Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda, says several environmental policies will be finalised and tabled in the House this year.

Making his contribution to the 2025-2026 Sectoral Debate in Parliament on May 27, Minister Samuda highlighted the policies, noting that some of them would be finalised in a matter of weeks.

“They include the Overarching Protected Areas Policy; the Cays Management Policy; the National Swamp and Freshwater Policy; and the Beach Access and Management Policy”, he stated.

Minister Samuda pointed to a number of other pieces of legislation that are expected to be completed this fiscal year.

“The Repeal and Replacement of the Forest Act; the Amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act; and the overall Amendment supporting the Ratification of the SPAW Protocol. We’ve also given heavy focus on the subsidiary legislation under the NRCA Act and expect to complete and pass this year; the Amendment to the Wastewater and Sludge Regulations to be completed by the end of May this year, and the Amendment to the Air Quality Regulations”, he stated.

He further stated that the regulations governing the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal are set for completion, and the long-awaited Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations are being reviewed for tabling.

To date, the completed policies include the National Biosafety Policy, the Emissions Policy Framework, the Updated Climate Change Policy Framework, the Watersheds Policy, the Forest Policy, the Policy for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous Wastes, and the Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Policy for Jamaica.

Other completed policies include the Beach Access and Management Policy and the Green Investment Strategy for Jamaica.

In addition, the Amendments to the NRCA Act and Wildlife Protection Act were recently passed, allowing for increased fines and related custodial sentences, as well as for the first time allowing for Body Corporates to be charged. The Protected Areas Regulations under the NRCA Act were also completed.

The Minister announced that the Legislative and Policy Reforms will feed into a Twenty-Point Road Map developed by the Government, which is intended to achieve a “cleaner, greener and more resilient environment’.

“We have dubbed it “Ja-Sustain”. This plan is rooted in our deep commitment to improve levels of environmental protection, increasing the capacity for monitoring and enforcing our laws, and significantly increasing our restoration efforts where degradation has taken place”, he noted.

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