The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Annotated Ramsar List: Jamaica

The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

JAMAICA / JAMAïQUE

The Convention on Wetlands came into force for Jamaica on 7 February 1998. Jamaica presently has 3 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 37,765 hectares.

site; date of designation; region, province, state; surface area; coordinates
site; date de désignation; région, province, état; superficie; coordonnées
sitios; fecha de designación; región, provincia, estado; área; coordenadas

Black River Lower Morass. 07/10/97; St. Elizabeth; 5,700 ha; 18º04’N 077º48’W. Conservation Area, Game Reserve, Protected Area. The largest freshwater wetland ecosystem in Jamaica and the Caribbean. The site includes mangrove swamps, permanent rivers and streams, freshwater swamp forest, and peatlands. It is a biologically diverse and extremely complex natural wetland ecosystem that supports diverse plant and animals communities which include rare, endangered and endemic species. The site supports human habitation, livestock grazing, fishing, tourism and cultivation. Ramsar site no. 919. Most recent RIS information: 1997.

Palisadoes - Port Royal. 22/04/05; Kingston; 7,523 ha; 17º55'N 076º49'W. Protected area. Located on the southeastern coast just offshore from the capital Kingston, the site contains cays, shoals, mangrove lagoons, mangrove islands, coral reefs, seagrass beds and shallow water, thus hosting a variety of underrepresented wetland types. Endangered and vulnerable species occurring in the area include American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). To date 26 endemic new species have been discovered in the area. Historic and cultural values are very high, as the site includes forts on the dunes and part of the city of Port Royal, said to have been the largest city in the Americas, which sank in an earthquake in 1692 and is now a unique archaeological treasure. A management plan is in place, and the University of the West Indies operates research facilities. Ramsar site no. 1454. Most recent RIS information: 2005.

Portland Bight Wetlands and Cays. 02/02/06; St. Catherine, Clarendon; 24,542 ha; 17º49'N 077º04'W. Protected Area. Located on the south coast of the island, just west of Kingston, Portland Bight (or bay) includes some 8,000 ha of coastal mangroves, among the largest contiguous mangrove stands remaining in Jamaica, as well as a salt marsh, several rivers, offshore cays, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and open water. The site constitutes a critical feeding and breeding location as well as a general habitat for internationally threatened species such as the cave frog (Eleutherodactylus cavernicola), the Jamaican boa (Epicrates subflavus), the endemic hutia or coney (Geocapromys brownii), and the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus). An endemic cactus (Opuntia jamaicensis) is also considered endangered under CITES. More than 3,000 fisher families make their livelihoods in the Bight, harvesting mostly finfish but also lobster, shrimp, oysters, and conch, and there are important sugar plantations in the surrounding area. Threats are feared from over-hunting and -fishing, pollution from sugar wastes, mangrove destruction for aquaculture, and invasive species. Ramsar site No. 1597. Most recent RIS information: 2006.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 26 January 2000, updated 10 February 2006, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.