Jamaica Beach Guide

MARINE BIOLOGIST Professor Mona Webber has added the weight of her own voice to the call to ignore appeals to delay the implementation of the January 2020 ban on styrofoam. According to Webber, director of the Centre for Marine Sciences at The University of the West Indies, there is too much at risk for the environment and for public health.

“I don’t agree with delaying the ban at all – for the sake of the nature of the material and how easily it becomes irretrievable. Styrofoam fragments very easily, and so it becomes micro-plastics even faster than the other less easily fragmented plastics. So, for example, we were on Refuge Cay a couple Mondays ago and there were a lot of small fragments of styrofoam all over the cay, and this is despite the cleaning,” she told The Gleaner. “Also, styrene and benzene and those chemicals are not good for us. The science has not confirmed, but they are strongly suspected to be carcinogens. And so, for the sake of the potential effect on our bodies and the definite effect that you see in terms of the environment, we have to find alternatives. The more you delay, the more we relax. We have set a deadline and we should hold to it: January 2020,” she added. Plastics have, over recent years – substantiated by several studies, including at least one that was co-authored by Webber herself – become a ballooning pollution problem for Jamaica and other islands of the Caribbean.

They cause entanglement, ingestion and starvation among some marine species, and enable the transport of invasive species and pollutants from polluted rivers to remote areas in the ocean.

Plastics pollution also presents a significant economic risk, given the negative impacts on the fisheries and tourism industries; and pose a solid waste-disposal nightmare for communities.

Effect on Business

Eleanor Jones, who heads the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Committee of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, is of a different view from Webber.

She believes an extension should be granted, having regard to the implications for the bottom line of, in particular, small and medium-size businesses and with a view to ensuring the long-term success of the ban. “You need a substitute for it (styrofoam), but you can’t say, effective today. You don’t change people’s behaviour in two months, and an announcement is a completely different thing from a behaviour modification plan,” she said. “We have to be ready. And we don’t want to put people out of a livelihood,” added Jones, who also heads the consultancy firm Environmental Solutions Limited. .

Their comments come following news that a group of local distributors and manufacturers had written to the Government asking for a delay of the ban.

While not insensitive to the plight of small businesses that will need to move quickly to transition to more environmentally friendly options to package meals, for example, Webber insists the time is now to proceed with the ban..

“Several cities have banned styrofoam. We are not the first, and I really think if we put our minds to it, we can find alternatives,” she said. “We have seen persons bring alternatives. Perhaps we could do something about the import duties and those things to make them cheaper for the small businesses. But we need to do it (proceed with the ban). We have a schedule. I say we stick to our guns,” added Webber, who also heads the Discovery Bay Marine Lab.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said the $49 million upgrade of the Lyssons Beach in St Thomas “is not about building beaches for tourists, but for the people of Jamaica that tourists will also enjoy”.

Bartlett participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the renovated Lyssons Beach in St Thomas following its multi-million dollar upgrade.

“St Thomas is a parish that has immense potential for tourism development and we will continue to examine ways to expand and diversify this most important industry. I am particularly delighted to be here at Lyssons Beach, with its most scenic tranquil vibe that has attracted many to its location over the years. This is not about building beaches for tourists. This is about building beaches for the people of Jamaica that tourists will also enjoy,” Bartlett was quoted as saying.

The improvements carried out at Lyssons Beach included renovation of the restrooms, upgrade of the sewage system, construction of five gazebos, construction of a foot bridge and walkways, rehabilitation of the lower driveway and parking area, fabrication of three lifeguard stands, construction of a guard house and an outdoor shower area, the release shared.

Phase two of the project included the construction of a wooden perimeter fence and the fabrication of a chain link fence for demarcation purposes, construction of seating around the trees on the beach, the establishment of a parking lot and driveway and landscaping to prescribed areas.

“Tourism investments often lead to the development of infrastructure to support the sector. This is what we have here today at Lyssons. I am delighted to be in your company and to do the honours of cutting the ribbon to officially declare open the Lyssons Beach.

“I implore the residents of the parish to see it as your own, to treasure it and to be creative in the use of the space so that you can leverage it to bring greater wealth and an improved quality of life,” said Bartlett.

The upgrade is part of the Tourism Enhancement Fund's National Beach Development Programme. The Tourism Product Development Company managed the project, with construction done by MAE Construction Ltd in the first phase and Stone Plus Ltd in the latter.

Another twelve beaches are in the design phase for this financial year.

WHILE noting that a stranding of dolphins along the island's coastline is very rare and unfortunate, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it will be surveying the area of White Sand Beach in Holland Bay, St Thomas, for other strandings and investigating the possible cause of the incidents.

The agency issued a statement yesterday after four dolphins were stranded in the area, in two separate incidents, within three days.

Monique Curtis, manager, Ecosystems Management Branch, NEPA, is quoted in the release as saying: “We acknowledge the collaborative effort and speedy response from relevant agencies and stakeholders within the area, particularly Mr Everal Davis, who reported the incident, and the Golden Grove Sugar Factory, which provided assistance.”

According to the NEPA release, at approximately 8:30 am Wednesday, the agency received a report of a stranded dolphin along the White Sand Beach in Holland Bay. A team from NEPA, the Veterinary Services Division and the University of Technology, Jamaica responded to the report, which revealed that the animal had already died, the release said.

Arrangements were made to dispose of the remains of the mammal, it continued.

However, Wednesday's incident is the second of its kind in three days, as a similar incident involving three dolphins occurred on Monday, in the same vicinity.

Upon arrival that day, the response team discovered two of the animals had already died. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to re-float the animal that was still alive. Veterinary professionals on location finally determined that continued attempts to re-float the animal would be futile. The animal was subsequently euthanised,” NEPA said.

According to NEPA, the species identified on the beach has been confirmed to be the pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata), which is a small member of the oceanic dolphin family. Pygmy killer whales prefer deeper areas of warmer tropical and subtropical waters, it said.

According to UTech Ja Lecturer Christine O'Sullivan, who assisted the response team: “In order to properly respond to strandings, we need to establish a marine mammal stranding network across the island in order to provide the animals with the best care possible. It is also important to try and determine what may be affecting the animals and find solutions to address this.”

In the release yesterday, NEPA also reminded the public to immediately contact the agency at 1-888-991-5005 or 876-754-7540 to report the sighting of sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead marine animals so that responders can take appropriate action.

Discovery Bay community groups have won a major victory. Peach Beach is not going to be privatised. It will soon be upgraded by the Government and maintained as a public beach. It took a lot of hard work. A 'Save our Beaches' campaign was launched. There were protest meetings in the square, media interventions, and negotiations with politicians. Just a constant struggle!

Citizens shouldn't have to resort to these extreme measures to ensure public access to beaches. Our Government should be guarding our right to enjoy the natural resources of this country. It's not only tourists who should come to Jamaica and feel all right. We should all be at home in our own country.

Rescuing Peach Beach and the adjacent Fisherman's Beach from the grasp of greedy tourism interests is a victory for all of us. Not just Discovery Bay! Community groups have shown that public pressure can compel politicians to do the right thing. But there's many a slip between the cup and the lip. Or, in this case, between the talk of politicians and their actions!

All the same, I'm optimistic that the Government will actually keep its promise and develop Peach Beach and Fisherman's Beach as part of its renewed programme to ensure that there's at least one well-maintained public beach in each parish. That number is completely inadequate. But I suppose it's marginally better than the present state of affairs: derelict beaches with no facilities.

LESSONS FROM CAYMAN

The government of Cayman could give our backward politicians lessons on beach access. Through the Public Lands Commission (PLC), Cayman has started to signpost all of the 121 registered public rights of way to the sea. It's one thing to say that all beaches are public. But if citizens can't access these public beaches, they might as well be private.

