The Jamaican Government is to bring to Parliament, very soon, a new legal designation for ecologically sensitive areas that will provide a greater level of protection for those areas.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, speaking at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)/National Environment and Planning Agency knowledge-sharing workshop on marine plastic litter on Wednesday, said several of these areas will be “ocean-based”.
The government has already identified 16 such areas, nine of which will be in the coastal zone. The Great Bay Area in Southwest St. Elizabeth and the Dry Harbour Area in St. Ann are on the list for protection.
Minister Samuda also informed that the Black River Morass has been declared a protected area, adding that “in the coming weeks we will be able to carry to Parliament the gazette [for] the protection of the Pedro Cays”.
Meanwhile, he said the Government has supported the call to develop a legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution.
“We intend to work with our neighbors in the Caribbean to ensure that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are well represented to ensure that what comes out of that treaty benefits us,” Senator Matthew Samuda said.
For his part, Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica Masaya Fujiwara said Japan supports the environment and climate change agenda for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), because environmental protection is an area that it recognizes as “highly important”.
He noted that marine litter within the coastal waters is alarming and has had a significant impact on marine ecosystems, industries such as tourism and fisheries, and on human health.
“So, from this perspective, Japan will continue to provide technical assistance to developing countries to achieve the ‘Osaka Blue Ocean Vision’, which aims to reduce additional pollution from marine plastic waste to zero by the year 2050, through a comprehensive life-cycle approach,” Ambassador Fujiwara said.
“Fundamentally, plastic waste management is one of the most urgent issues to be addressed. That is why Japan and like-minded countries, such as Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, and Guyana, are seriously working together to tackle environmental issues, as well as damage to biodiversity and natural resources.”
The ambassador noted that in this current era, there is an absolute need to have information and knowledge of plastic litter management, as well as relevant policies and strategic partnerships in place, but this can only be achieved if coherent action is taken.
CMC/
