New Marine Sanctuary Launched in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

On Friday, October 9th, we inaugurated the Marine Sanctuaries Project with the creation of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Sandals Resorts CEO Adam Stewart and Jamaica’s Agricultural Minister Christopher Tufton hosted a ribbon cutting and presentation at Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club in Ocho Rios, Jamaica in celebration of the opening of this new Marine Protected Area, which was attended by many representatives from the government ministries and top Sandals Resorts executives in support of the project.

The Ocho Rios Marine Sanctuary is the result of a growing need for Marine Protected Areas in Jamaica. Over the past thirty years, hurricanes, over fishing, pollution and increased sediment deposits have made the water less clean and less habitable for marine life. The Marine Protected Area in Ocho Rios is a great first step to help to increase the resilience of coral reefs and benefit fishermen as fish population increases and “overspill” into non-protected areas. Plans are also underway for an additional Marine Sanctuary in Whitehouse on the island’s South Coast.

We had a chance to ask Adam Stewart some questions about this process and about the benefits he sees these MPAs and others like them bringing to the area.

Q: What alerted you to the concept of the Marine Protected Area and why did you think you could make it work in Jamaica and the islands?

A: Well, I’ve traveled extensively throughout the world and the Caribbean and I have seen this type of initiative have great success in terms of curbing reef damage and actually restoring these crucial ecosystems to a state of well-being. In Florida at John Pennekamp Park and in the Bahamas, I’ve witnessed the amazing effects that highly policed marine areas can bring-both to the underwater life and to the economies of local communities. That’s why we, at the Sandals Foundation, are determined to create as many of these Marine Protected Areas as possible.

Q: Was it a complicated process to get these MPAs established and up and running?

A: Yes. It was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done, just in terms of the necessity to get so many different parties on board. You might not know this, but setting up one of these areas requires that we actually change the law. And any time you are talking about effecting legislative change, that’s going to require a great deal of time, effort and negotiation. But the buy-in we’ve gotten-from the government, from local fishermen, from the neighboring communities, from everyone involved-has been incredible. It’s taken us a year of hard work, but it is so rewarding to finally have this new MPA up and running.

Q: Logistically, what measures do you have in place to ensure the smooth running of these MPAs?

A: We’ve established a very simple, yet extremely efficient system of enforcement. We will set the first two MPAs up off of the coast of two of our resorts-Beaches Boscobel and Sandals Whitehouse-for the express reason that these two properties have very strong and solid water sports teams. It’s the members of these water sports crews who are responsible for policing the protected areas and making sure that the non-fishing laws are enforced. They are very enthusiastic about their mission, because they realize just how important it is for the environment.

Q: That’s a very proactive solution to the enforcement issue. How did you come up with it?

A: Well, we are in charge of this project completely. It is 100% our responsibility. In fact, this is the first initiative of this kind, that I know of, which has been conceived of, negotiated, created and maintained entirely by the private sector. So, its success or failure is on us. That’s why we needed to come up with an effective, efficient and doable plan to make it work. We had these teams already in place and they’ve bought into the concept fully and it’s been working out really well.

Q: Do you plan to establish more Marine Protected Areas?

A: We have every intention to roll out MPAs off of every single one of our resorts throughout the Caribbean. That’s 22 Marine Protection Areas when all is said and done! That’s a lot of reefs and communities set to benefit from this project.

Q: What do you personally, and the Sandals Foundation as a whole, hope to ultimately accomplish with the creation and maintenance of these MPAs?

A: For me personally, and for everyone in my family, I can’t even tell you how much the sea means to us. I literally grew up swimming, fishing and boating in these waters. I can’t imagine a life without the ocean in it. The Sandals Foundation shares this goal of protecting and preserving the marine environment, because we know just how crucial the ocean is to every aspect of life in the Caribbean islands-from fishing to tourism. Whatever else happens in the world, the Sandals Foundation will always do our part to take care of the sea. So, to answer your question, we believe that these MPAs will restore the beautiful and necessary coral reefs in our water back to health and that that, in turn, will bring back a thriving community of fish, which will benefit fishermen, local economies and so on down the line. It’s a win-win prospect. And we’re very excited for the future!

Q: What can people out there who are interested in helping do to further this cause and any of the other projects that the Sandals Foundation is undertaking?

A: As I mentioned before, this project has been extremely difficult and time-consuming to get up and running. So, any funds that people can spare, even in these tough economic times, towards this or any of our initiatives, would really be appreciated. To learn about what we are doing and how you can help us to give back to and uplift the Caribbean, the best thing you can do is keep checking back in often to Sandals Foundation site. After all, it is the spirit of togetherness and generosity that is going to make all the difference going forward-here in the Caribbean and around the globe.

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