A September 11 article posted on the Cayman News Service website quotes the PLC chair, Rupert Vasquez: "Proper signage that is highly visible immediately brings to the public's eyes the physical location of any public beach access. It encourages maximum usage and the full benefits of these accesses dedicated for the general public's enjoyment. It also sends a clear message to all that the public has full rights and can use these public beach accesses with absolute confidence and without fear."

Vasquez's reference to fear is deliberate. Even in Cayman, where all beaches are public, wealthy property owners try to control access. The Cayman News Service reports, "Stories of locals and visitors been [sic] shooed off beaches by oceanfront property owners continues to be a common complaint, as well as signs placed by landowners warning people to stay off what they believe is their private beach."

An architect who has done planning work in Negril recently told me that the seven-mile beach has legal access roads along its entire length. Over the years, most of them have been blocked up and captured, presumably by hoteliers. These must be identified and opened up again for public access. And signposted!

ALL-EXCLUSIVE MENTALITY

Last week, one of my mischievous friends asked me how come I wasn't at the official opening of the new Puerto Seco Beach. Of course, I hadn't been invited. But it seems as if I was very much present in my absence. According to my friend, my name came up quite often. I can just imagine.

When I went to Puerto Seco Beach in August, entering from the sea, the manager graciously invited me to tour the property. I declined. I didn't want "freeness". I can afford to pay to enter from the road. But what about the average Jamaican who can't?

Most of the people I've spoken to admitted that it was relatives visiting from abroad who paid for them to go to Puerto Seco. With apologies to Buju Banton: Who can afford to pay will pay
But what about those who can't, they will have to stay
Outside
Opportunity a scarce, scarce commodity
In these times, I say
At the northeasterly edge of Puerto Seco Beach, there's a sign on a wall jutting out into the sea: NOTICE
YOU ARE NOW EXITING
PUERTO SECO BEACH
ACTIVITIES BEYOND THIS
POINT ARE SOLELY AT
YOUR OWN RISK

This is the 'all-exclusive' hotel mentality. Puerto Seco Beach seems to be a hotel without rooms. And the message is clear: There is danger off-property. In November 2017, Taleb Rifa, secretary general of the UN World Tourism Organization, gave a stern warning at the Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth, held in MoBay: "With regard to community involvement and internal agenda, there need to be no walls between the visitor and the community." He added, "We can't let our visitors live in bubbles. That is not acceptable anymore."

Rifa is absolutely right. But it's not only visitors who need to burst out of bubbles and go exploring beyond the walls of their hotels. Wealthy Jamaicans must learn to resist greed and share natural resources with the less fortunate. Proverbial wisdom warns, 'Craven choke puppy dog.' Even big, bad guard dogs can choke on greed.

Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development.

THE EDITOR, Sir:
On January 23, 2015, The Gleaner carried a story captioned 'Smooth sailing for beach upgrade programme'. Wykeham McNeill, the then minister of tourism, announced the initiative, during the Sectoral Debate, of at least one beach in every parish being "transformed to make quality recreational spaces available to the public, visitors and residents alike".

This initiative, we were told, was in "collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)".

We in south Clarendon were elated about this initiative and we were sure that Jackson Bay Beach, located in Portland Cottage, would have been the beach in this parish to be upgraded.

It's simple: Jackson Bay Beach is the only unspoiled white-sand beach in Clarendon that is more than two miles long. Nothing has been done to tame nature's rolling of the sea. The beach has withstood the battering of several storms, and still maintains its pristine beauty. This beach is a quiet hideaway, away from the daily din one might experience on other beaches. This is where families go daily to relax and cook, among other things.

Since the initiative was announced by Mr McNeill in 2015, we have heard of several beaches across Jamaica being upgraded and renovated. Recently, the present tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, made several announcements of the upgrade of other beaches across Jamaica, but nothing has been mentioned about Clarendon. How come?!

I want to know from Minister Bartlett or his surrogates if there are plans to upgrade the Jackson Bay Beach, or any beaches in Clarendon. We, the residents of Clarendon, also pay taxes.

