Jamaica: The Land of Wood and Water By Brendan Bartow

- Jamaica is located 145 kilometers south of Cuba in the Caribbean.

- It is approximately 11,000 kilometers in area, which is slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut

- It is the third largest island-country in the Caribbean.

- Jamaica has a population of approximately 2,709,300 people.

Location, Size, and Population

- Jamaica has many varying terrains including mountains, forests, grasslands, coastal areas, and freshwater.

- Many of Jamaica's most sold crops grow high up in the Blue Mountains.

- Jamaica also has many endemic plants and species of animals.-Two of Jamaica's indigenous animals are the Jamaican Iguana and the Jamaican Boa.

Terrains and Lifeforms

Economy

- Jamaica made $25 billion U.S. dollars in 2012.

- The average Jamaican make approximately $9,000 per year. 20% of the average American.

- Jamaica's unemployment rate is a whopping 27%.

Natural DisastersSection 1:

Natural Disasters- Approximately 61,139 Jamaicans are affected annually by natural disasters- Jamaica experienced 29 major disasters between 1980 and 2010 including storms, flooding, and droughts.

Natural Disasters- Natural disasters are occurring more frequently due to climate change

- Christopher Serju, a writer for the Jamaica Gleaner, wrote “...extreme weather due to climate change is the new normal.”

Section 2:

Water

Water- Water is a necessity of life

- 93% of people in Jamaica have access to water

- Only 80% of water there is sanitized to drink

Water- Only 31% of Urban living Jamaicans have sewage

- Water collect and transported in unstable containers/ infrastructure can become contaminated

- Drinking contaminated water can end in disease and/or death

Water- The National Water Commission (NWC) of Jamaica spent $211 million on providing clean water to Jamaicans.- Operates more than 1,000 water supplies and more than 100 sewerage facilities throughout the island.

Water: Coral-Jamaica's coral reef is dying.

- The coral reef is a home for many plants and fish.

Water: Coral“Mats of algae and seaweed have shrouded the once thick coral in shallow reefs off Jamaica's north coast. Warm ocean waters have bleached out the coral, and in a cascade of ecological decline, the sea urchins and plant-eating reef fish have mostly vanished, replaced by snails and worms that bore through coral skeletons.”

Water: Coral- Coral reefs can reduce wave energy by 75 percent, lessening beach erosion and reducing water levels and damage during storms.- Jamaica's coral reefs and the sandy white beaches produced by the coral reef also attract tourists and benefits the economy.

- Loss of Jamaica's coral reef will result in loss of revenue due to less tourism and will more costly repair due to damages from natural

disasters.

Water: Fishing- Jamaica’s coastal waters are overfished.

- Because of overexploitation of the shore and reef area, fish size, the quantity and quality of fish have been diminishing.

Water: Fishing - Recently, there has been an explosion of the lionfish around the shores and coral reef of Jamaica.

- The lionfish is carnivorous. This a problem because there is a smaller diversity of fish you can catch regularly now.

Water: Fishing- Because of these problems, Jamaica will lose $1.6 billion in lost fishing revenue.

- This is about 6 percent of the annual revenue brought in by the Jamaican fishing industry.

Section 3:

Endangered Species

Endangered Species- “Jamaica holds many diverse animal life. Jamaica has some 406 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 21.2% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 10.3% are threatened.”

- Some of these indigenous species include the Jamaican Iguana, Jamaican Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, and the Jamaican Boa.

Endangered Species- “Jamaica holds many diverse animal life. Jamaica has some 406 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 21.2% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 10.3% are threatened.”

- Most of the animals are endangered because of human interference.

Section 3:Solutions

Solutions- Solutions cost money and Jamaica's economy doesn't have sufficient funding for many of the solutions to its environmental problems.

-Several environmental issues are being addressed in and around the island.

Solutions- Seeding is being used to regenerate the coral reef.

- Seeding is when you plant new coral to replace old, dead coral.

- This solution may address loss of the coral reef, help prevent coastal damage from natural disasters, restore some of the fish population and diversity.

Solutions- One way to solve the problems created by droughts in Jamaica is by reclaiming water.

- Reclaiming water is the treatment or processing of wastewater to make it reusable.

Solutions- Jamaican farmers can use reclaimed water to irrigate crops.

- "This will lead to economic stability as many crops are lost yearly because of water problems."

- This will decrease the risk of waterborne diseases as many Jamaicans rely on these surface waters to obtain the water they require to sustain their lives.

Solutions- Reusing water can also help in maintaining the environment as sewage and waste water will be adequately treated before it is released in the environment instead of being discharged directly into the surface waters.

Solutions- One way to help endangered animals is to keep them in captive.

-By keeping them captive, you can breed them and create more of the species.

Jamaica has many environmental concerns that need to be addressed so that Jamaica, The Land of Wood and Water, can maintain its health and beauty for generations to come and beyond.

Jamaican Beauty