Submitted by Charles Knighton
This being Barbados, where legitimate forewarnings are ignored until the warned of disaster is upon us, e.g. the recent budget proposals, emulating Cassandra is a fool’s errand but perhaps, just perhaps, Priam will pay attention.
In their attempt to earn more money by attracting more visitors, those who have dominion over the fragile ecosystem which is Harrison’s Cave stand a good chance of destroying it. While I always had reservations about the increasing amount of carbon dioxide more visitors would produce, those reservations pale when considering the amount of damage the “Eco-Adventure Tour” (pages 20-21, Aug. 24 Saturday Sun) is likely to create.
As depicted in the accompanying photographs paths, stairways, ladders and guides now make it relatively easy to access the Cave’s depths. As one who has large ponds about my property, I know the devastation the introduction of a pathogen can cause to a pond’s flora and/or fauna, so I found myself appalled at the thought of these “eco-tourists” wading in the Cave’s pristine waters, as depicted in the article’s photographs. But most appalling of all was learning that such tours are being heavily promoted to all comers.
I am reminded of another of Earth’s great pristine wonders, where paths, stairways, ladders and guides also made access relatively easy. After all; the more visitors, the more money. If the ecological disaster that is today Mount Everest is not prophetic, then Cassandra has failed once again.
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