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Title: Public Policy and Climate Change: Land-use adaptation strategies in Jamaica


1
Public Policy and Climate Change Land-use
adaptation strategies in Jamaica
Ms. Kamille Dwyer
2
Public Policy and Climate Change Land-use
Adaptation Strategies in Jamaica
by Kamille Dwyer
Presented at the Climate
Change Impacts on the Caribbean Conference.
Sponsored by the University of the West Indies,
Mona and the Caribbean Community Climate Change
Centre, June 15-17, 2007 University of the West
Indies, Mona.
3
Outline of Presentation
  • Potential Impacts of Climate Change
  • Jamaicas Vulnerability to Climate Change
  • The role of Physical Planning in Jamaica
  • The Challenges facing Jamaicas Physical Planning
    System
  • The role of Jamaicas Planning System in
    facilitating Adaptation Strategies to Climate
    Change
  • The Challenges
  • Recommendations

4
Projected Impacts of Climate Change
  • Expected climatic changes in the region
  • include
  • Sea level rise
  • Saline intrusion into freshwater aquifers
  • Coastal flooding and erosion
  • Increased temperatures
  • Heat stress
  • Coral bleaching
  • Biodiversity loss
  • Increased emergence of vector borne diseases
  • Changes in rainfall patterns
  • Droughts or floods
  • Decreased fresh water availability
  • Increased intensity of storm activity
  • Direct damage of infrastructure
  • Loss of lives

5
Jamaicas Vulnerability
  • Jamaicas Vulnerability to climate change is due
    to
  • several key characteristics
  • Geography
  • Small Physical Size and the fact that it is
    surrounded by large expanses of water
  • Proneness to natural disasters
  • Large Populations with high growth rates and
    densities
  • Limited financial and human resources, which have
    ultimately limited our adaptive capacity

6
Sea Level Rise Scenario for the Kingston Harbour
7
Physical Planning in Jamaica
  • Plannings Primary Goal is to ensure public
    health and safety
  • through the rational use of land.
  • In more recent times, planning has adopted a more
    modern approach to
  • facilitating land development, and has been used
    to guide economic
  • development and provide economic incentives aimed
    at stimulating growth. In
  • the last 10 years planning has become a major
    avenue for facilitating public
  • participation.
  • Planning has two Functions
  • Development Planning
  • Development Control
  • The Planning System in Jamaica is supported by
    three frameworks
  • Legislative Framework
  • The Institutional Framework
  • The Administrative Framework

8
Current Planning Framework
9
Legislative Framework
  • The planning legislation of Jamaica provides for
    a planning
  • system with national management (development
    planning) and
  • control of planning (development control).
    Enacted into law in
  • 1957, the Town and Country Planning Act, mandates
    planning
  • though a system of development orders.
  • Though not mandated by law, the government saw it
    necessary
  • to prepare a National Physical Development Plan
    to inform the
  • preparation of development orders and local
    plans, but more
  • importantly to guide land development in a manner
    considered
  • rational and sustainable
  • A Manual For Development was prepared in 1973 to
    inform developers
  • of existing planning standards and guidelines a
    strategy aimed at
  • expediting the approval process. The manual was
    reviewed in 1982,
  • and again in 2005.

10
  • In addition to the Town and Country Act, other
    acts are used to support the
  • planning framework
  • The Local Improvements Act, 1914 setting out
    provisions for subdivisions
  • The Urban Development Corporation Act, 1968
    providing the Urban Development Corporation an
    exemption from building permitting processes in
    its designated areas
  • The Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act,
    1991 providing for environmental permitting and
    environmental impact assessments and
  • The Parish Councils Building Act, 1908 and 1949
    providing for parish councils to make bylaws for
    building erection, alteration and repair (and
    thus enabling councils to control building
    development where there are no development orders
    in force).
  • Other Acts include the Beach Control Act (1956),
    The Wildlife Protection Act (1945), The Public
    Health Act (1975), National Heritage Trust Act
    (1985), Watersheds Protection Act (1963,
    incorporated into NRCA Act of 1991, currently
    under review), Water Resources Act (1995), The
    Forest Act (1996), the Land Valuation Act and the
    Registration of titles Act.

11
  • National Policy on Ocean and Coastal Zone
    Management, and Action Plan (first five years)
    2000provides for an integrated approach to
    coastal zone management
  • Mangrove and Coastal Wetlands Protection (Draft
    policy and Regulations, 1996)- addresses issues
    affecting wetlands in Jamaica
  • The Natural Resources Conservation Regulations,
    2000- regulates activities in the protected
    Portland Bight Protected Area
  • Policy for Jamaicas System of Protected Areas,
    1997- management tool used in ICZM and
    environmental protection purposes
  • Towards A Beach Policy for Jamaica (Draft, 2000)-
    addresses issues related to beach access and oil
    and sewage pollution, solid waste disposal, beach
    erosion, coastal water quality and wild life
    protection.

