Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie and Diana McCaulay | Blue Hole in Portland – Failed by all

Blue Hole, also known as Blue Lagoon, in Portland, is once again in the news, having been closed by the Portland Municipal Corporation (PMC) in August 2022 due to reported impacts to its environmental health.

According to the chief executive officer of the PMC, the decision to close the facility was agreed on by other stakeholders, including the Tourism Product Development Company; the Alligator Head Foundation; the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; the Blue Lagoon Alliance; and the police.

The PMC is to decide shortly, if the attraction can be opened, following a series of protests by residents and civil society groups.

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT REGIME

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has a long history of advocating for an effective management regime for this natural asset, and we would like to point out the following:

• Many efforts have been made over the years to protect Blue Hole, including preservation notices/orders (1958, 1968 and 2018) and a draft Preservation Scheme (2011). In 2018, it was declared a national monument under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) Act, but the shoreline boundary does not include the adjacent lands. The area is still in a state of disrepair and neglect.

• The land around Blue Hole has been privately owned since land titling was done in 1969. There were three original owners, and the land has since been sold to others.

• Access has been contested since the 1960s and there have been conflicts between landowners and the community over the years, for example, concerning vending, noise and petty crime.

• Efforts have been made to train and equip local guides, but these were not sustained.

• When the site is not closed, local community individuals and groups carry out many different activities: motorised canoes, rafts and kayaks are moored and launched from there; and there are vending and recreational use for swimming and days out.

• Various types of development have been carried out on the land around the lagoon itself – a restaurant, a bar, a helicopter pad, villas, small hotels, a constructed beach on the eastern side, built without the required permit and licence. The parish council road is now lined with many luxury villas, with little to no parking.

• Blue Hole is small, it is not suitable for non-swimmers, as the few shallow areas fall off very steeply; access by vehicle is limited; and there are currently no working sanitary facilities or garbage collection. JET contends that this site is totally unsuitable for mass tourism.

• The problems include the removal of trees to allow for construction, poor water quality for recreational bathing, oil pollution from motorboats, conflicts between motorized craft and swimmers, a ’toll’ being imposed at the top of the parish council road by community members, aggressive vending, the lack of sanitation or garbage arrangements, illegal modification of the shoreline, which was later regularised.

• Over the years, several state agencies have had some responsibility for the health of Blue Hole – the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Portland Municipal Corporation, and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. NEPA has indicated that it is not willing to declare the lagoon a marine park or protected area. The JNHT has no experience running a marine site. The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA)/NEPA must permit any encroachments on the foreshore, and any sewage treatment facilities. The PMC’s position is unclear. JET is concerned about the overlapping and uncertain state responsibilities which have no doubt contributed to the lack of action over the years.

WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO FACE

There have been many suggestions as to how Blue Hole can be managed and used to generate income, but the location simply cannot deliver every possible objective to all of its users. These include:

• Sustainable livelihoods for an unknown and unlimited number of local people;

• Become a tourist attraction, which requires supporting infrastructure (bathrooms, safety measures, buoys, solid waste management, lifeguards, food, drink, insurance, etc);

• Protection of private property rights;

• Access to all Jamaicans for swimming and recreation at a low, or no entrance fee;

• Protection of biological diversity, aesthetics and water quality.

JET does not believe any management regime that tries to achieve all these varied objectives at the same time can be successful.

The land surrounding this lovely beauty spot should never have been privately owned and should be freely accessible to local people. But it has a limited carrying capacity, and only a certain number of visitors, tours or other types of income-generating activities can be carried out without compromising safety and environmental health. The acquisition of private land or negotiated access by easement is needed, along with a comprehensive management plan, which would establish carrying capacity and all other elements necessary for Blue Hole’s protection.

Given the long-standing reluctance of the state agencies to assume management control of the area, it is difficult to see the way forward unless this fundamental hurdle can be overcomed.

Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, PhD, is an environmental scientist and the CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust. Diana McCaulay is an environmental activist and the Founder of the Jamaica Environment Trust. Send feedback to jamaicaenvironmenttrust@gmail.com or diana.mccaulay@gmail.com.