GROUP PROJECT Group 1

Names: javell Page Kemice shaw Sashagay Thomas Janice Jones

FOLLOWING an announcement by environment minister Robert Pickersgill that the Goat Islands are being seriously considered for the site of a logistics hub to be built by the Chinese Government, environmentalists have been up in arms about the move.The Goat Islands are located less than a mile off the coast of Old Harbour Bay and can be accessed in about 15 minutes by boat. The cays are among 14 small islands that are part of the Portland Bight Protected Area and are officially a part of the parish of St Catherine. Great Goat Island is approximately 600 acres while Little Goat Island is about 300 acres. According to environmentalist, member of the Jamaica Cavers Organisation and the Jamaican Iguana Research Project, Jan Pauel, any form of industrialisation of the Goat Islands will have a devastating effect on the environment and will cause untold suffering to the many persons who make a living off the sea. "Those islands are a nursery and breeding ground for every kind of seafood that we eat in Jamaica ... fish, lobster, crabs, conch. It is not suitable for any kind of industrialisation. There is a lot of undiscovered stuff out there. It's jobs versus conservation. It is not about saving lizards and animals and it is not about jobs, jobs, jobs. First of all, the jobs are going to go to the Chinese, as we have seen with the road in Palisadoes, the Chinese Embassy and the Spanish hotels on the North Coast who are all managed by Spanish, Spanish front desk, Spanish housekeepers," Pauel said. On Friday, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton sought to reassure Jamaicans that protocols were already in place to ensure that a fair ratio of local to foreign

workers are employed on all existing Chinese projects. Hylton said that the hub would integrate Jamaica into the global economy, given its worldwide connectivity and the integrated activities with global value and supply chains."We must get our people ready for the jobs and they must have world-class training and world-class standards. The Logistics Hub is a global asset, so there can't be two standards, a Jamaican standard and a global standard there can only be one standard," he said during a press briefing at his office in Kingston on Friday. But Pauel would have none of it."How many workers you would need to be ancillary staff, to clean the floors, cut the grass and be security at the gate?" he asked. The Sunday Observer visited the islands last week to get a first-hand look at what would be destroyed ifa logistics hub were to beconstructed there.Both islands have beautiful white sand and mangroves on their coasts which serve as sanctuaries for reef fish which breed in the area and whose fry use the roots of the mangroves as protection from larger predatory fish. Small fish could be seen swimming about less than one foot from the coast.There were also starfish and oysters in the pristine waters. On Great Goat Island there is a variety of plant life including cacti, aloe vera and large trees. Many species of butterflies, birds and green lizards and the common Jamaican Anole lizard were also seen on the islands which were overgrown with thick brush.The islands were once the habitat of the threatened Jamaican Iguana until the 1940s, when the population was thought to have become extinct, mainly due to predation by mongooses and wild goats who destroyed the lizards' natural habitat.Surprisingly, the water around the western side of Great Goat Islandis fresh. If the Government gives the go-ahead for the Chinese investors to build the logistics hub, both islands will most likely be bulldozed, the sea floor dredged and connected nearby wetlands of Cabarita Point on the mainland.It may also require filling in thousands of acres of wetlands, using limestone mined from the hills and spoil dredged from the sea. The resulting loss of the wetlands, seagrasses, coral reefs and coastal forests would result in a massive loss of biodiversity and possible extinction of several species which are only found in Portland Bight.This, according to Pauel, would sound the death knell for the livelihood of the approximately 55,000 persons who live in the Portland Bight Protected Area as the area around the Goat Islands is only 11 feet deep, which is too shallow to accommodate the large vessels that would most likely dock at the logistics hub."They keep talking about a deep-water port; this is a shallow bay. No matter what, this is of tactical importance, food, water and protection-wise for Jamaica. There is nothing that is worth giving that up for," he said.Environmentalists have often been labelled as being antidevelopment zealots who go to great lengths to protect the environment even if it means the loss of earnings and non-creation of employment.However, Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) Diana McCaulay told the Sunday Observer that the goal of the environmentalists was not to block development at all cost, but to make sure that Jamaica's natural heritage was protected and not mercilessly raped in the name of development."JET is not against development on Goat Islands. We are against the development of a large transhipment port in the most protected area in Jamaica, without any information on the criteria for site selection, the alternative sites that were considered, or any public consultation, even with groups involved in managing the protected area," she said.She said that JET was particularly anxious that consultation takes place before any agreements are signed - the consultation that takes place as part of any Environmental Impact Assessment process takes place far too late when the

