JIS — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will, in the coming weeks, present a ‘delegation instrument’ to the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) for the management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park.

NEPA’s chief executive officer, Franklin McDonald, said the instrument will allow the JCDT to direct the operations of the Park for a 10-year period during which, the performance of the environmental organisation would be monitored and evaluated to determine if an extended period would be viable.

The award of the instrument, McDonald explained, was in keeping with the provisions under the Protected Areas Systems Policy of the mid -1990s,which allows NEPA to delegate the management of designated protected areas to civic groups.

In addition to the delegation instrument, NEPA will also sign a sub-lease agreement with the JCDT for the use of the Holywell Recreational Area, which is set in the hills of the Blue Mountains. This particular agreement will be for a period of 25 years during which time, the JCDT will have the authority to rent park buildings and maintain trails that form a part of the recreational facility.

NEPA has also negotiated a 25-year agreement with the Forestry Department for the management of all forest reserves within the Park. These rights will also be extended to the JCDT, which will be required to present a development plan for Holywell.

Acting executive director of JCDT/Green Jamaica, Robert Stephens, said the agreements would formalise the management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park that is jointly managed by NEPA, the Forestry Department and the JCDT.

He added that under the instrument, each organisaiton would have clearly defined roles and that the JCDT will have the responsibility for the management of the national park, specifically the Holywell Recreational Area, which will be marketed as an eco-tourism attraction.

The Forestry Department will have responsibility for forestry and the protection of watersheds areas, while NEPA will be overseeing the operations of the facility. In addition, NEPA’s park rangers will patrol different areas of the mountains.

Stephens said the JCDT would be working to form partnerships with members of the public and private sectors to help with the management of the park.

“The park has a lot of potential and in the near future, we hope to have cable cars taking patrons to the facility,” he said.