Jamaica is divided into twenty-six (26) watershed management units consisting of approximately one hundred streams and covers all the land from the mountains to the sea. The main objective of this policy is to promote integrated protection, conservation and development of land and water resources in watersheds for their sustainable use, and for the benefit of both upstream and downstream communities and the nation as a whole.

Jamaica is divided into twenty-six (26) watershed management units consisting of approximately one hundred streams and covers all the land from the mountains to the sea. The main objective of this policy is to promote integrated protection, conservation and development of land and water resources in watersheds for their sustainable use, and for the benefit of both upstream and downstream communities and the nation as a whole.

The beaches in Jamaica are considered to be one of the main factors contributing to the growth and success of the country's tourism industry. Earlier policies for the management of the foreshore resulted in the separation of visitors and residents through a system of exclusive licences and consequently, barred Jamaicans from enjoying some of the finest beaches in the country. Public access to the foreshore and the sea continues to be a recurring and sensitive issue in Jamaica. This policy document addresses these issues and sets out a new policy for public access to beaches.

The aim of this policy is to support and encourage the managed use of Jamaica's marine resources to raise output of marine food products for domestic consumption and for export, and to generate. Local employment in communities that have traditionally relied upon the sea. The policy therefore speaks to:

Jamaica has an extraordinary system of flora and fauna, land and water habitats, and wild and human landscapes and as a result, Jamaica needs a system of protected areas as a key part of its national development strategy. The Paper sets out the following:

This Paper documents the major environmental problems facing Jamaica and formulates the appropriate policy framework, institutional arrangements, legal instruments, strategies, programmes and projects to address and mitigate these problems. Thus, the environmental policy of Jamaica is embodied in a statement of objectives outlined in JANEAP and include the following: