Jamaica PM to respond to mining ban petition

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness will respond to a petition calling for a ban on mining in the Cockpit Country forest.

The petition, created by NGO Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), called for Jamaica's largest forest to be closed to mining, quarrying and exploration, and be declared a protected national park.

Cockpit Country, an inland area in the west of the island, faces an "immediate threat" from bauxite mining, which would remove forest cover, pollute waterways and threaten the health and livelihoods of residents, JET said.

Under the Jamaica House Petitions program, the prime minister must respond to petitions which gather at least 15,000 signatures in 40 days and which comply with agreed standards.

The petition attracted about 19,000 signatures, and was backed by the opposition People's National Party's land and environment spokeswoman, senator Sophia Frazer-Binns, according to local press reports.

"The Office of the Prime Minister will respond within 30 days to address the issues and concerns brought by the petition," it said in a statement.

Jamaica was the world's sixth biggest bauxite producer in 2016 at 8.50Mt, according to the US Geological Survey.

Bauxite miners in the country include Jamalco, a JV between Noble Group and Clarendon Alumina Production, Alpart, owned by Russia-based Rusal, and Noranda Bauxite, owned by US-based DADA Holdings.