St. Martin forms environmental police force

The French side of the tiny Caribbean island nation of St. Martin (87 km2) is addressing its environmental problems in a novel way. On May 12, they held a swearing in ceremony for its newly formed environmental enforcers.

These environmental agents from the Brigade de l’Environment and Direction de l’Environment will have powers similar to those of police officers to issue fines for any offenses committed anywhere on the French side that are deemed detrimental to the environment.

According to a May 15 article in The Daily Herald, the seven men and women, will among other tasks “...post removal notices on abandoned cars and identify owners, advise the population on matters of health where it concerns management of waste and take action on neighborhood problems of running sewage water, unauthorized dumping of garbage and stealing beach sand.”

Since the French side only covers 53 km2, any of these infractions can create real environmental problems for everyone.

One of the agents, Romeo Chilin, who is also in charge of Espaces Vertes (beautification and awareness programs), noted that, “St. Martin is ours and we really do have a lot of work to do to safeguard the few remaining natural resources we have left...”

Mr. Chilin’s statement rings true. St. Martin possesses great physical beauty between its aquamarine Caribbean waters and its verdant steep hill chain in the center of the island. I hope these dedicated agents' jurisdiction can also include the environmental destruction caused by tourism and economic development that puts it all at risk.