In a historic first, Jamaica’s Constitutional Court has declared void a government-issued mining permit, ruling that the 2020 approval for limestone extraction in the Dry Harbour Mountains violated the people’s constitutional right to a healthy environment.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, May 1, 2026 - Jamaica’s Constitutional Court has struck down the 2020 environmental permit granted to Bengal Development Limited for a proposed limestone mining project in the ecologically sensitive Dry Harbour Mountains of St Ann — declaring it unconstitutional, void, and of no effect.