With ravenous and dangerous frequency, hillsides are being deforested, flooding is increasing with the slightest rain, ponds and lagoon are being filled and polluted, beaches are under stress.
What’s a 37-square-mile island to do? "Plant one million trees," said St. Martin author and political scientist Joseph H. Lake, Jr.
"More trees are better for the natural environment, our human health and land, and tourism. Even tax breaks could be connected to a tree-planting program," said Lake.
Island-wide the governments, community organizations, environmentalists, civic clubs, businesses, schools, renters, and home and land owners should consciously, as policy and as community and individual action set about planting one million trees, said Lake.
"For every tree chopped down in St. Martin to build a house or construct a building or facility of any sort, we should plant one or more trees on the property or elsewhere to replace the destroyed trees," said Lake.
If it is not already a law or being considered for legislation, "government policy should connect certain aspects of a building permit to planting trees. For example, when trees are cleared for building purposes new trees must be planted on the property during or after the construction is completed."
"We need more trees," said Lake, who is better known for his political punditry. As publisher of the Newsday newspaper, which folded in early 2000s, he also has the written record for accurate election predictions since the 1970s.
"Just look around the hills, which are such a great part of our nation’s beauty and identity, and it’s clear that we need more trees," said Lake.
"Fruit trees. Landscaping trees and plants. Trees to protect against soil erosion; trees against flooding that endangers life and damages our land and homes. Trees to keep our house, apartment and classroom cooler and less dusty. Trees to keep the air cleaner and shade us from the sun."
Referring to public concerns expressed in the TourMap in 2005, Lake said he prefers individual and private consciousness and actions to protect the environment.
"But government should also have an on-going environment campaign. There should be innovative policy while encouraging individuals, schools, community councils, civic clubs, developers and so on, to plant one million trees over a set period of time," said Lake.
"Our governments here and in Marigot need to keep setting better examples for maintaining and protecting our natural environment and public infrastructure."
"Imagine a botanical garden or grove of traditional St. Martin trees, fruit trees, aromatic plants, and flowers encircling the new administration building on the Pondfill?"
"This would add in a big way to the public tree-planting at the entrance to Maho, Sucker Garden and St. Peters," said Lake.
Lake is no newcomer to environmental concerns. The Opinion newspaper of his father Lake, Sr., that he worked with as an editor, was the lone voice of record against stripping Fort Willem to landfill the "pondside" in the early 1970s — without replanting the hillside, which remains mostly bare and unstable.
Environmentalists also had a free run of Lake, Jr.’s Newsday to protest among other concerns, beach erosion, the destruction of Fort Amsterdam, placing the dump in the Great Salt Pond; and filling and polluting the Great Salt Pond and the Simpson Bay Lagoon.
Lake pointed to a tree-planting program for Israel as an example of the extent to which people would go to restore or protect their natural environment. He said the mostly private-initiative program involved not only the people of the country but visitors and concerned people in other countries that "bought" a fruit tree to plant in Israel.
A country’s natural environment is part of its "enduring beauty and wealth," said Lake. "In our case, that includes the surrounding seashore, corals, and marine life that is definitely part of our food resource and hurricane protection."
"I commend the island’s environmentalists and farmers for causing more public awareness. For greater successes our governments must work with them."
"Getting the word out and having more positive action, as part of our normal way of thinking about our environment and doing more for the beauty and produce of our whole island, is essential," said Lake.
He pointed to chapter 3 of the book National Symbols of St. Martin from which governments; land, home, business, and apartment owners; schools and individual teachers; and youth and church groups can get ideas about how "the individual man, woman and child can make a difference with concrete and beautiful results for our island’s environment."