Development Alert!

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and The Access Initiative (TAI) created Development Alert!, an interactive website that provides easy-to-understand information about proposed developments in Jamaica and their environmental impacts.

Using a mobile-friendly GIS platform, we populated a map of Jamaica with projects such as highways, housing projects, hotel developments, energy projects, water abstraction, forest removal, and mining that are likely to have significant health, environmental, social or cultural impacts. Users can click on a project to get basic information about it, including the name of the developer, its location and the status of the application or permit. The map includes the declared marine and terrestrial protected areas.

The public can use the website to access supporting documents prepared by the Government of Jamaica or the developer before a decision is made to approve or reject projects. The website provides contact information for the relevant public officials who can be contacted with questions, comments and concerns about projects. The dates of public meetings to discuss proposed projects are also on the site.

The information that can be accessed through Development Alert! was obtained from the Government of Jamaica through requests for information under Jamaica’s Access to Information Act. It also includes publicly available sources of information, as well as “crowd sourced” information from members of the public. Members of the public can report developments in their local area and upload photos of the activity. These sources of information will continue to be used to update the web site.

The project was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

Go to Development Alert!