Hamilton businesses are in danger of rising sea-levels and Castle Harbour is more vulnerable to pollutants than first thought, the Minister of the Environment said yesterday.

In the House of Assembly, took politicians and the public through the 229 page State of the Environment Report, first released in March, which outlined the need for the public to be more aware about environmental conservation.

?Any significant rise in sea level in the North Atlantic would threaten to inundate the coastal areas of Bermuda as it is composed of fairly low lying islands with elevations not exceeding 250 feet,? Ms Butterfield said in a Ministerial Statement in Parliament.

?Such low lying areas under threat include the international Airport, the Causeway connecting St. George?s and St. David?s to the main island and businesses in the City of Hamilton.?

Local sources of air pollution included the Bermuda Electric Light Company (Belco), the Tynes Bay incinerator and vehicle emissions ? contributing to 3,600 tonnes of sulphur dioxide each year, she said.

The last local limestone quarry will run out in 2014 and not be replaced, she said.

?Bermuda?s population growth and economic prosperity have brought about significant losses of terrestrial habitats through land development,? she said.

In addition ?alien species? of plants and animals were the biggest threats to the environment.

Some marine species were being fished out, she said, as over time annual landings averaged at 800,000 pounds of food fish.

Sea-life near the shore was also being damaged by dredging and the construction of docks and jetties.

The Report also examined the amount of open space on the Island, which has been reduced due to increased development.

Four percent of the 539 acres on the Island were nature reserves, she said, however, when public parks and Bermuda National Trust land was included, the number increased to almost 10 percent.

?The Department of Planning is currently in the process of reviewing the Bermuda Plan 1992. The new Plan will establish land use policies to guide development and the conservation of the Island?s resources for the next 10 years. The former military base-lands will be incorporated into the new Plan but the City of Hamilton will retain its own plan,? she said.

The Minister stressed yesterday the need for residents to continue adhering to protection orders to ensure that Bermuda?s reefs would be protected.

A $10,000 fine would follow anyone caught throwing anything overboard that could affect marine life, birds, livestock or other organisms, she said.

The Island?s four main inshore bodies of water, the Great Sound, Harrington Sound, St. George?s Harbour and Castle Harbour have depths below 30 metres and reduced flushing times with the open ocean.

?As such, contaminants are less able to be dispersed and these areas are therefore more vulnerable to pollutants,? she said.

She said Bermuda?s ponds were very vulnerable to pollution run off from the land and had traditionally been used as trash dumps.

?Pembroke Canal is the sole freshwater stream within Bermuda,? she said. ?Pembroke Canal carries heavy loads of run off and sewage polluted water. The mangrove swamp in Mill?s Creek is in remarkably good condition considering the high level of pollution.?

Only one-third of the Island?s peat-marshes survived today, she said.

?Cave entrances have also been filled simply to accommodate new development and entire caves have been destroyed to extract gravel and stone in quarrying operations. Vandalism and theft of stalactites and other cave formations have damaged caves.?

The report stated that the Island?s waste disposal and recycling facilities are nearly at full capacity.

However, it was planned to ship scrap metal overseas for recycling, she said.

She also stated that there was no likely alternative to sewage being disposed of into the ocean, cess-pits, septic tanks and boreholes.

?The towns of Hamilton and St. George?s have sewer systems, which, following only ?preliminary? treatment of the effluent, discharge to the sea via outfalls,? she said.

While heritage sites were being better protected ? with nearly 800 listed buildings, 58 historic areas and a World Heritage Site ? ?the pace and scale of development poses a threat to the Island?s archaeological resources,? she said.

She said the Fabian-damaged Tulo Valley greenhouse will soon be back up.

Speaking on Tourism and Transport issues, she said Bermuda had a total of 373 miles of roads, however, traffic increases by 15 percent during school term time and 90 percent of all road traffic collisions involve a car.

?The alleviation of many of the Island?s land traffic problems can be achieved by encouraging a modal shift from the private car to more sustainable modes of transport such as the bus or fast ferry,? she said.

Noise pollution was becoming increasingly adverse to human health, she said.

?There is nothing like a jackhammer at 6 a.m. on a Sunday, huh?? the Minister joked.

Rat and cockroach populations were not declining, however, since 2000 the number of disease carrying mosquitoes had been reduced from 15 percent to around 5 percent, she said.

?Typical alien animal species considered to be invasive to Bermuda include the feral chicken, house sparrow and red-eared slider terrapin,? Ms Butterfield said.

She said these invasive species were the single largest threat to bio-diversity.

Christmas trees were inspected and no plant could be imported with soil attached, she said.