JET satisfied with protection of Cockpit Country but raises more concerns

 

There is a mixture of satisfaction and concern from the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) about the Prime Minister's announcement on Tuesday which outlined the boundaries of the Cockpit Country Protected Area.

     

Diana McCaulay, CEO of JET, has commended the Prime Minister for the decision, but is expressing reservations in relation to some areas which now fall outside of the boundary.

  

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the announcement in the House of Representatives, declared that no mining will be permitted within the boundaries.

 

"The Prime Minister said that they were going to re-negotiate existing prospecting licences. So that, I think, is significant as well that they are prepared to say these areas that we considered mining in the past we are not going to consider in the future. His emphasis on the importance of the forest, the water supply, the cultural heritage and the people who live in Cockpit Country, I also thought was great," McCaulay outlined on RJR's Beyond The Headlines on Tuesday.  

     

She expressed concern, however, that there could be some potential issues with the boundaries.

 

"You have to understand that the hydrological resources, the water in Cockpit Country flows underground, so even if there is an area that there is no surface water, it is going to interrupt those underground flows. It could have impacts on the Rio Bueno," she explained.  

 

She added that mining in mountains near the southern border could also cause issues for the Black River.