The Royal Gazette – Mile Darrell – September 21, 2026
Walter Roban recently asked an important question in The Bermudian: “What if preservation was profitable?”
It is a question worth asking.
Mr Roban makes a compelling case for recognising the economic value of nature. He writes about natural capital, including wetlands, forests, coral reefs and agricultural land, and the need to move away from an economic model that treats the natural world primarily as something to be consumed.
But his article raises another question: what if preservation is inconvenient?
What happens when protecting nature means saying no to development, or when conservation conflicts with short-term economic interests? What happens when planning officers, independent inspectors or environmental organisations conclude that a proposal goes too far?
That is where our commitment to the environment is tested.
For many years, Mr Roban held responsibility for planning and the environment and served as Deputy Premier. He therefore occupied one of the most influential positions in determining what happened to Bermuda’s finite landmass.
His record deserves examination.
In 2011, while Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy, Mr Roban upheld two controversial planning appeals involving Cabinet colleagues.
One involved Zane DeSilva’s Island Construction and proposed warehouses adjoining the environmentally sensitive Devonshire Marsh. Technical officers raised concerns and the Planning Inspectorate recommended that the appeal be dismissed. Mr Roban upheld it.
The second involved land designated Agricultural Reserve and a proposal connected to then minister Wayne Furbert. The Development Applications Board had rejected the proposal. Mr Roban upheld that appeal as well.
Read more here: https://www.royalgazette.com/opinion-writer/opinion/article/20260921/myles-darrell-what-happens-when-preservation-is-inconvenient/
