Work to be Undertaken to Define Cockpit Country Boundary

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says that work will be undertaken this fiscal year to define and declare the official boundary of the Cockpit Country.

This declared boundary is to be comprised of a core, a transition zone and an outer boundary.

“This is in order to afford legal protection to the watershed, the natural resources and the ecosystems within the geological/geomorphological region through the establishment of a national park,” the Governor-General noted.

He was delivering the Throne Speech during Thursday’s (February 9) Ceremonial Opening of Parliament for the 2017-18 legislative year.

The Cockpit Country is a hilly and dense area with limestone denudations in southern Trelawny. Spilling over into the adjacent parishes of St. Elizabeth and parts of St. James, the area has the highest diversity of plants and animals anywhere on the island. It is a gold mine for birdwatchers, plant lovers and scientists.

Numerous endemic species have thrived in the rugged environment of the Cockpit Country, flourishing in the springs, caves and the general environment.

Following extensive collaboration with a number of agencies, a consensus was reached on the boundary, which will accommodate economic opportunities for the area through the delineation of sections reserved for bauxite mining and limestone quarrying.

Turning to the bauxite industry, the Governor-General said the sector is well positioned to get a major boost this fiscal year from the reopening and expansion of the Alpart alumina plant in Nain, St. Elizabeth, which has been closed since 2009.