Bauxite is the source mineral of aluminium. In Jamaica, ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America), the largest producer of aluminum in the world, has been mining bauxite since 1963, converting Jamaica in the sixth largest bauxite producer in the world, right after Australia, Guinea, Brazil, China and India. Since 2004, ALCOA has been prospecting for bauxite in Cockpit Country, a Maroon territory located in Trelawny in the northwest of Jamaica. The company's exploration license expired in May 2006 and it was expected to be renewed. Around this time, however, tribal communities of Cockpit Country, together with local and national NGOs and other stakeholders, claimed that there had been no formal consultations and that a mine would cause irreversible environmental impacts. These different groups decided to join forces and formed a united group called the Cockpit Country Stakeholders' Group (CCSG). Due to political lobbying by CCSG and different types of actions, such as street protests, judicial activism, as well as complaint letters and petitions, Jamaica's government in 2007 withdrew the license for Alcoa Inc. and the state-owned Clarendon Alumina Production Ltd.'s exploration. The leader of the maroon group, Sydney Peddie, commented on this matter: “We will be joining forces with all the influential people to thwart this issue. It will not happen or else there will be war” Cockpit Country is an important water reserve in Jamaica; forty percent of it’s fresh water comes from this area. It is also home to many Maroons, as well as a habitat for endemic and rare Jamaican animals – including 95 per cent of the wild population of Jamaican Black-Billed Parrots (a species that appears on the red list of the IUCN). In 1979, threats such as bauxite mining, agriculture and logging led to a proposal to declare it a National Park, followed in 1994 by another proposal to declare it a World Heritage Site. However, none of these met with success. In 2006, a petition was submitted to the Prime Minister asking him to take a stance against all mining activity in the area, and to ensure its protection. In 2013, the Cockpit Country Stakeholders' Group developed a proposal, which was supported by the University of the West Indies, and which asks for the definition of the total territory of Cockpit Country that belongs to the maroons and a boundary set with mining a no-go within the area. The current status of this proposal is unknown. (See less) |
Bauxite is the source mineral of aluminium. In Jamaica, ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America), the largest producer of aluminum in the world, has been mining bauxite since 1963, converting Jamaica in the sixth largest bauxite producer in the world, right after Australia, Guinea, Brazil, China and India. |
| Name of conflict: | Bauxite mining in Cockpit Country, Jamaica |
| Country: | Jamaica |
| State or province: | Cockpit Country |
| Location of conflict: | Trelawny Parish |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Mineral Ores and Building Materials Extraction |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements Other industries Metal refineries Mineral processing |
| Specific commodities: | Aluminum/Bauxite Land silica and limestone |
| Project details | A licence granted to Alcoa Minerals of Jamaica to prospect bauxite in the parished of Trelawny and St. Ann ( about 51 000 ha). |
| Project area: | 51000 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | unknown |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 75 000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 04/08/2005 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Alcoa from United States of America Alcoa Minerals of Jamaica from United States of America - concessionaire Clarendon Alumina Production from Jamaica |
| Relevant government actors: | Jamaica Bauxite Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of Jamaica. |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Cockpit Country Stakeholders' Group (CCSG), Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), Windsor Research Centre (WRC), University of the West Indies (UWI), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Jamaica Environmental Advocacy Network (JEAN). |
| Intensity | LOW (some local organising) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Local government/political parties Social movements Ethnically/racially discriminated groups Local scientists/professionals Maroon community |
| Forms of mobilization: | Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Media based activism/alternative media Objections to the EIA Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Arguments for the rights of mother nature Refusal of compensation |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity Potential: Desertification/Drought, Soil erosion, Mine tailing spills |
| Other Environmental impacts | Loss of endemic species |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide Potential: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…) |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Specific impacts on women, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Other socio-economic impacts, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment Potential: Increase in violence and crime |
| Project Status | Proposed (exploration phase) |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Land demarcation Court decision (undecided) Strengthening of participation Project temporarily suspended |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Sustainable and long-term economic projects such as butterfly ranch and zoo, organic agriculture, hemp product development, water production, essential oils and neutraceuticals, bamboo for housing, planting yam and other crops, ecological and cultural tourism. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Yes |
| Briefly explain: | The Jamaica government backed away from offering licenses for bauxite mining in the Cockpit Country region after protests from environmentalists and maroons. |
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Contributor: | Grettel Navas, Fundación Neotrópica |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 1525 |