Jamaica / Special Interests / Conservation

There is an honourable commitment to conservation and preservation in Jamaica by many conscious and forward-looking people, but even maintaining the status quo appears to be a losing battle much of the time. Jamaica is crowded and the pressures on the island’s limited resources are extremely heavy. The forests suffer through cultivation, development and through illegal logging. The coastal areas suffer through development; the fishing grounds are fished in numbers that do not let stocks replenish themselves; and despite efforts, marine reserves have not been a great success. Turtles nest on the beaches, but their eggs are prized and often taken, and there are endangered manatees off the south-west coast which are under constant threat from human activity. And this is not to forget tourism either, which creates its own pressures, both because of activities on the reefs and beaches, for example, but also in less visible ways. For instance, through the development of infrastructure – houses and hotels – and, for example, through the extra use of water and detergents for washing hundreds of towels. This is not to say that Jamaica is alone. Habitats are under threat everywhere in the Caribbean, but the situation seems to be more difficult there.

There are a number of national parks and reserves around the island, which enable you to visit these areas of natural or architectural significance.

A pick of the trips to Natural Conservation Areas:

Fairy Glade Trail, above Newcastle in the Blue Mountains, a walk through montane forest (best guided)

Castleton Gardens, Junction Road out of Kingston, a look at the extraordinary plants

Black River trips, in search of crocodiles and wetland birds

There is also a number of bodies that deal with the conservation of Jamaica’s extraordinary natural and cultural heritage. Some are government supported, others privately funded. Please see here for more details of Jamaica conservation organisations.