The Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC) on Monday issued a statement in which it registered its disagreement with the proposed location of the trans-shipment port on Goat Islands.
In its release, the JCSC said it supported similar views already expressed by member agency Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), which manages sections of the Portland Bight Protected Area, home to Goat Islands.
One civil-society group yesterday declared it feels “less optimistic” about the prospects of the historic social partnership agreement that is being touted as a critical plank to the country’s growth and development.
The declaration by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) follows the Government’s announcement from China that it is eyeing the Goat Islands, located in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA), for use by Chinese investors to construct a multibillion-dollar logistics hub
The Portland Bight Protected Area contains significant environmental assets. The coastline includes the largest mangrove system in Jamaica (about 2/3 of all Jamaica’s mangroves, according to land use 1998) which together with extensive sea‐grass beds and coral reefs, likely contains the largest nursery area for fish and shellfish on the island.
