It is the largest protected area in Jamaica and comprises 1,880 square kilometres (730 sq mi).

Part of the task in forming the PBPA going forward is to find a balance between protecting the ecosystem from destruction by economic development and allowing the human inhabitants a means to live and work.

[3][4] The PBPA includes 83 square kilometres (32 sq mi) of wetlands, mangrove coastlines and seagrass beds that serve as a nursery for fish and shellfish breeding.

On land there are 210 square kilometres (81 sq mi) of dry limestone forests, 60 known caves,[5] and it includes a human population of 50,000.

[8][9] In 2016 the Prime Minister, Andrew Holness of the JLP, stated that the Goat Islands were no longer being considered as a base for a transhipment hub.