12
  • Towards A Watershed Policy for Jamaica
    (1999)provides for watershed management as an
    environmental management model for Jamaica.
  • National Strategy on Biological Diversity in
    Jamaica (2000) and supporting Action
    Planoutlines plans and programs for the
    sustainable use of Jamaicas biodiversity
  • National Hazard Risk Reduction Policy (2006)-
    provides for the integration of hazard
    risk-reduction into national development
    strategies
  • Policy on Strategic Environmental Assessment
    (2003/6)provides an accepted tool of
    environmental management for assessing the
    environmental implications of proposed policies,
    programs and plans (PPPs), and is used to
    complement the EIA, which is more geared towards
    a specific project, rather than the PPPs.
  • Forest Policy and Plan (2001)provides for the
    management of Jamaicas terrestrial resources.

13
Institutional Framework
  • There are several institutions involved in
    planning in Jamaica
  • The leading authority on physical development in
    Jamaica is the Town and Country Planning
    Authority
  • Ministry of Local Government and Environment
  • National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)
  • Planning Institute of Jamaica
  • Cabinet Office
  • Local Government Authorities

14
Administrative Framework
  • Administrative responsibilities are achieved
    through the two
  • planning functions
  • Development Planning- developments plans are
    comprehensive
  • plans used to guide development. Development
    Plans represent a
  • vision and statement of criteria for future
    development and land-use in
  • an area - they set out the planning policies and
    proposals which
  • together form a spatial framework which largely
    determines where,
  • how and what development takes place. The
    policies set out in the
  • plan can also have a deeper influence on the
    precise design or layout
  • of developments, the uses they involve, and the
    issues which local
  • authorities will expect developers to tackle or
    address in drawing up
  • their proposals for development. 

15
  • Development Control- Within the Jamaican planning
  • system, development control is achieved via the
    use of
  • development orders as the development regulation
  • mechanisms during the process of reviewing
    applications. The
  • development orders which are used to address all
    matters
  • related to land use are applicable at the local
    and regional
  • planning level. The development control process
    begins at the
  • local level, where development applications are
    received by
  • local authorities, and where necessitated,
    referred to NEPA for
  • their assessment and recommendations.

16
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17
Challenges Facing the Planning System
  • Legislative
  • Several Pieces of Legislation governing the land
    development process, conflicting and overlapping
    responsibilities for the various planning
    agencies at the central and local government
    level has contributed immensely to the confusion,
    neglect of duties, lack of coordination and
    unclear responsibilities within the planning
    system of Jamaica.
  • Outdated legislation development plans and
    development orders
  • There is no provision for public participation
  • Administrative
  • Lack of Financial Support
  • Lack of Human Resource capacity
  • Limited Skilled Staff, particularly trained
    planners
  • Limited Office Space

18
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19
What should be the Role of Planners?
  • Guide development influence where development
    ought to take place
  • Control development/ enforcement
  • Helping to build communities
  • Provide opportunity for people to participate in
    the planning process
  • Provide a planning system that bridges the gap
    between environment and economic development

20
Facilitating Adaptation to Climate Change
  • Land use planning because of its
    multi-disciplinary approach and
  • functions- environmental planning urban design
    and renewal landscape
  • architecture (built and physical environment)
    regional and spatial
  • planning transport planning and sustainable
    development- can
  • effectively identify and implement climate change
    adaptation strategies
  • ,given that the planning process can provide a
    very effective tool for
  • taking a longer term view on where and when
    development should take
  • place under a changing climate
  • Use of Basic Planning and environmental tools
  • Development Orders/Plans (Integrated coastal zone
    management plans)
  • Use of setbacks (particularly coastal setbacks)
  • Use of Building Codes
  • Use of GIS as a planning tool (mapping)
  • Strategic Environmental Assessments
  • Environmental Impact Assessments

21
Challenges
  • Political interference in the planning system
  • Outdated planning legislation guiding development
  • Lack of Government Policies on climate change
  • Capacity issues
  • size of establishment
  • Lack of trained planners and skilled staff at all
    levels impedes research capacity etc.
  • Not enough specialist training in issues to do
    with planning
  • Financial constraints
  • The gap between planning and environmental
    management has not been bridged (economic vs.
    environmental management)
  • Planning system is supported by reactive
    initiatives

22
Recommendations
  • Develop coordinating mechanisms to ensure that
    physical planning and environmental plans are
    implemented at the central, local and private
    sector level
  • Introduce national building codes that account
    for climate variability and change
  • Development Comprehensive Land-use plans
  • Develop and implement integrated coastal
    management plans
  • Integrate regional disaster mitigation strategies
    with national physical planning
  • Employ a retreat approach to planning and
    development in high hazard areas along the
    coastline

23
  • Advocate the use of market-based incentives to
    promote sustainable economic development
  • Link property insurance with construction quality
  • Eliminate subsidies and incentives that continue
    to promote development in fragile and hazardous
    coastal areas
  • Improve public awareness and education concerning
    planning and Jamaicas vulnerability to climate
    change
  • Promote increase use of GIS and remote sensing/
    spatial planning applications
  • Expand Hazard mapping of coastal areas, based on
    climate change
  • Continue to build research capacity by
    facilitating long-term monitoring programs.

24
We need to start by promoting Compliance!!
25
  • Thank you!
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