The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will be conducting clean-up activities at two prominent locations for International Coastal Cleanup Day 2024. This annual global event, which champions the preservation of oceans and coastlines, will take place on September 21 and 22, beginning at 7:00 a.m. at the Palisadoes Shipwreck in Port Royal and the Half Moon Bay Beach in...

In line with its environmental agenda, the Government is seeking to meet its objectives under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act. “We have been working with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to ensure that under the NRCA Act, we do get to our 30 per cent target by 2025, and that is to protect our endemics and...

Six students from St. Catherine who will be attending high school in September, have received financial assistance totalling $90,000 from the Poverty Alleviation and Empowerment Foundation (PAEF). The scholarships were presented to the pupils on Wednesday (July 24) at the Parish Office of the Social Development Commission (SDC) in Spanish Town. Five of the beneficiaries are former students at Old...

Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, Bertrand Smith has reiterated Jamaica’s commitment to fostering a resilient ocean ecosystem for future generations. Speaking at a recent World Oceans Day ceremony hosted by Earth Ambassadeurs at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Mr. Smith outlined Jamaica’s proactive measures in marine conservation, including the implementation of a global initiative supported by the Food...

The National Land Agency’s (NLA) Topographic and Hydrographic Branch has passed its International Maritime Organization (IMO) audit, to bring the entity in line with global standards and best practices. The two-week audit, completed on May 24, entails an objective and comprehensive assessment of how effectively a Member State is applying certain fundamental IMO Treaties relating to safety, marine protection and...

The National Land Agency (NLA) will be highlighting the importance of hydrography, as the entity marks World Hydrography Day 2024 on Friday (June 21). Hydrography is a branch of applied sciences dealing with the understanding, measurement and mapping of seabed topography and coastal features. The Day will be observed under the theme ‘Hydrography: Information Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability in...

The Senate approved legislation that will facilitate the establishment of the National Natural Disaster Reserve Fund (NNDRF), during its recent sitting at Gordon House. Leader of Government Business in the Upper House and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, piloted the Financial Administration and Audit (Amendment) Act, 2024, which paves the way for...

Jamaica remains five years ahead of schedule to meet the 2030 target for land mass protection, says Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda. The Government has committed to complete legal protection for 30 per cent of land mass and coastal marine ecosystems by 2030 as part of measures to...

MONTEGO BAY, June 9 (JIS): Citizens are being reminded that they are responsible for the proper disposal of solid waste they generate. This was reiterated by Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, while addressing an event at Green Pond High School in St. James on June 7 to mark the agency’s observance of National...