Neil O. Richards | Jamaica’s diminishing endowments

It would be premature and certainly too harsh to conclude that Harry Belafonte’s island in the sun is paradise lost, but it is tempting to drift into such a negative declaration because of some unflattering and damaging trends.

Jamaica’s endowments of a rich and diverse natural environment, and a talented, diverse national population are both in crisis mode – with frequent, negative impacts on its environmental assets and also with regard to diminished values and attitudes of its population.

There are certainly pockets of hope and points of light on the island, but in this the 60th year since the island’s political independence, the only clear and substantive positive outlook is the always delightful spectacle of world-leading athletics performances and popular-music accomplishments.

In a recent national survey, Jamaicans seem to concur with that view.

Justified worldwide admiration of the island’s outstanding natural environment is matched by the expressed love for those natural endowments by the island’s resident population. That expressed love of sweet Jamaica is too often not matched by serious care of those wonderful features of nature that stimulate affection.

Evidence of blatant disregard for the island’s splendid environmental blessings is that the clever and important slogan ‘Nuh dutty up Jamaica’ seems to have made little impact on the tradition of objectionable waste-disposal practices. The very frequent routine of carelessly tossing myriad unwanted objects is far too widespread.

There is an uncomfortable realisation that the extent of concern for Jamaica’s welfare by many of its citizens is often limited to nationalistic fervour when Jamaica is a participant in sporting competitions. Fervent assertion of love for the island is also related to the less than high likelihood of being ‘brought to book’ for infringement of law and order regulations.

Although there is consensus that delayed reparative justice is Britain’s sin of omission, Jamaica had a good head start on August 6, 1962 – with ideal ingredients with which to make progressive leaps forward, after the independence baton was passed to the new nation.

The building blocks for environmental management of a small island state (Jamaica) was already in place when the island attained independence from colonial rule.

A Forestry Department had been fully functioning. Substantial forest reserves had been delineated at environmentally sensitive locations, and large public gardens had already been established.

A Town Planning Department, a National Resources Conservation Authority and a Beach Control Authority were a trio of public sector entities that pursued development-control measures rigorously. Those three entities later merged to form the currently named National Environment and Planning Agency.

During the decade after independence, several delegations from low-income and middle-income countries visited Jamaica, to observe our progress. The young nation then, where conscious reggae music was created, was on the move – and not just on the dance floor.

Regarding the accomplishments and the status of human development infrastructure, it is the view of many specialist observers and analysts that during the past seven decades, primary and secondary levels of education, and the delivery of primary healthcare services, have achieved creditable levels – when compared with the levels of similar services in middle-income countries of the world. There are, however, obvious shortfalls in those two critical human development sectors.

NEGATIVELY IMPACTED

There have been severe shocks to Jamaica’s economy midway the nation’s total length of years as an independent nation, which have been destabilising and unfavourable to progress.

Shocking and concerning are the deteriorated levels of social behaviour, and destructive impacts on the nation’s natural environment and physical environment. Severe impacts of prevailing social behaviour on the national population have generated notoriety for Jamaica beyond the island’s shores.

Environmental protection may be severely impacted when there are short-term expedient actions without regard for long-term consequences. When combined with personal-interest motives, such actions often compromise and may irreparably damage community interests – which would be detrimental to the national interest.

An unfortunate propensity of many citizens is resistance to abiding by regulations framed for the public good. Such behaviour patterns require enormous oversight and dedicated vigilance by agents of the State and by concerned citizens – to protect Jamaica’s physical and natural environment endowments.

There are several examples of events that have negatively impacted Jamaica’s endowments, such as the following:

• The most critical negative impact on the nation’s human resources are increasing incidences of fractious and deadly interpersonal encounters which often exceed law-enforcement control capabilities.

• With regard to the man-made environment, the physical appearance and attractiveness of cities and towns will not be possible with toleration of unsightly itinerant trading endeavours along sidewalks and thoroughfares, and the intolerable conditions within and surrounding markets.

• The preservation of existing substantial trees, particularly lignum vitae and other prime species, and the need to plant more trees in urban settings requires a boost in enforcement.

• Hopscotch placement and random siting of buildings that are incompatible with existing buildings in stable neighbourhoods have been environmentally and socially disruptive.

• The unparalleled beauty of the backdrop hills of the city of Kingston is steadily deteriorating – due to speculative and discordant land developments.

• Coastline erosion and deterioration of mangrove vegetation are impacts that should be addressed and corrected urgently.

• Land development without permits, and construction activities that undermine development-control guidelines are increasing trends that should be halted promptly.

• The insatiable thirst for hard-currency yields from entrepreneurial operations by national and transnational corporations that extract minerals from Jamaica’s environmentally sensitive hinterland too often results in destructive environmental-impact outcomes.

There have been undeniable and welcome material progress in Jamaica since the island’s political independence, but the nation’s core endowments have diminished significantly during the past 60 years.

Neil Richards is an architect and town planner.Please send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com