Campaigners in Jamaica are heading to court next week to challenge the privatization of the country’s coastline. The legal battle, led by the Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (Jabbem), involves five court cases aimed at preventing the closure of public access to Mammee Bay and Little Dunn’s River in St Ann, the Blue Lagoon in Portland, Bob Marley beach in St Andrew, and Flankers/Providence beach in Montego Bay. Jabbem argues that the 1956 Beach Control Act, which grants the state ownership of the foreshore and seabed, facilitates a “plantation tourism” model that benefits private investors and elites while depriving locals of livelihoods, leisure, and health. Activists claim the law, which dates back to the colonial era, allows the government to deny public access to beaches for all-inclusive hotel developments. They are seeking “free, legal, unfettered, forever rights” to the shoreline, asserting that current proposals only offer “qualified rights” subject to developer licenses. The movement also expressed concerns regarding the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (Narra) Act passed in March. Campaigners argue the act weakens the 1882 Prescription Act, which protects land used as a public route for at least 20 years, by concentrating power in the office of the prime minister and reducing transparency. The government has responded by stating it is committed to ensuring natural assets benefit all citizens. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda noted that recent development approvals have required developers to carve out corridors to the sea. He defended the Narra Act as a necessary tool for urgent, large-scale procurement to build resilience against storms. While the prime minister proposed a beach access and management policy in March to modernize legislation, campaigners maintain the policy still allows for unacceptable restrictions.