards believes adults have a significant role to play in encouraging the youth to enjoy the environment.

"They need to be encouraged by the adults," she said. "Unless we take them, they won't know what it is all about. There is more to do as a youth than just going to the disco and to the movies."

Nature has a lot to offer and if young people are encouraged to participate more in nature trails, walks and hikes, they will be healthier and appreciate the environment more, said Herbert-Edwards.

For 16-year-old Chime Hunt, an ecotourism site within the area would enhance Antigua's tourism future

"That would be a plus for Antigua because most tourists come to see the natural part of Antigua," he said. "They come to taste the natural food, to see the natural animal and if this place is developed the country will benefit from it." Hunt said he is ready to participate in any process that would lead to the development of the area.

The grueling trek left the journalists tired but resolved to do a better job of covering the environment and to tell the story from the voices of the people. As for Prosper, the comments from young people like Hunt suggested that his efforts are not in vain.

There is still a lot to be done, to articulate the argument for a better care of the environment. But the experience of the journalists with the efforts some Antiguans are making, has left a lasting impression and suggests that the battle to preserve the country's tropical forest is gradually being won.

This article is based on a transcription of Island Beat Radio.

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