Reports suggest that the all-night party Good Times, held on March 15 at historic Fort Rocky in Port Royal, went very well.

According to a report in today’s edition of this newspaper, as well as online network Loop News, the dance floor stayed packed through the night and the “event offered a clear and positive demonstration of how a carefully planned event can honour heritage while reinvigorating an area like Kingston and St Andrew”.

Yet, such was the controversy just days earlier, following allegations that there had been serious environmental breaches in preparing what’s hoped will become a major entertainment zone, party organisers may well have been seriously disturbed.

That entire Palisadoes strip in east Kingston from Harbour View to Port Royal is an environmentally sensitive area — protected under Jamaica’s environmental laws. It also falls under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.

The narrow strip of land shields the absolutely vital Kingston Harbour — the world’s seventh-largest natural harbour — from the open sea and is home to Norman Manley International Airport. The Palisadoes strip is also the only land link between Jamaica’s capital city Kingston and the historic ‘pirate city’ of Port Royal, much of which sank under the sea in the massive earthquake of 1692.

Land preparation at Fort Rocky ahead of the recent all-night party left environmental watchers incensed following reports that vegetation, including sea grass and mangroves, had been illegally removed and that even sections of the old fort — a protected heritage site — may have been damaged.

Thankfully, it appears that degradation/damage may not have been anywhere near as bad as first feared. Also, passions were apparently soothed by an assurance from Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Ms Olivia Grange that meetings were being held with the relevant stakeholders and that “… concerns are being addressed”.

She also said that “there is no intention to bypass any of the relevant agencies that should be involved in [developing the entertainment zone] and I will ensure that all our agencies are compliant…”

For sure, the episode served as a warning to all, of the need to consult widely whenever projects — no matter how well intentioned — are being developed, and for everyone to be on their Ps and Qs in relation to protection of Jamaica’s natural environment and heritage.

Crucially, too, it’s incumbent on all of us to do our part in proactively protecting same.

For that reason, we applaud Caribbean Cement Company for partnering with the State-run National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to nurture, conserve, and restore the growth of mangroves at Gallows Point in the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area.

Environmental scientists say mangroves aren’t just “bush” as some Jamaicans perceive it to be. They actually stabilise shorelines, serving as a natural buffer against erosion and storm surges, which make them particularly valuable for an area as vulnerable as the Palisadoes strip.

We are told that Carib Cement will be committing an initial $4.5 million towards the mangrove project and that it aligns with the company’s long-term objective of becoming a net neutral emitter of greenhouse gases.

“We want to be a part of the solution, not the problem,” said Caribbean Cement Managing Director Mr Jorge Martinez.

That, in our view, is a fine example for others in manufacturing and wider industry.