Public Relations Officer at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Ollyvia Anderson (right), provides details about the Adopt a Beach programme, at a JIS Think Tank. Looking on is Beaches Coordinator at NEPA, Chalene-Roye Myrie.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is calling for Jamaicans to join its Adopt a Beach programme and get directly involved in cleaning the island's coastlines.

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, public relations officer at NEPA, Ollyvia Anderson, said that since the launch of the programme in 2016, several organisations have registered “but the challenge is that not a lot of clean-ups have occurred.”

“So, we are encouraging persons to adopt a beach and embark on this journey to keep Jamaica's coastline clean and protect our marine animals,” she said.

The Adopt a Beach programme is a volunteer effort designed to increase public awareness and responsibility on the issue of marine litter. It is part of NEPA's education drive geared at promoting proper waste management and environmentally-safe practices.

The initiative was prompted by the need for ongoing clean-up of beaches outside of the one day effort on International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD), which will be observed on Saturday.

The programme, dubbed: 'No Trash Left Behind' allows groups, communities and individuals to select and clean up beaches on a monthly or quarterly basis as a means of maintaining the areas throughout the year and minimising marine litter.

“Marine litter poses a significant threat to a wide range of wildlife such as seabirds, turtles… most of us would have seen small sea turtles with plastics trapped around their outer shell and this is something that we want to prevent, so coastal clean-up is very important,” Anderson pointed out.

Elaborating on how the programme works, she said that participation is open to community organisations, service clubs, schools, businesses as well as groups with a minimum of three individuals over the age of 18 years.

Participants are required to adopt a beach for a minimum of one year, and must host at least five clean-up exercises over the period, including the annual ICCD.

Communities and groups are given an Adopt a Beach starter kit, which contains garbage bags, gloves and other tools necessary for their clean-up projects.

They also receive materials informing them about the programme and the impact of marine debris and how improper solid waste disposal negatively impacts Jamaica's coastline.

Persons interested in the 'Adopt a Beach' programme may contact NEPA at 876-754-7540 or visit the website at www.nepa.gov.jm for further details.

Patrick Hill, who has been working on the Hellshire Beach for more than a decade, clears a section of the Sugarman's Beach at Hellshire of sargassum. The seaweed has been found washed up on the beach, and has been a source of major concern for beach goers.

Some beaches in St Catherine are yet again faced with the problem of sargassum, a seaweed, washing up on their shores. This is not good news for businesses in the area, according to Roger Davis, CEO of Boardwalk Beach in Hellshire. He said that business has declined because the seaweed continues to wash up on the shore.

"This has impacted about 90 per cent of our income, and we have not had any government assistance," he said. After many attempts to get help, Davis said there are times when he has to take matters in his own hands and try to clean the beach so that business can continue. But that seems to be in vain, as the seaweed is not collected by any government agency, and so over a period of time the seaweed accumulates. He also said that he has to spend to clean the area and the substance keeps coming back, so he is losing a lot of revenue. "Persons from the municipal council have visited. We get persons from UDC (Urban Development Corporation), from NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency), but I don't know if it is inertia, but it certainly has been ineffectual. We have to cut business times from every day to only three days a week and that affects staff and their children," he said.

Feeling the pressure

Their neighbours at Fort Clarence Beach are also feeling the pressure. They told THE STAR that this was the worst summer they have ever experienced. "Business slow bad. The beach is the main attraction, so when people come and see the water, they turn back," a representative said.

One beachgoer, Tenese Grey, said that she is very saddened by the sight of the seaweed. She told THE STAR that Sundays are normally her relaxation days, and she would visit Hellshire on a regular basis to just ease her mind. "I work really hard. I don't live far, so for me, coming here brings me peace of mind. I usually come with my family, but it doesn't make sense when the beach is like this," she said.

Another person said that he said that he was looking forward to a weekend on the beach close to home, but he is now forced to reconsider this option because of the unsightly seaweed.

