Jamaica's Climate-Resilient Coastline

Jamaica’s Climate-Resilient Coastline
Wetlands and mangrove forests absorb water, waves, and salt to provide economic security for coastal communities.

BY GLADSTONE H TAYLOR


(YES! Magazine) The island of Jamaica has long been a cultural mecca and a tourist hot spot, but this Caribbean Eden sits in troubled waters. Thanks to impacts from climate change like coral bleaching, an increase in parasites and diseases, and extreme weather, and also overfishing by locals, the abundant life of the Caribbean Sea is dwindling. The fish stock of Jamaica and other Caribbean islands has been on the decline since the 1970s. As a result, life for people residing on the coast in Jamaica—where almost every aspect of life is connected to the outdoors—is changing too.

“When you have any kind of storm event, it disrupts life totally,” says Michael Taylor, co-director of the Climate Studies Group in Jamaica—a consortium of researchers from universities in the West Indies that aims to better understand the workings of local, regional, and global climate. “Climate is linked so strongly to our ability to develop and achieve the goals we aim for as a region.”

Many people and organizations are dedicated to developing and enacting solutions, including Jamaica’s budding blue-green economy—the informal network of sustainability entrepreneurs, regenerative ocean farms, and sanctuaries incubating on the island. Among them is the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA), that, since achieving its designated protected area status in 1999, has been an anchor for communities on the edge—not just of the island but also of the looming climate crisis.

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The PBPA is run by its own dedicated foundation, the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (CCAMF), which operates three fish sanctuaries with the aim of developing job opportunities that don’t involve fishing or burning dry forests. The foundation has a policy whereby all hired work—resource protection, water quality testing, project management, etc.—goes to people living in the community. ....................(more)

https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2023/10/17/jamaica-coastal-climate-resilience