August 21, 2026

JET outlines key areas it believes beach access and management policy should be strengthened

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), has outlined four key areas, where it believes, the Beach Access and Management Policy, should be strengthened.

JET says, the recommendations come, as public debate continues, around beach access.

According to JET, the first recommendation is to establish a clear and enforceable public right of access, including secure landward access to beaches.

The second recommendation is to protect traditional public bathing and fishing beaches, including those on privately owned land.

It stated that the third recommendation is to prevent fees, structures, development and licence conditions from becoming barriers to public access.

And JET said the fourth recommendation is to strengthen protection of natural beaches and coastal ecosystems, alongside stronger monitoring, enforcement and institutional arrangements.

JET emphasises that beach access reform does not mean that every beach should be opened without regard to environmental protection, safety, property rights or legitimate commercial interests.

Rather, it said Jamaica needs a framework that balances these interests while establishing public access as the starting point, rather than a privilege that can be granted or withdrawn.

JET said the 2026 policy provides an important opportunity to resolve an issue that has remained unsettled for decades.

It is calling on the Government to move beyond its commitment to provide one public beach per parish, to establish a rights-based framework that recognises Jamaica’s beaches as a shared national resource- protecting access, livelihoods, environmental integrity and the interests of present and future generations.