"My mom was coming this week and I just wanted her to come and relax because she don't like long driving, so fi go Ochi or Portland, that is too far out for her. Right here is just close, but now mi haffi go talk to her because mi nah mek she go inna dat," he said.

Efforts were made to get a comment from the UDC. However, up to press time, there was no response.

The Restoration Guidelines present strategic planning considerations and from this, clearly outline the process that should be followed when planning, designing and managing coastal management and beach restoration interventions. The Guidelines are therefore intended for: Technically competent persons from organisations or groups with responsibilities or a need to undertake planning, design, or monitoring/maintenance of technical interventions. Such users include asset managers, emergency and civil contingency planners and responders, appraisers and designers of shoreline management schemes, tourism developers, conservationists, and local community groups. Developers, designers, and contractors (and other organisations) involved with the development or improvement of management measures or intervention schemes. A key theme in the development of these Guidelines is that integration of efforts across sectors and with various organizations is a prerequisite towards building climate resilience. The Guidelines therefore are prepared in a manner that allows all stakeholders to make informed choices concerning the selection, design, engineering, and construction of technical interventions.

Click here for Coastal Management and Beach Restoration Guidelines: Jamaica

Jamaica has 87 public bathing beaches which are designated for the use and enjoyment of the Jamaican people by the Government of Jamaica. Public bathing beaches not only provide opportunities for recreation and the enjoyment of nature, but they are also important sources of income generation for Jamaicans, via cook shops, water sports and other recreational activities. Jamaica also has over 120 fishing beaches, where fishers land their catch and sell the fish. Some public beaches are designated as both bathing beaches and fishing beaches, but the two categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Jamaicans are concerned that they are losing access to public beaches, as more and more hotels and other types of infrastructure are built along the coast.

According to Jamaica’s draft Beach Policy (2000), public beaches in Jamaica are generally poorly managed. Threats include beach erosion, theft of sand, illegal developments ,informal settlements, removal or degradation of important natural resources (seagrass beds, wetlands, coral reefs), pollution by solid waste and/or poorly treated sewage, poaching of threatened wildlife (sea turtles, crocodiles, etc.), and over-fishing.

The Better Beaches for Jamaicans (BBFJ) project (2016 – 2017) promoted access to beaches and improve the management and ecological health of three Jamaican public bathing beaches through improved local community management and an islandwide beach network. With funding from the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation, JET trained local community groups on their legal rights, basic business administration, customer service, environmental conservation and beach safety and sanitation. The project also campaigned for a coherent and comprehensive policy framework for Jamaican beaches, including access rights and public participation in decision making.

Click here for An Introduction to Better Beach Management for Jamaican Communities

This project aims to enhance public access to beaches to ensure that these recreational spaces are available for use by all citizens, given the high demand of tourism for beaches. Understanding the project cycle, design and construction times and using previous experiences to guide operations, the Tourism Enhancement Fund has embarked on the execution of the design plan for several beaches across the island. The beaches were selected for development based on discussions with various Agencies including:

1. Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)
2. The Municipal Corporations
3. Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo)
4. Ministry of Tourism (MOT)
5. National Environment and Planning Authority (NEPA)
6. Ministry of Local Government (MLG)
7. Fisheries Division in the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)
8. Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC)

Works have to date been completed on Boston Bay Beach Portland, Annatto Bay/ Marking Stone Beach, St. Mary and Lyssons Beach, St. Thomas and Walter Fletcher Beach, St. James

This project promises to be one of the most transformational projects in the tourism sector and will offer a place for recreation and business. The project is proposed to house among others:

1. Jogging Track
2. Artisan Village
3. Stage Area
4. Vending area

The project is expected to be in the order of one billion ($1,000,000,000.00).

The project is funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

View article on UDC's website

I certainly regret the error in the headline of my column published last Sunday: 'J$13,000 a year to lease Puerto Seco Beach!' It's the annual licence to operate the beach that costs this pitifully low sum. The cost of the lease is, allegedly, J$3,000,000 (reported as J$2 million per year for the first three years by Coy Roache, managing director of Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited, in a letter to The Gleaner published yesterday). But even this much higher fee is still a steal.

