Washington, DC – A more firm policing of the environment is needed, according to a leading environmentalist.
Dr. Noel Brown, a long time Director of North American operations for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), has called for a conference on Environmental Law Enforcement for the Caribbean to deal with environmental crimes in the region.
Urging the development agency Counterpart International to host it, he said the conference should study the concept of the Environmental Police, which has been developed by the Dominican Republic to protect its coastlines from threats of “eco-terrorism.”
“Of late you have people who are bent on social disruption in settling grievances and may use nature as a weapon of war in resolving conflicts … as a result we need to come up with a different kind of alertness and law enforcement,” explained Dr. Brown.
The President and CEO of Friends of the United Nations, a US-based NGO, was speaking at the end of the First International Conference on Environmental and Sustainable Development held in the Dominican Republic last month.
The conference was itself part sponsored by Washington-based Counterpart International, which works around the world with local partners to build NGO capacity, micro-enterprises, food security and environmentally sound management of natural resources, and humanitarian assistance. Counterpart also produces the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx).
Dr. Brown, who coined the word “biodiversity,” said one of the revelations of the Dominican Republic conference was the response of the host country to environmental problems facing the country through the formation of the Environmental Police.
“They have come up with a core of well trained officers with a feel for the science of the environment, for environmental crimes which may be a new category, as distinct from other forms of criminal activity. Every country needs such a special branch, and I think the DR has responded to that,” Dr. Brown said.
“I am impressed with the fact that they have mapped the country ecologically, aware of the critical environmental areas, the hot spots and the pressures involved in trying to get such areas alleviated. This is an extremely good development and I commend them for taking this initiative which should not only be implemented in the Caribbean but in countries across the globe,” Dr. Brown noted.
In an effort to assist the movement, the United Nations adviser said he would look into arranging a briefing at the UN for the Dominican Republic Environmental Police so they can get a better sense of the global context in which they exist and how that is linked to their local situation.
Dr. Brown, who headed UNEP in North America for more than 25 years, stressed that if environmental regulations were going to succeed in any country, the people needed to get involved, and the DR’s outreach program does exactly that, exploring how NGOs, the private sector, and young people can be encouraged to become partners in what they are seeking to accomplish.
“The DR model is an excellent one and I would like to see it replicated. In fact, I would like to see Counterpart International host a conference for the Caribbean and invite the DR to explain their model,” he suggested.
Dr. Brown said that the DR model could also address new concerns related to Port and Maritime Security as the Environmental Police could work alongside other law enforcement agencies.
There is also expected to be some coordination between the DR and Haiti on this issue in keeping with the focus of the conference on sustainable development for island states, and the fact that there was already a working relationship between law enforcement agencies on the shared island.
“Haiti would be a clear example of an environment in extremis if one looks at the environment across the divide. It’s a major challenge not just for the DR but for the Caribbean as a whole.”
Dr. Brown said that there was a strong possibility for training programs and exchanges, adding that he hoped the Dominican Republic Police would set an example of bilateral cooperation on the enforcement and development of environmental legislation.
During the three day conference delegates from across the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific, the United States and Europe explored the theme “Environment: Our Partner in Development”.
It was staged by The International Center for Environmental and Sustainable Development Studies (CIEMADeS) in collaboration with Counterpart International, the Caribbean Media Exchange on Sustainable Tourism (CMEx) and The National Geographic Society.
The talks in the DR were also coordinated by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), which was set up by the nation’s president Dr. Leonel Fernández, Universidad del Turabo in Puerto Rico and the Université Quisqueya from Haiti.
