The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park – Overview of Management Programmes

1. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park – Overview of Management Programmes

2. Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park

3. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Water Supply Drinking water for over 40% of Jamaicans

4. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Watershed Management : Protects upper portions of ten watershed management units

5. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Climate Change Mitigation • Forests sequester carbon dioxide, helping mitigate against global warming

6. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Biodiversity • Internationally recognised • Wide variety of unique forest types due to • high elevation & volcanic rocks • Habitat for endemic, threatened & native • species

7. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Cultural Heritage • Maroon history & culture • Traditional Jamaican villages • Military History • Blue Mountain Coffee

8. BJCMNP– Highly Significant For:Economic Potential • Recreation & Tourism • Pharmaceuticals • Non-traditional agricultural & horticultural produce

9. Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park– A Potential UNESCO World Heritage Site ? • World Heritage Sites • Are an elite group • Receive international recognition • Jamaica has none yet • Caribbean has few • Jamaica is pursuing nomination of the BJCMNP for natural & cultural heritage criteria

10. Management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park • Managed by the JCDT under delegation from the NRCA • Managed collaboratively with NEPA and Forestry Dept • Liaising with other organisations and agencies • Management Plan 2005 - 2010 • Management Planning involved over 200 stakeholders

11. Threats to the BJCMNP – Deforestation, Forest Degradation and Wildlife Destruction Sources:- • Conversion of forest to agriculture • Assault of alien invasive species • Logging • Non-timber products harvesting • Hunting • Informal settlements • Channel modification

12. Root Causes of Threats/Pressures to Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park • Insufficient Environmental Education • Limited Environmentally Sustainable Income-Generating Activities • Insufficient Enforcement • Insufficient “Conservation-on-the-Ground” • Conflicting Policies between Government Agencies and Insufficient Support of Conservation Initiatives • Unclear Boundaries • Limited Resources and Inadequate Management • Climate Change

13. Zonation

14. Zoning Plan

15. Management Programmes of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park • Conservation • Enforcement & Compliance • Education & Public Involvement • Recreation & Tourism • Monitoring & Evaluation • Governance & Administration

16. Conservation Programme Goal:To maintain and enhance the remaining area of closed broadleaf forest and component species of plants and animals that exist in the BJCMNP. Objectives:- • Protect threatened biodiversity especially conservation targets • Rehabilitate at least 200 acres • Create & maintain riparian forest buffers along headwater streams • Promote research that benefits Park management

17. Control of Invasive Alien Plant Species September 28, 2006. September 28, 2006 Invasive alien species – Wild Ginger smothers native forest seedlings • Removal of Wild Ginger results in growth of native forest seedlings • 2.5 acres under control in Mt. Horeb • funded by Luis Kennedy Foundation

18. Enforcement & Compliance ProgrammeGoal:To stop encroachment of the park boundary and destruction of the forest and wildlife within Objectives:- • Increase level of presence of enforcement officers • Increase level of detection & resolution of breaches • Resolve resource use conflicts on a case by case basis • Address boundary issues • Address fire management issues • Disaster/Emergency Management

19. Education & Public Involvement Programme Goal: To raise support and improve natural resource management, particularly in buffer zone communities, leading to ecosystem conservation and poverty alleviation Objectives:- • Facilitate capacity building (including education and training) of buffer zone communities vis a vis sustainable livelihoods and resource management • Increase public awareness, knowledge and understanding about the Park:- (a) Students (b) General public

20. Recreation and Tourism Programme Goal:To provide recreational opportunities for local and international visitors using ecotourism principles to generate income and support for the park Objectives:- • Provide recreational and educational opportunities • Generate income for park management by increasing revenue from park’s recreation areas • Facilitate benefits to local communities • Ensure these activities don’t threaten park

21. Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Goal:To track and record both the threats and changes to ecosystem health, to assess achievement of the Park’s over-arching goal Objectives:- • Threats/ranger based monitoring • Photographs from patrols • Permanent photo-monitoring • Outcomes monitoring • Forest area • Freshwater biological monitoring • Bird monitoring • populations of key, threatened species – the giant swallowtail butterfly, the Jamaican coney and the yellow boa.

22. Governance & Administration Programme Goal:To ensure efficient and effective implementation of the Park’s programmes Objectives:- • Involve stakeholders e.g. Co-management Committee, Liaising with CBOs • Coordinate and effectively manage operations • Ensure adaptive management • Raise funds – need minimum of US$450,000/yr for recurrent expenditure and US$350,000 for capital and project expenditure

23. You Can Help Support Management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park • Be responsible visitors of the Park’s recreation areas • Promote education & research in the National Park • Participate in our events e.g. Misty Bliss • Be a volunteer – help raise funds, reforest sites etc.