Naturally, I've been ridiculed for my error. I've taken the mockery like a big woman, for example, in this exchange on The Gleaner website with 'Gimmeabligh': "'The Cooper Woman' has, yet again, got her facts wrong. Properly research your topic, lady, before spouting off and rushing to stir the proverbial (sic). Rigour, none. Mout-a-massy, plenty!"

My response: "You are quite right, Gimmeabligh. I did make an error by confusing lease and licence. And the column has since been updated. But everything I say about the low cost of the licence is accurate. And, by the way, the huge difference between the cost of the lease and the licence confirms just how outdated the cost of the licence is. Why are the powers that be so reluctant to increase the price of a beach licence? I don't usually get my facts wrong, so, in this instance, I'd appreciate it if you would live up to the generosity implied by your 'name' and give me a bligh."

Getting in on the deal

The irony of my error is that I didn't need to raise the business of the lease at all. It's the licence that's the much more troubling matter. A licence is essential for commercial operations on a beach. Without it, a lease has no value for the intended purpose.

According to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the long-outdated Beach Control Regulations have been revised and are awaiting approval. Who is benefiting from the failure to increase the cost of beach licences? One of my witty friends quipped that she hopes the Government will keep down the cost of beach licences a little longer so that some black people can get in on the deal.

But I suspect that most of Jamaica's prime beachfront properties are already in private hands. Perhaps, it's only underdeveloped St Thomas that has beaches up for grabs. Prospective developers need to move quickly. If and when the highway is built, the natural beauty of the parish will become much more visible. By then, it will be too late.

Jamaica for sale

In 2008, Dr Esther Figueroa released her brilliant documentary film, Jamaica For Sale. In an interview posted on the Jamaicans.com website, she stated that the film is about "the economic, environmental and social consequences of unsustainable tourism development in Jamaica".

Figueroa summarises the issues in this way: "We have enormous tourist resorts being built, walls blocking the view to the sea, beach access taken away, communities displaced, informal squatting settlements springing up, mangroves, sea grasses and other fish nurseries destroyed, corals smothered from sewage, run-off and other pollution, a rise in cost of living, rise in crime and other social problems, all in the name of jobs which are low-paying, dead-end jobs that are very temporary and vulnerable because tourism is a very volatile industry."

Attorney Danielle Andrade, then director of the Legal Division at the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), revealed in the compelling film disturbing facts provided in 2000 by the Natural Resources Conservation Agency about the distribution of beaches in Jamaica. At that time, there were 87 public beaches used for recreational bathing. Eighteen of those beaches charged the public an access fee.

By contrast, there were 275 beaches associated with guest houses and villas and 61 with hotels - a total of 336 beaches for the hotel industry! I speculate that, over the last 18 years, the number of beaches controlled by tourism interests has increased significantly. But not the public beaches! I've asked NEPA for current figures.

Vision 2030

So is a lease a licence to exploit? One meaning of exploit is to extract a benefit from a resource. So, yes, the operators of the Puerto Seco Beach are legally entitled to monetise their licence and lease. But I think that, instead of leasing the property, the Government should have sought to establish a public-private partnership that would have ensured substantial benefits to the people of Jamaica - not just to a group of private-sector companies.

The second meaning of exploit is to take advantage of a situation in an unfair way. And, in this sense, a lease is certainly not a licence to exploit. The high entry fee to Puerto Seco Beach ought to be reconsidered. And the self-serving policy prohibiting patrons from taking their own food and drink on the property should be changed, in keeping with cultural norms in Jamaica.

Vision 2030 includes a commitment that "our children and our children's children can continue to enjoy the unique environmental and cultural treasures of our island home". Continue? Many children can't afford to go the beach now. In the present circumstances of unequal access, the prophetic language of Vision 2030 is nothing but hot air.

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.

