Pedro Cays to be Declared Protected Area

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says that Pedro Cays will be declared a protected area this year.

He said he intends to make a submission to Cabinet in a few weeks “and after that we can move to the declaration.”

The Prime Minister was speaking at the unveiling of the signage designating the 207.7 Km2 Black River Morass in St. Elizabeth a protected area on Friday (July 29).

The Black River Morass was declared a protected area in December 2021 for its richness in biological diversity and forms part of the Government’s strategy to safeguard the nation’s ecological system.

“We have protected the Cockpit Country and today, we are happy to declare the Black River Morass area protected. Jamaica would have protected 25 per cent of landmass with those two actions,” the Prime Minister said.

He noted that the addition of the Pedro Cays would place 30 per cent of the country’s geographical space under legislative protection within the 60th year of independence.

“We can say we are preserving our natural assets, the morass, rivers, flora and fauna and so forth. So, when you and your children stand 60 years from now, we can say we have that benefit bequeathed to us by the actions of our forebearers,” Mr. Holness pointed out.

For his part, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, noted that Black River’s ecological value is being recognised and protected. He urged the residents to preserve the protected area for the benefit of St. Elizabeth and Jamaica.

“Sometimes when you live in an area, you don’t recognise how critical and important that area is, but Black River is the most diverse environmental area in Jamaica,” Mr. Green noted.

“What we want to do is to build an economy around it. We want people to be offering more walk-in tours, we want people to learn how to be wardens and more,” he added.

The Prime Minister later toured sections of Black River, including the town’s market.