Letter of the Day | Who is accountable for destruction at Fort Rocky?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

On March 7, Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, addressed the Standing Finance Committee of the House regarding the destruction taking place in the vicinity of Fort Rocky – to create a parking lot for events. She claimed that an environmental assessment was conducted, and consultations were held to justify Fort Rocky’s designation as an entertainment zone. There was no acknowledgement – let alone an apology – for the devastation that has now been widely exposed in the media.

The Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area was designated a protected area on September 18, 1998, under Section 5(1)(b) of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act, 1991. It is home to vital ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, rare dry tropical forests, and a sea turtle nesting beach. Fort Rocky and the surroundings fall under Conservation Zone B in the Management Plan completed by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which allows special events, with approval, but strictly prohibits the removal of sand dunes, rocks, plants, or animals. Activities that harm archaeological and heritage resources or disrupt the ecosystem’s function are also forbidden. This means that no permission should have been granted for such destruction – because the law already prohibits it outright.

If an environmental assessment was done, where is it? Who reviewed and approved it? Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has not been able to locate it, and it has not been brought to the Palisadoes- Port Royal Protected Area Management Committee as far as we are aware. If the recent works were properly approved, why did NEPA issue a stop order? If an environmental assessment was required and completed, this should have led to an environmental permit; yet, no such permit approval appears on NEPA’s website, nor was one visibly displayed at the site, as required by law.

NEPA reportedly issued a stop order around March 6 or 7, yet when the JET visited the site on March 8 and 9, work was still ongoing – fences around the parking lot were being erected. This blatant disregard for the law is especially alarming, given that the destruction is apparently being carried out under the direction of a state agency, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. If the Government of Jamaica will not obey its own environmental laws, how can it expect others to respect them?

We request an immediate review of the decision to designate Fort Rocky as an entertainment zone and the full disclosure of all documents related to the environmental assessment, approvals, and permits for this project. If no such approvals exist, the Government must take full responsibility, restore the removed dunes and vegetation, and hold those responsible to account. Until these issues are addressed, the event planned for March 15 must not proceed.

JAMAICA ENVIRONMENT

TRUST