Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has tabled Jamaica’s Omnibus Protected Areas Policy Green Paper and announced that five areas will be declared as protected under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act.

“Canoe Valley, which borders Manchester and Clarendon; Montpelier, St. James; Long Mountain, St. Andrew;  Industry Cove, Hanover and  Bengal, St. Ann. Madam Speaker, all of the areas identified were designated as Ecologically Sensitive Areas during my last presentation in the budget debate”, the Prime Minister stated.

Prime Minister Holness added that the Government will declare twenty-three (23) parcels of Crown lands as forest reserves or forest management areas under the Forest Act in the 2024/25 Financial Year, and added that the Protected Areas Regulations had also been completed in this fiscal year.  This, he said, would solidify the framework to be used for the management of these areas.

Turning to Marine Protected Areas, the Prime Minister announced that the Ministry of Economic Growth & Job Creation will collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining to increase the island’s network of fish sanctuaries, by expanding existing ones and establishing new sanctuaries under the Fisheries Act.

“We will also pursue amendments to the Marine Park Regulations to simplify the administration of user fees. In response to the increasing challenges posed to the island’s natural waterways, the Government will commence work on the development of a National Wetlands and Freshwater Policy for Jamaica”, the Prime Minister stated.

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