decision has already been taken to go ahead.She agreed with Pauel that the proposed hub was not suitable for the Portland Bight Protected Area."We believe that to protect an area by law must mean something; it must mean that great care is taken to ensure the type of development done in that area is appropriate, sustainable and does not damage the protected natural resources," she said.McCaulay was also critical, and labelled as inept the way the matter is being handled by the Government.She pointed to leaked details, speeches and newspaper columns from unofficial sources, Pickersgill's statement from China, a speech by Hylton at a private sector function to which the media was invited and then asked to leave as proof of the Government's bundling of the matter. A group of environmental experts, including Marcia Ford environmental data manager- UWI Centre for Marine Sciences; Robert Stephens, chairman Jamaica Protected Areas Trust (JPAT) and Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT); Professor Dale Webber, chairman Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ); Susan Otuokon, executive director, Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT); Richard 'Dickie' Crawford, chairman, Jamaicans United for Sustainable Development (JUSD); Peter Espeut, environmentalist and natural resource manager; Michael Schwartz Windsor Research Centre (WRC), and Dr Ann Sutton have all come out against the proposed site of the hub."The entire Portland Bight Protected Area, including the Goat Islands, is totally unsuitable for the proposed Chinese logistics hub. If Jamaica needs this project, Jamaica needs to find a different site," a news release from the group said.The group is arguing that not only would the project destroy livelihoods, but also destroy the mangroves which are a natural protection from storm surges, and would increase vulnerability to natural disasters."Portland Bight is already the most disaster-prone area of Jamaica. Floods, storm surges and hurricane damage have caused massive and widespread damage to property, infrastructure (including ports) and livelihoods. In 2004, during Hurricane Dean, the people of Old Harbour Bay had to moor their boats to the upper parts of their houses. The problems come from a combination of storm surge from the sea and flooding from the land on a scale that could not be reverse-engineered," the news release stated.The Portland Bight Protected Area, declared under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act in 1999 and is a wetland of international importance, declared under the Ramsar Convention in 2006."We are calling on the Government to carry out a thorough, scientific and transparent assessment of all the options for sites before making a decision. We believe that there are other more suitable sites for this development. Portland Bight cannot be one of the options it is the worst possible location and will have much more negative than positive implications for the people of Jamaica," the news release said. A recently published study on the environment has found that over the past three years, there has been an increased focus on improving environmental management in Jamaica. The report suggests that this has been achieved through activities such as creating new standards, policies and regulations (and enforcing existing ones); increased environmental monitoring; and raising greater awareness among citizens and stakeholders. The State of the Environment Report (SoE) 2010, which was launched in collaboration with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the United Nations Development Programme, is the first such report published in Jamaica since 2001. It posits that between 2008 and 2010, the overall status of Jamaica's ecosystems and natural resources has remained fairly constant.The report further highlights that during that time, key