The recent debate about the Puerto Seco Beach has revealed, once again, that we need to have a conversation about leisure. We need to begin talk about how accessible and affordable recreational spaces are for the majority of our citizens, the absence of these facilities in communities, including new developments, and what opportunities exist for everyone to enjoy the country like tourists, expats and wealthier Jamaicans. A few weeks ago, some friends and I were having this same discussion that some of the most beautiful parts of the country are inaccessible to the majority of Jamaicans. While driving up to Newcastle, we kept wondering why more of us aren't visiting spaces like these. Most of the people we saw were from the moneyed class - expats, tourists and rich people.

Many people do not realise that leisure is a luxury for many people. They don't realise that many of the spaces that exist are carefully designed to keep people out. Many of us don't realise how unhappy this causes many of our brothers and sisters across the country to be. Recreation/leisure cannot, in anyway, be only for a few of us. It has to be more accessible. We cannot continue to be so cavalier about this matter. The have-nots, too, are deserving of spaces to have fun and relax outside of street dances and empty lots they transform to play football and other sports.

Tradegy

I think the discussion about access to public beaches illuminates the concerns my friends and I and others like Dr Maziki Thame, Professor Carolyn Cooper and those who advocated for Winnifred Beach to remain public have raised over the years.

It is an absolute tragedy that some of the best beaches in our country are privatised. It is quite shameful that so many years after Independence, our leaders have barely done anything to address this grave issue. In 2000, there were about 544 beaches in Jamaica. Only 87 of them were categorised as public recreational beaches (18 of them had a charge for entry), while 275 and 61 of them were associated with guest houses and villas, and hotels, respectively. The remaining 121 beaches were fishing beaches.

In 1954, while Jamaica was under British rule and Alexander Bustamante was chief minister, a commission of enquiry was established because there was "a general perception that there are fewer and fewer opportunities for enjoying the beach as more coastal development takes place and because most public bathing beaches are in a state of disrepair". Sadly, the conversation is just about the same. In fact, a survey from 1997-1998 found that only 17 of the 87 public bathing beaches met the minimum acceptable safety and other standards (i.e., toilets, changing rooms, garbage disposal, security, parking, etc.).

About 20 years later, the state of affairs with our public beaches seem largely unchanged. So untenable is the situation that a space like Puerto Seco had to be leased to a private entity to repair and operate it. Government cannot continue to abdicate its responsibilities and then decide to outsource proper management of the beaches and foreshores under its purview when they become a sore to the eye. Beaches do not need to be privatised to be properly taken care of and the private sector isn't there to clean up the Government's mess. The management of Emancipation Park shows clearly that the Government and its agencies can, in fact, take care of public spaces, if they want to. Let's entertain a conversation about the accessibility of our recreational and leisure spaces. It's hugely important that we do.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Men observed on a video killing a turtle in Nine Miles Bull Bay in St Andrew on June 6, have been arrested and charged for breaches under the Wildlife Protection Act, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has reported.

NEPA, in a release the afternoon, said that the arrest was made during a joint police operation, conducted by the Counter Terrorism & Organised Crime (C-TOC), the Mobile Reserve and the Motorised Patrol Division in the parish.

The men have been granted bail in the sum of $100,000 and are scheduled to appear in the Half Way Tree Parish Court on August 22. NEPA Director, Legal & Enforcement, Morjorn Wallock, commended the “high level investigation undertaken by C-TOC's Special Investigation Unit, and the Kingston Eastern police.”

“NEPA is pleased with the hard work that C-TOC has done to guarantee a prosecution of the matter,” said Wallock. “We will continue to be vigilant and take strong enforcement action against any individual that harms any of Jamaica's protected species, and breaches the nation's environmental and planning laws.”

According to Wallock, if the men are found guilty, they will be liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 or face a term of imprisonment not exceeding twelve months.

Emancipation Day is a prime occasion for us to reflect on the legacies of plantation slavery. On August 1, 1834, enslaved Africans were emancipated. Sort of! They were forced to work for free for another four years under a new scheme called Apprenticeship. In effect, they were compensating their presumed masters for their own emancipation.

