Jamaica’s First World Heritage Listing
By Marianne de Nazareth
06 July, 2015
Countercurrents.org
The Blue and John Crow Mountains has become Jamaica’s first World Heritage site with immediate effect, following advice from IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, responsible for evaluating the site’s natural values. Extensions of South Africa’s Cape Floral Region Protected Areas and Viet Nam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park were also approved by the World Heritage Committee, as recommended by IUCN. The announcements were made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting taking place in Bonn, Germany.
The Blue and the John Crow Mountains of Jamaica are: Two of the Caribbean’s 290 Key Biodiversity Areas (BirdLife International, 2010) Two of the Caribbean’s 48 Wholly Irreplaceable Sites (BirdLife International, 2010) One of the 200 globally important sites for the conservation of plant biological diversity (WWF/IUCN. 1997) One of the 78 most irreplaceable protected areas for the conservation of the world’s amphibian, bird and mammal species (Bertzky et al.,2013).
Located in the eastern end of the island of Jamaica, the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP) extends over an area of 486 km and represents 4.4% of Jamaica’s land surface. When topography is taken into consideration, the area is 78,212 hectares which indicates just how mountainous the terrain is.
The mountains dominate the skyline of eastern Jamaica, and incorporate much of the interior of the counties of Portland, St. Thomas, St. Andrew and a small section of south-east St. Mary. The steep mountain slopes form the upper sections of ten of the island’s twenty-six watershed management units. The highest point in the island – Blue Mountain Peak (2,256 meters) is located in the southern region of the Park. The BJCMNP is actually composed of three mountain ranges – the Port Royal, Blue, and John Crow Mountains, divided by the Buff Bay and Rio Grande Valleys on the north side of the ranges.
An interesting aspect is the Cloud Forest dominates the Blue & John Crow mountains. Cloud forest has been described as “a rare habitat of tropical mountains” which “make up no more than 2.5% of the world’s tropical forests” but harbouring “a disproportionately large number of the world’s species” and being “even rarer in the America’s forming 1.2% of the tropical forests” according to conservationist P Bubb..
The cloud forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains are unique in Jamaica and the Caribbean as they are over 1,000m high , the cloud forest of similar elevation (located in Hispaniola and Cuba) are coniferous, whereas those in BJCM are dominated by broadleaf trees with very few native conifers e.g. Juniper Cedar and Mountain Yacca.
Over half the flowering plants in the BJCMNP are endemic to Jamaica and about one third are endemic to the BJCM area. At least 40% of the higher plants flowering and non-flowering are endemic to Jamaica. The forest is made up of large trees such as Juniper Cedar , Blue Mahoe and Soapwood and smaller shrubs such as Hot-lips and Jamaican Rose. To capture sunlight in the thick forest, many plants climb up the trees, like Climbing Bamboo , whilst others grow on the branches of trees, like orchids and bromeliads.
The trunks and branches of the trees are covered with a wide variety of other plants such as lichens which are usually grey-ish green and are either flat against the tree or hang from tree branches like Old Man’s Beard.
Ferns and other plants that like a lot of water are common in the Blue and John Crow Mountains including tree ferns. This is an ancient type of plant, believed to have been around since the Age of the Dinosaurs.
For most Jamaican land animals, the BJCMNP is their last refuge - a large area of natural forest where they are protected from human disturbance.
The BJCMNP is the last of two known habitats of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly – the largest butterfly in the Western Hemisphere. The Cockpit Country is the other location but the population there is much smaller than the BJCM population. In addition, National Park Rangers located another BM population a few years ago that has not yet been studied by scientists. Members of the Bowden Pen Farmers’ Association who work closely with the BJCMNP have a tree nursery where they grow amongst other things, the Water Mahoe which is the only plant the Homerus butterfly caterpillars will eat. The seedlings have been used to reforest several degraded areas, and this has likely contributed to the increasing numbers of the butterflies seen in the area.
The BJCMNP is an important habitat for many Jamaican birds, including all the endemic species such as the endangered Jamaican Blackbird . The Jamaican Blackbird is often confused with other much more common black birds in Jamaica such as the Greater Antillean Grackle or Cling Cling and the Jamaican Crow – which are both much noisier and larger than the Jamaican Blackbird. The Holywell area is a good bird-watching spot, particularly for this relatively rare bird. Also, you are likely to hear the call of the Rufous-throated Solitaire and see the Mountain Witch . You may catch a glimpse of the Jamaican Tody or Robin Redbreast, The BJCMNP is an important winter habitat for many migratory birds including the Swainson’s warbler
Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains has been inscribed as a “mixed” site, recognising the complex interplay between the area’s natural and cultural values. The local Maroon communities share a strong identity with the area and help in managing the area..
“The Blue and John Crow Mountains in Jamaica is a jewel of the Caribbean displaying exceptionally pristine nature,” says Tim Badman, Director of IUCN’s World Heritage Programme. “We are delighted that a site so valuable in the eyes of the local communities has been recognised for its importance to the whole humanity. This inscription also helps to build a World Heritage list which can represent the world’s regions in a more balanced way.”
Combining Jamaica’s highest peak with a contrasting limestone plateau, the site boasts the greatest diversity of ecosystems and habitats on the island, which are also among the most intact in the Caribbean region. It overlaps with one of the world’s 78 most irreplaceable areas for the conservation of amphibian, bird and mammal species. Half of the flowering plants growing at 900 to 1000 metres in the John Crow plateau cannot be found anywhere else in the world, while unique montane tropical forests hang on the steep slopes and rugged landscape of the Blue Mountains peaking at 2,250 metre. The site also hosts globally significant populations of bird species.
Viet Nam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a World Heritage site originally inscribed for its geological values in 2003, has been extended and now includes protection for ecological and biodiversity values. Located in the Annamite ecoregion hotspot, the extended area is home to globally threatened species, including large mammals such as the Clouded Leopard, the Large-antlered Muntjac and the critically endangered Saola. The park is of particular importance for the conservation of endangered primates, such as the Red-shanked Douc Langur and the Southern White-cheeked Gibbon.
Several discoveries were made within Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park since its inscription, including the Son Doong cave – which is the world’s largest cave by volume – as well as new species of plants and animals, such as cave scorpions, fish, lizards, snakes and turtles. The number of amphibians and reptiles recorded in the site increased from 96 in 2000 to 137 in 2006. Many more species are likely to be discovered in the area.
The Cape Floral Region Protected Areas in South Africa has been extended to double its size, from 553,000 to 1,094,741 hectares. Inscribed in 2004, it is one of the most spectacular places for plants in the world in terms of diversity, density and uniqueness. While the 13 protected areas that make up the site represent less than 0.5% of Africa’s landmass, together they host 20% of the continent’s flora. About 70% of the 9,000 plant species are endemic to the area. The extension increases the number of vegetation types under World Heritage protection and allows better connectivity between all the site’s components.
Natural World Heritage sites are globally recognised as the world’s most important protected areas, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their unique natural values, such as the scale of natural habitats, intactness of ecological processes, viability of populations of rare species, as well as exceptional natural beauty. One in four World Heritage sites is natural.
IUCN is the advisory body on nature to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN’s work focuses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. www.iucn.org
References : http://www.blueandjohncrowmountains.org/heritage/natural-heritage.html
Marianne de Nazareth is a Freelance science and environment journalist
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