Gov’t spending $1.9B to establish wildlife sanctuary at Goat Islands

The Government will be spending $1.9 billion to establish the Goat Islands wildlife sanctuary, just off Jamaica’s south coast.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Robert Morgan, who made the announcement, said this forms part of measures to safeguard Jamaica’s biodiversity and natural history.

He was speaking during the 2019/20 State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday.

Morgan said the sanctuary will also provide significant research opportunities for ongoing conservation and natural resources management initiatives.

“We are building out a sanctuary, not just so that people can go and watch animals, but so that we can have scientists go there and study our endemic flora and fauna,” Morgan said.

Meanwhile, he said despite the Jamaican Iguana’s classification as “critically endangered”, there is recognition of the need to do more to ensure the survival of the creature and other wildlife species existing in Jamaica.

These, Morgan noted, include the Coney; the West Indian Manatee; the American Crocodile; and endemic plants, birds and other animals, while emphasising that the Government is serious about implementing measures and policies geared to safeguard the environment.

- JIS News

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