njcajamaica

Northern Jamaica Conservation Association

Dedicated to the protection and wise use of natural and cultural resources in Jamaica,

through education, advocacy and environmental conservation action.

Northern Jamaica Conservation Association (NJCA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. Founded in 1989, its main objective is the conservation of natural and cultural resources in Jamaica through education, advocacy and environmental conservation action.

NJCA is registered under the Companies Act of Jamaica as a Limited Liability Company without share capital, governed by a Board of Directors elected by the members - over 200 individuals and organisations.

HOW CAN I JOIN OR MAKE A DONATION TO NJCA?

We welcome new members and are always grateful for donations, which can be made by cheque or direct deposit. We hope to have an online payment facility in place soon. Download the membership form below:

NJCA Membership FORM - Word

NJCA Membership FORM - pdf

NJCA works with schools, community groups, special interest groups, the business community, government agencies, and individuals to facilitate community involvement in environmental monitoring and reporting, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, environmental education, advocacy, and conservation action. We are a member of the Jamaica Environmental Advocacy Network (JEAN) and the Cockpit Country Stakeholders Group (CCSG).

NJCA is well known for its work in environmental education in Jamaica: designing and conducting teachers’ training workshops, compiling educational kits for island-wide distribution to other NGOs, and producing an education manual and resource materials for community educators to promote environmental awareness and responsibility.

The Seven Oaks Sanctuary for Wildlife (SOS-Wildlife) is a focal point for NJCA’s efforts to protect rare and endangered species and their habitats. The sanctuary is a volunteer-operated facility that rescues, receives and cares for threatened, endemic Jamaican parrots and other species.

Projects implemented in recent years include Public Art for Nature and the Environment (a biodiversity education programme combined with the painting of three large murals of Jamaican wildlife by schoolchildren in Ocho Rios) and Community Outreach, Education and Advocacy for Biodiversity Conservation in Northern Jamaica, both funded by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) with contributions from other partners.

We are currently facilitating a discussion process aimed at preserving one of the last relatively undisturbed areas of dry limestone forest along the northern coast of Jamaica, with a small grant from the National Forest Programme Facility, a partnership between FAO and the Forestry Department of Jamaica. This forest, located just west of Discovery Bay, is the habitat for many rare and endangered species, among them the Jamaican boa or ‘yellow snake’ and numerous endemic plants, insects and birds. The area presents a unique landscape of ancient wave-cut terraces, fossil reefs, and dramatic limestone cliffs.

NJCA has been an active participant in Jamaica’s national environmental movement since 1989, and regularly contributes to national and international dialogue on environmental and sustainable development issues through its membership on various civic committees such as the St. Ann Parish Development Committee, the National Environmental Education Committee and the Tourism Task Force of the Planning Institute of Jamaica.

In 2006, NJCA along with the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and four individuals won a much-publicised Judicial Review case in the Supreme Court against two Government environmental agencies, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA), thus revoking an environmental permit for the Gran Bahia Principe hotel at Pear Tree Bottom, St. Ann.

Although the permit for the first phase of the proposed 1,900-room hotel was eventually reinstated on appeal from the developers because of their large expenditure, the court ruling may lead to a more stringent application of the regulations designed to safeguard Jamaica’s environment in the development

process. We need to remember that there are some things money can't buy - or replace.

Click here to go to our Pear Tree Bottom page, which includes links to relevant documents, news items and updates.

RESOURCES

Write to us:

NJCA at cwjamaica.com

Post a comment on our blog: NJCA Talk - news & views

Go to our NEWS page for press releases and published reports.

COMMENTARY

NEW - February 2009!

NJCA's COMMENTS ON THE NATIONAL MINERALS POLICY:

Excerpt: The Minerals Policy presumes that deriving ‘maximum benefits’ from lands necessitates the extraction of minerals, but this may not be the case. There is no logical reason why the minerals industry should take precedence over any other land use, especially forest conservation and agriculture. There must be a full comparison of alternative land uses and land use capability, including economic options (e.g. agriculture, tourism) as well as ecosystem services, biodiversity, cultural heritage, housing, recreation, intangible values such as health and amenity value of preserving landscape. Mining should only be allowed where no sustainable alternatives are possible.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT vs BAUXITE - Comments submitted to PIOJ on the National Development Plan 2030.

Excerpt: The government must consciously prioritize the rural family/community development in our National Planning Programme over the limited development benefits derived from the transnational bauxite industry, which is in conflict with the health and well-being of rural Jamaicans.

FALMOUTH CONCERNS: Read CLIFTON YAP's concerns about the FALMOUTH CRUISE PIER.

Excerpt: With the country broke and already heavily in debt, and the Port Authority of Jamaica itself struggling financially, the media and the public should really have questioned the rationale for this project and the manner in which it is being implemented.

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HOW CAN I JOIN OR MAKE A DONATION TO NJCA?

RESOURCES

COMMENTARY

LINKS

Jamaicans.com