09:00 ETCourt Review of Rosewood Exuma Plan Puts Spotlight on Yntegra Group's Development Model

Save Exuma Alliance says the case tests how The Bahamas applies modern marine protections as luxury tourism expands, /PRNewswire/ -- As 159 countries mark World Seagrass Day on March 1, The Bahamas' Supreme Court is facing the first critical test of this country's 2019 environmental protection laws with local citizens saying the outcome of the case involving a proposed Rosewood resort by Miami-based Yntegra Group that calls for dredging of coral reefs and acres of seagrass will impact future resort development and could change the face of the Exumas forever. Continue Reading Seagrass in the north bay of Big Sampson Cay, Exuma, the Bahamas Members of the Save Exuma Alliance (SEA), a pro-economic development coalition of local citizens and businesses that make up the bulk of Central Exuma's small but thriving commercial activity, expressed concern that in addition to dredging the current plan would introduce an industrial shoreline and infrastructure into an area now frequented by thousands of visitors annually for swimming, snorkeling and other recreational activities. The Judicial Review is challenging the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) granted by The Bahamas government for Rosewood Exuma, which neighboring eco-resorts say was granted improperly. Specific components of concern regarding the Rosewood Exuma proposal developed by Yntegra Group include: Dredging in shallow, clear waters that are actively used for boating, swimming, snorkeling and diving, permanently erasing the character and ecology of the bay that includes a 15-acre seagrass prairie and extensive marine life including sea turtles, thriving coral reefs and a conch nursery Industrial dock construction and marine service traffic in a shared recreational area, shifting the shoreline from "open water experience" to "commercial shipping lane" A development layout that concentrates a supply ship dock, fuel storage, garbage storage, sewage treatment and power generators in the most visible, high-use waters and shoreline areas, where environmental impacts and conflicts with neighboring uses are hardest to avoid "Big Sampson Cay is the kind of place Exuma built its reputation on," said Eric Carey, CEO of ONE Consultants and former executive director of the Bahamas National Trust, on behalf of SEA. "These waters are part of Exuma's identity and its economy. If Yntegra's dredging reshapes the bay and industrial systems move to the shoreline, you don't get the original place back. The question is whether our environmental protections mean what they say when a high-profile resort plan puts those waters at risk."The Judicial Review is the first major test of those protections, recently created by new environmental laws in The Bahamas will be enforced in the case of resort plans like that by Yntegra Group, which relies heavily on dredging and industrial marine infrastructure.The Alliance maintains that the conflict is not inevitable. SEA, supported by coastal development experts, has outlined practical adjustments that would eliminate dredging in North Bay, relocate service docks to existing deep-water access on the southern side of the island and move fuel and back-of-house operations away from the northern shoreline."These are practical revisions," the Alliance said. "They would remove the environmental flashpoint, reduce long-term operational risk and allow responsible development to proceed without permanent damage to shared waters."If the current plan proceeds unchanged, SEA said implications extend beyond one cay."This decision will signal whether large-scale coastal projects in The Bahamas can prioritize judgment over spectacle," the Alliance said. "It will clarify the expectations placed on developers operating in environmentally sensitive marine environments and hold Yntegra Group accountable for a plan that threatens both the marine environment and the tourism economy it supports."For more information, visit saveexumaalliance.org.Media Contact:Brian Price[email protected]906-458-9781SOURCE Save Exuma Alliance