By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
OPERATORS OF four Jamaican beaches are seeking to have them certified under the international 'Blue Flag' eco-label, awarded to quality beaches and marinas.
This move is a first in the Caribbean, and Jamaica is among five nations in the region which have beaches that are now vying for this status.
The local beaches seeking recognition under the pilot phase of the Blue Flag programme are Doctor's Cave Beach in St. James; Long Bay Beach in Negril which embraces Westmoreland and Hanover; Dunn's River Falls and Beach in St. Ann and the new marina at Port Antonio, inclusive of the marina beach.
All Jamaican beaches seeking Blue Flag certification will be subject to assessments and spot-checks from national, regional and international panels, co-ordinated by the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEE), a non-governmental organisation.
"By the end of September, the international jury will finish its deliberations on those beaches seeking Blue Flag status and by November 1, those beaches which have been awarded Blue Flag status, can fly the Blue Flag symbol on their properties," Finn Bolding Thomsen, IBF co-ordinator, told The Gleaner in a recent interview.
RECOGNITION
The certification is most widely recognised in Europe. It is an international symbol of coastal environmental quality, that is much sought after for the status it confers and the attraction it has for tourists who are seeking a vacation at the beach.
Meanwhile, there is a hiccup facing the programme.
One of the pre-requisites for certification is that a non-governmental organisation must oversee the administration of the Blue Flag scheme in respective countries and must provide a master plan to make the project sustainable.
Currently, the interim co-ordinating body for the programme is a government organisation, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).
But NEPA seems to have come up with an answer. Winsome Townsend, director of policies, programmes and projects, says it will identify a capable NGO to take over the running of the programme, under bids that were invited in December. Five agencies have been shortlisted, and the selection will be done in May, she said.
There are some 2,900 beaches around the world with Blue Flag certification. The other four Caribbean countries seeking certification are Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Barbados.
