The Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF) followed the Council of Ministers’ press briefing and the statements made regarding the Emilio Wilson Estate on Wednesday August 1st, 2012 with great interest.
The Foundation is pleased to learn that Government has committed to purchasing 370.000 square meters of the Emilio Wilson Estate “for the people of St. Maarten” and congratulates Government and the people of St. Maarten with this very important accomplishment.
The EWEF encourages Government to expedite the process of zoning the Emilio Wilson Estate as a conservation zone and establishing it as St. Maarten’s first legally protected land-based National Park.
During the past 40 years, successive governments have stood by and allowed the destruction of St. Maarten’s heritage. Fourteen ponds, parts of the Simpson bay lagoon, the Great Salt Pond, hillsides and many manmade monuments have been destroyed over the years. This destruction of St. Maarten’s heritage was often unjustly labeled as necessary for progress or the development of the island.
The time has come for residents, government, local and foreign investors to realize and acknowledge that St. Maarten’s natural and cultural heritage is worth being proud of and forms the foundation of our tourism based economy. The protection, proper management and sustainable use of our heritage and natural resources is of vital importance for the long-term sustainable development of St. Maarten.
The Heritage Foundation, Sint Maarten Archaeological Centre (SIMARC), Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF), St. Maarten Pride Foundation, the Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park Foundation and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) have been involved in efforts to protect the Emilio Wilson Estate and are the local centers of expertise in the management of Natural and Cultural Heritage. The Foundations’ doors are open and we call upon government to partner with these stakeholders in drafting and carrying-out plans for the management and sustainable use of the Emilio Wilson Estate.
Having made the abovementioned statement it must be emphasized that the Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation will continue to advocate and strive for the protection and establishment of the entire Emilio Wilson Estate as a National Park.
The Foundation is dismayed to learn, from contact it has had with Government representatives, that the owners of the Emilio Wilson Estate were not willing to sell the entire estate to Government. It is very unfortunate that the owners of the estate have opted to keep some 60.000 square meters of the Estate for development purposes despite the fact that they obtained the estate after Government had already made commitments to protecting the entire area.
The EWEF calls upon Mr. Brookson and the co-owners of the Emilio Wilson Estate to do the right thing and sell the remaining 60.000 square meters to government for conservation purposes. The Foundation reminds Brookson that the entire estate is still a National Monument. With the purchase of 37ha of the Emilio Wilson Estate by government, the soon to be former owners of the Estate should have sufficient financial means to purchase and develop suitable property elsewhere on the island. There is therefore no conceivable, respectable reason for Brookson and partners not to sell the remainder of the Estate to government.
The Foundation encourages Government to keep its commitments to the people of St. Maarten and to pursue any and all feasible legal and financial means necessary to purchase the entire Emilio Wilson Estate for the establishment of a National Park.
The Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation would once more like to congratulate government and the public at large on this important moment in our Country’s history.
Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation