Two environmental groups and four individuals have been granted leave in the Supreme Court to seek Judicial Review of the process by which an Environmental Permit was issued for the Bahia Principe Resort Development in Runaway Bay, St. Ann.  Hearing dates are scheduled for February 21^st and 22^nd, 2006.  

The Northern Jamaica Conservation Association, the Jamaica Environment Trust and four individuals contend that the Jamaican regulatory authorities breached their own regulations and procedures in granting the permit.

Pear Tree Bottom is a coastal area west of Runaway Bay that was acquired by the Piñero Group, a Spanish hotel chain, in 2003.  The area is considered ecologically important for its unique combination of natural features, including a dry limestone forest, fresh water marsh, river, blue holes, coastal wetlands, wildlife habitat and one of the best remaining coral reef sites along the north coast.

Land clearance authorised by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) began in May 2005 for the first phase of the development, although an environmental permit for the project was not granted until July 26, 2005.  Ground was broken for the hotel on October 7, 2005.

The environmental groups leading the action believe that lax regulation and a disregard for sustainable development principles are facilitating the decline of Jamaica’s important coastal ecosystems, leaving coastal communities vulnerable to natural hazards and depriving Jamaicans of their natural heritage.

The individuals involved in the action are people who are concerned with the rapid incursion of many large scale hotel projects into Jamaica and their impacts on the natural resources of Pear Tree Bottom and other coastal areas.  They point to the well-documented devastation of the Mediterranean coastline of Spain due to tourism overdevelopment, and see these large scale developments as presenting the same risks for Jamaica, especially in view of the Piñero Group’s poor environmental record in Mexico. 

They and other local stakeholders feel that the Government’s failure to ensure adequate infrastructure in advance of a number of major resort projects along the north coast will lead to a range of socially and environmentally harmful practices, including squatting.

Pear Tree Bottom is considered by many people to be of national and international importance as a unique example of Jamaica’s natural heritage, as a research site for marine and coastal ecology, as wildlife habitat, as a traditional fishing beach for a small local population, and as a quiet place of refuge and relaxation for local residents and visitors to enhance their health and wellbeing.

As an alternative to these intensive, high impact projects, local stakeholders would like to see more environmentally friendly, community oriented tourism development, which brings greater benefits to local people while conserving Jamaica’s natural heritage.

 

Contact information: