NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Administrators and rangers of the Negril Marine Park are now working from more comfortable surroundings, as their newly constructed $6 million headquarters was officially opened recently.

The building, which was built with funds from the European Union, is located adjacent to the temporary facilities at Norman Manley Park where the Marine Park was once housed.

The new facility is constructed on lands provided by the Commissioner of Lands through a five-year renewable lease to the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society (NCRPS), which has been managing the Marine Park since 1995.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister of Land and Environment, Dean Peart, said Government was moving to expand the means by which all parks and protected areas in Jamaica are sustained. He said that methods used internationally to raise revenue for protected areas were being considered locally, while some were already being implemented.

Some of the means already being implemented include:

* the allocation of public lands for protected area status;

* fiscal incentives to encourage private land conservation through the forestry act;

* debt-for-nature swaps and other one-time grants from major local, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors;

* and the establishment of national and local trust funds.

The minister said discussions are now taking place with stakeholders for consideration to be given to cost recovery mechanisms, including user fees, admission fees and rentals, and the development of additional incentives to encourage partnerships.

He also welcomed the inclusion of user fees in the amendments to the Natural Resources Conservation Marine Parks Regulations 2003, which will allow fees to be charged for many of the services available within the island’s Marine Parks. These fees, he said, could be used to offset some of the cost involved in managing the facilities.

Peart then urged all stakeholders in the Negril area to co-operate with the NCRPS in ensuring the sustainable development of the Negril Marine Park.

“International and regional experience has shown that management of protected areas towards sustainability, cannot be achieved by any one entity — not an NGO alone, nor a government body alone,” he said. “There must be a partnership of the community members, private sector, the government and the NGO community, all working together towards the same end.”

In his remarks, Gerd Jarchow, head of delegation of the European Commission in Jamaica, made reference to his organisation’s support for environmental projects in the Negril area since 1995. He said that the European Union (EU) provided a grant of 536,000 euro between 1995 and 1999 for the establishment of the Marine Park in the Negril area, and for the protection of the entire watershed of that area.

He added that in 1999 the EU signed a second-phase financing agreement for 900,000 euro with the NCRPS for a three-year project titled, “The self-sustainability of the Negril Marine Park”. This second-phase agreement was later extended until March 2003, he pointed out.

Jarchow welcomed the opening of the Negril Marine Park headquarters, noting that the implementation of a user fee system was pivotal to the facility’s self-sustainability.

“Today’s ceremony marks another successful step in our co-operation under the framework of protection of the environment and natural resources, putting into action the principle of sustainable development by providing financial and technical assistance,” he said. “It is further proof of the European Union’s commitment to support the efforts of the government and the people of Jamaica towards continuous improvement of the quality of life for all Jamaicans and towards the sustainable development of the country.”

The government declared the Negril Marine Park the island’s second national park on March 8, 1998. It is located within the boundaries of the Negril Environmental Protection Area, whose boundaries coincide with those of the Negril Development Order.

The Canadian Green Fund has provided funding for the equipment and materials needed to complete the demarcation of the various zones, while the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) provides funding to maintain the swimmer’s lane within the park area.