Turks & Caicos Annexed ?

[scubabear]

:11: Saw this on the USAtoday.com site, travel section.
If this happens I fear we've seen the end of pristine West Caicos, and the start of an ecosystems decline. :-(

Humans are like rats, overpopulate an area and F' it up! I'll just have to make a point to return and dive as often as possible before it changes too much. This makes as much sense as trying to build on Klien Bonaire, thank god that idea was curtailed. Sorry for the rant.

 

[archman]

You forgot to post the link.

 

[d33ps1x]

Travel Section of usatoday.com

Which is here

Yes. Us Canadian's are so destructive. That's what we're known for so the Turks and Caicos should fear us.

 

[diverbrian]

doesn't have a clue.

I was down there last year and I don't see where the building that they were talking about needs to happen. I also can't envision Canadians flocking down there in droves like the article refers to. That type of building would ruin the reason that people go down there.

It hasn't happened in Hawaii or Alaska yet and they have been US states for quite some time now. United States citizens aren't that much different than Canadians after all.

I would like to annex that beach where that lady was walking though.

 

[archman]

I think most ecologists and conservation scientists agree that in the long run, annexation by Canada would be in the better interest. The Turks & Caicos, like many small island nations, has considerable trouble maintaining it's environmental standards, assuming such standards are even in place. It's size makes it vulnerable to severe economic and political swings.

As for diving there in the near future, scubabear has valid points. You will get a facilitated influx of tourists and SOME development. This will cause some degree of damage to the natural resources. Tourists ALWAYS have some negative impact, unless they're kept in plastic bubbles.
Canada will most probably work very closely with the island government and think their plans through. Rampant overexpansion is anathema to responsible use of renewable natural resources... tourism destinations are in fact classified as renewable resources.

Canada has an opportunity here to create a positive example of responsible and progressive resource use. I trust they wll treat it more as a "backyard garden" rather than an amusement park.

 

[archman]

It hasn't happened in Hawaii or Alaska yet and they have been US states for quite some time now. United States citizens aren't that much different than Canadians after all.

According to the U.S. 2000 census, Hawaii only had 189 people per square mile. While that's over twice what we have here in Texas (80), and many times that found in most western states, it's still less than California (217), Florida (296), and... New Jersey (1,134, yikes).

So yeah, Hawaii's not relatively overbuilt. It might just seem that way since the population (0.4% of the U.S. population) is mostly concentrated in a few cities.

 

[tvictory]

They just opened the new airport on Grand Turk with capacity to handle the big jets and international flights. Even so, there are only about 75 hotel rooms on the entire island, so it would seem that someone has some sort of plan in mind.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Sounds like a lot of pipe talk to me. I would be very surprised if anything came of it.

 

[archman]

Sounds like a lot of pipe talk to me. I would be very surprised if anything came of it.

agreed. But one can always's hope.