September 8, 2026

JABBEM says Supreme Court has granted interim injunction restraining NRCA from carrying out eviction or removal of property from the Jacob Taylor (Derby) Beach

The Supreme Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) and its agents from carrying out any eviction or removal of property from the Jacob Taylor (Derby) Beach.

The ruling was made today after the community filed a suit to stop its eviction and to initiate the process to secure formal recognition of its legal tenure over the beach land.

President of Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JABBEM) Dr. Devon Taylor is welcoming the development.

According to Dr. Taylor, the land, which has been used for generations for fishing and related livelihood activities, was gifted to the community in 1968.

On August 17 this year, the NRCA posted notices to quit, giving the community members who are all licensed fisherfolk, just one month to vacate and surrender their workplaces.

Dr. Taylor said this eviction would inflict serious harm on a community that holds not only land rights but also prescriptive rights to the beach and adjoining sea under Jamaican common law, built up over decades of continuous, open use.