Every year, millions of tourists flock to Jamaica's stunning beaches, fueling a multibillion-dollar tourism industry. However, this paradise has become a battleground as successive governments have privatized shorelines to support all-inclusive hotels, restricting locals' access to the coast.
Conflict on the Coastline
Protesters have clashed with police, and campaigners have torn down barriers around privatized properties. The dispute is now playing out in Jamaican courts, with five simultaneous civil cases against the government and private landowners. Locals, including fishers, craft vendors, and community members, argue that cutting off beach access is discriminatory and violates their constitutional rights, continuing a colonial logic that excludes Jamaicans from their own natural resources.
The 1956 Beach Control Act, enacted when Jamaica was a British colony, placed the foreshore and seabed under state ownership. Activists say the current beach licensing regime gives private companies exclusive control over sections of the coast.
Government's Stance
Prime Minister Andrew Holness proposed a new beach access and management policy in March 2018, aiming to modernize legislation and increase access. However, campaigners argue it only offers qualified rights subject to conditions. Environment Minister Matthew Samuda stated that while access needs exploration, the government must convert natural assets into economic benefits for all citizens. He noted that 112,000 to 116,000 Jamaicans work directly in tourism, with 300,000 to 350,000 benefiting indirectly—over 10% of the population. Samuda also highlighted that new developments on public land require corridors to the sea, but activists say this is at landowners' discretion and fails to address existing private beaches.
Legal Battle and Community Impact
At the heart of the fight is the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (Jabbem), founded in 2020 by immunologist Devon Taylor after protests over the privatization of Mammee Bay. The group relies on the 1882 Prescription Act, which protects rights to land or pathways used continuously for at least 20 years. Many members have deep cultural ties to beaches, where they learned to swim, relax, and for Rastafarians, meditate. The Blue Lagoon in Portland serves as medicine for the elderly. Taylor emphasizes that beaches provide livelihoods for fishers and food for communities: "When you cut us off from the sea … you are actually setting us up to starve."
Carolyn Cooper, professor emerita at the University of the West Indies and Jabbem adviser, calls the restrictions "outrageous," stating, "It's as though this government … don't seem to realise that Black Jamaicans are entitled to leisure." Campaigners are not anti-tourism, pointing to other Caribbean nations like St Lucia, where all beaches are accessible to the public. They worry that current laws destroy coastlines, benefit only the wealthy elite, and funnel profits to foreign owners.
Legal proceedings may take years, and trials have been postponed at great expense. But Taylor remains resolute: "Our evidence is overwhelming, and nothing can defeat this case for prescriptive rights. So we continue on. We are very patient. And we'll see the victory."
