KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaican government is expected to ratify the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention within the next three months, Water, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Matthew Samuda said.
He said the Andrew Holness government is finalising work on three critical pieces of legislation – the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act, the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Forestry Act – which will enable the ratification of the protocol.
“We expect, through the help of and funding of the EU (European Union), to complete a new Forestry Act this year. That will allow us to engage, certainly, our European partners and North American partners in particular forest management agreements that we’ve not been able to participate in before,” Samuda said.
He noted that the government is also finalising amendments to the NRCA Act, which will enable Jamaica to advance towards ratifying the Escazú Agreement, which entered into force on April 22, 2021, and enshrines the right of present and future generations to live in a healthy environment and to pursue sustainable development.
It is the first environmental treaty for the Latin America and Caribbean region, and the world’s first agreement to include provisions for human rights defenders in environmental matters.
Samuda said that Jamaica is “putting its house in order” regarding environmental management, by updating legislation and making critical investments to protect the environment.
He said Jamaica’s initiatives, including the ban on certain single-use plastics, the planned expansion of a waste separation programme in government buildings, the restoration of wetlands, and measures such as tailpipe testing for vehicles to reduce emissions, are important steps being undertaken.
“So, we’re making practical investments to ensure that our regulatory environment is correct. We are also putting in the protection and restoration efforts that we absolutely must, if we are to be faithful to what we call on our partners to do,” Samuda stated.
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