Wikipedia defines apprenticeship in this way: “a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading).” Clearly, this form of apprenticeship did not apply to emancipated Africans. They already had centuries of on-the-job training in brutal manual labour. And they were certainly not expected to read or do classroom work.

In addition, it was plantation owners who were further compensated by the British government for the loss of their 'property'. Emancipated Africans received no reparation for generations of enslavement. This was a crime against humanity of epic proportions. But the beneficiaries of plantation slavery and their heirs refuse to acknowledge guilt. They continue to enjoy blood money without a thought of its origins. For them, ‘reparation’ is a curse word.

By contrast, the Spanish word 'reparación' neutrally means ‘repair’. It’s the sign you see at auto mechanic shops all across Spanish-speaking countries. Unlike the English word ‘reparation’, the Spanish equivalent is not loaded with the weight of history. Even though the Spanish were also enslavers!

In common usage today, 'reparación' simply means repairing a damaged vehicle. Of course, the trauma of enslavement cannot be 'fixed' like an old car. But acknowledgement of long-sustained injury is the first step in the process of making reparations for centuries of slavery.

White Entitlement

One of the legacies of plantation slavery in Jamaica is the sense of entitlement that many white people enjoy. They claim the right to the best of the island’s natural resources. At Emancipation, plantations remained in the control of white people and their brown agents. African people had no access to the best land. They were forced to grow crops on hillside farms. It was not easy, but they managed to survive.

When hardship became unbearable, hard-working people rebelled. That’s the story of the 1865 Morant Bay war. Governor Eyre exercised white privilege and crushed the rebellion. Almost 500 freedom fighters lost their lives. The Jamaica Information Service website optimistically asserts that the rebellion “paved the way for the establishment of just practices in the courts and it brought about a change in official attitude, which made possible the social and economic betterment of the people”.

Almost 153 years later, are the practices in Jamaican courts truly 'just'? And has the “social and economic betterment of the people” actually been achieved? Certainly not on a minimum wage of $7,000 per week – starting on Emancipation Day! Have official attitudes to injustice really changed?

Capturing Beaches

One of the natural resources that wealthy people in Jamaica have captured is our beaches. Up and down the coastline, privileged Jamaicans fence off the best beaches for their exclusive use. Tourism has long been the excuse for this practice. And it seems as if it’s only foreign tourists who count. Locals are not entitled to enjoy the best beaches

Even if you are willing to pay the exorbitant price for a day pass, hotels will still shut out Jamaicans on the guise of full occupancy. About a year ago, a group of us was excluded from a north coast beach on that basis. When I asked to see the manager and went to the lobby, I noticed that there was hardly anybody on the beach.

In response to my column, 'Who Is guarding our beaches?', published on July 1, I got a supportive email from Cayman: “The Ritz and the Marriott Hotel chains and the private residences all have beach frontage on the Seven Mile strip. Anyone can enter for breakfast, dinner, lunch and top it off with a fine swim and a tan on their beaches! Yes, Cayman might be the Caribbean’s biggest gated community, but they put people first regarding their rights as citizens.”

Another sympathetic email came from Antigua in response to my column, “Porto Seco Beach gone for good?', published on June 24: “ALL beaches in Antigua are public, whether there is a hotel development there or not.” We have so much chat in Jamaica on trivial issues and we’re not doing enough to protect our fundamental right to beach access.

The residents of Discovery Bay know better. On Saturday, August 4, at 8 a.m., community groups are holding a public meeting in the square. They are fighting to keep Peach Beach open to the public. They have already lost Puerto Seco Beach and the Members Beach to Kenny Benjamin’s Guardsman Group.

Proverbial wisdom advises that 'wat gone bad a mornin can’t come good a evenin'. I disagree. We can repair some damages. It’s high time to emancipate our beaches from the grip of greedy private-interest groups. We must support the Discovery Bay protest. Or we will continue to lose our beaches one by one!

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.