Jamaica Poised to Surpass 30 Per Cent Land Mass Protection Target Ahead of 2030 Deadline

Jamaica is on track to meet and exceed the goal of protecting 30 per cent of its land mass by 2030. 

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says 25 percent of Jamaica’s land mass has already been protected, up from eight percent in 2016. 

This aligns with the 30×30 initiative under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

The Framework is a landmark international agreement adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.  

This meeting took place in two parts—Kunming, China (2021) and Montreal, Canada (2022).  

It led to the adoption of the Framework, including the 30×30 initiative to protect 30 per cent of land and marine areas by 2030, with more than 190 countries committing to this goal. 

Speaking during the National Labour Day Project at Mason River Environmental and Research Park in Clarendon on Friday (May 23), Dr. Holness indicated that work has been undertaken to protect forestry areas and mangroves. 

“We gave 14 new forestry orders, protecting forestry areas… declared the Cockpit Country Protected Area and… declared the Black River Protected Area. We intend to protect the mangroves in Southern Clarendon, and we are going to be declaring the Long Mountain area in Kingston as a reserve,” he said. 

Dr. Holness informed that the country’s marine protection has reached 14 percent, pointing out that that will increase with the implementation of the Marine Spatial Plan, and the expansion of marine protected areas. 

“Jamaica led the global lobbying effort as part of the high ambition coalition to secure a worldwide commitment to protect 30 percent of land and marine areas by 2030,” he further indicated. 

Dr. Holness said the Government is actively strengthening and modernising policies to safeguard Jamaica’s vital environmental assets. 

He informed that the Beach Access and Management Policy is nearing completion and will soon be shared with the public, adding “I believe that policy will solve many of the issues [arising].” 

The Prime Minister also indicated that the National Swamp and Fresh Water Policy is being revised. 

“We are currently working on the overarching protected areas policy and that will help us to declare some areas as sensitive areas, which would be another step towards protecting more of Jamaica’s environmental assets,” he pointed out. 

Prime Minister Holness further stated that the Cays Management Policy will be enhanced.  

“Jamaica has many little islands around it [for] which we really haven’t put in place a structure as to how we are going to manage them. But those are critical environmental assets and that [structure] is towards moving to the blue economy,” he said. 

Dr. Holness also highlighted Jamaica’s achievement of several significant environmental milestones.  

“We have completed the National Biosafety Policy, we have completed the Emissions Policy Framework [and] we have upgraded our Climate Change Policy to make it more aligned with the Paris Declaration. [Additionally] we have upgraded our Watershed Policy, we have upgraded our Forestry Policy, we have upgraded our Hazardous Waste Management Policy [and] we have upgraded our Environmental Management Systems,” he outlined. 

Labour Day was observed this year under the theme: ‘Protect the Environment: Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future’, and the slogan: ‘Jamaica Nice, Protect Wi Paradise’. 

Dr. Holness stated that the day’s focus was to emphasise the connection between environmental preservation and humanity’s duty to protect it.