KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The House of Representatives was updated today (October 29), on the major findings of a preliminary study done on the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA), in which the Goat Islands, the preferred site for the development of a major transshipment port in the proposed global logistics hub, are located.

Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies said that the Environmental Management Scoping Study has, among other things, concluded that the Portland Bight and Ridge was declared a protected area in 1999 under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act.

However, the area is not exclusively an environmental conservatory and is intended to facilitate multiple activities in a sustainable manner.

According to the study three areas are zoned as fish sanctuaries, Three Bays, Galleon Harbour and Salt Harbour. However, it noted that the PBPA is in a degraded condition as a result of dynamiting and over fishing and as a result, the fishermen make their catch from the Pedro Cays.

“The only sanctuary likely to be impacted by the proposed project is Galleon Bay, which is experiencing naturally degraded performance,” Dr Davies said.

The study suggests that strategies to address the potential environmental impacts and to possible enhance the existing environmental condition could include the creation of an alternative fish sanctuary, relocation and replanting of disturbed areas of mangrove and sea grass and the development of a habitat within the PBPA for the species that may need to be relocated.

Dr Davies also said that the study recommended that the project development phase to design these and other compensatory strategies, should commence concurrently with the development of the logistics project, to facilitate environment policy and regulatory compliance between the proposed infrastructure development and environmental conservation.

“The Scoping Study has recommended that a plan of institutional strengthening of the Protected Area Trust be developed. This plan would aim at improving the management of the natural resources of the declared protected areas of the PBPA. This is expected to be an important feature of the efforts to improve the sustainable development of this multi-use park,” Davies said.

Having presented the study’s findings, Dr Davies said several steps will be taken before a final recommendation is made to Cabinet. “The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) will continue liaising with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), to clarify the details of the project, to define the stages in which the project will be implemented and the phases of construction, including particulars of the areas to be affected during each phase,” he said.