elements of biodiversity - species and ecosystems, including watersheds, forests, coral reefs and other marine areas - have remained at the same state in general.The amount of protected land and marine areas has remained the same, 18 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively, for the past three years, although there were new fish sanctuaries declared in 2009 and 2010, the report says.There have also been changes in management activities; for example, the number of prosecutions under the Wild Life Protection Act has increased, moving from three in 2008 to eight in 2009 and 10 prosecutions in 2010. In fact, the study highlights that the number of enforcement actions increased in all areas.The quality of air, coastal and riverine water quality remained relatively constant at 75 per cent over the assessed time frame. The study, however, highlights an apparent increase in the percentage of river sites meeting nutrient standards to 72 per cent in 2010, a 13 per cent increase over the 59 per cent in 2009.There were also reductions in the amount of solid waste generated from residential sources, from 845,896 tonnes in 2008 to 821,903 tonnes in 2009, and 762,623 tonnes in 2010. The country also exported 4,000 metric tonnes of hazardous waste in 2010, a decline from the 5,000 metric tonnes that was exported in 2009 and 8,000 metric tonnes in 2008.The report suggests that this reduction could be attributed to increased focus on waste reduction efforts. Renewable energy Turning to energy, the study shows that the portion of Jamaica's energy mix that comes from renewable energy almost doubled from five per cent in 2008 to nine per cent in 2010, noting that this increase demonstrates a stronger focus on reducing the country's use of imported petroleum and on developing alternative energy.Acting Director, Planning, Policy, Evaluation and Research, NEPA, Anthony McKenzie, said the SoE is expected to be used as a tool to gauge the country's progress with respect to sustainable management of the country's natural and physical environment, in support of achieving Goal Three as set out in Vision 2030 - 'Jamaica as a healthy and natural environment.'He said that while there were many positives, the report also highlights a number of troubling trends that need urgent attention, including the state of the country's watersheds, coastal resources, and water quality. In terms of Jamaica's watersheds, the report identifies some key pressure areas, such as poor agricultural practices, improper land usage (squatting), disposal of solid waste, the issue of illegal logging and the impact of storm events."There are 26 watershed units in Jamaica; however, the reality now is that there are four of these units which are considered severely degraded," he said. These include the Rio Minho in Clarendon, Wag Water in St Mary, Yallahs River in St Thomas and Hope River in St Andrew.The report also names five other systems which are considered degraded - the Rio Cobre, Morant River, Rio Grande, Swift River, and the

Pencar-Buff Bay River. The remaining watersheds are said to be experiencing a relatively lower level of degradation and are either considered less degraded or least degraded.The report contends that watershed health may have been attributed to various land use activities continuously driven by the socio-economic pressures of communities.Jamaica has various plans, programmes and policies in place to maintain and protect the country's forests and watersheds, the report informs. "Jamaica is signatory tothe major international environmental agreements that address forest and watershed issues," it states.The Forestry Department has also been implementing a range of actions geared towards sustainable forestry. These include ongoing forest inventory to generate information/data; four draft Local Forest Management Plans developed, using inventory information; the provision of a tax incentive; and increased vigilance to reduce forest loss and infringements.With regard to Jamaica's coastal resources, the study shows that the beaches on the south-west to west coast are suffering and are showing mild to chronic levels of beach erosion, with Negril being a major example. "The beaches on the east and north-east coast are relatively stable," he said.The study asserts that in addition to sea level rise and the impact of storms, anthropogenic activities, such as coastal development and direct human uses, mainly associated with recreation, are putting the country's beaches under increasing pressure.In addition, McKenzie noted that the country's riverine water quality also shows cause for concern. "On average, 41 per cent of the water quality sites show a decrease in water quality for the period 2007 to 2010, when compared to the period 2003 to 2006," he informed.In response to the report, Chang said although Jamaica has made substantial improvements in environmental management, many challenges still remain, which must be addressed, particularly as the country strives to achieve continued economic growth. Main challenges He asserted that among the country's main challenges is the need to adjust to the impacts of climate change and to carry out "no regrets mitigation actions to reduce our emission of green house gases". Chang further noteed that among the priority areas for the government is to build the country's awareness and capacity to manage chemicals and waste in a sound manner. "Much work is still needed in educating Jamaicans on the risks associated with chemicals, particularly hazardous chemicals, and safety precautions to be taken to reduce their level of exposure," he stated.He said that there was also an urgent need to obtain further information on chemicals, such as mercury and asbestos, within the Jamaican context, in order to formulate the appropriate environmental and public-health policies and programmes to minimise the public's risk of exposure.Chang also informed that the fastest growing waste treatment was electrical and

electronic, noting that this was undoubtedly associated with the age of information.In this regard, he said the government intends to develop and implement, in the near future, a national programme for environmentally sound management of electrical and electronic waste."To support this programme, a public education awareness campaign will be introduced, which will facilitate the dissemination of information or e-waste. Also, importers will be encouraged to supply environmentally friendly electrical products for the local market," he said.Chief Executive Officer, NEPA, Peter Knight, said that while he was pleased with some aspects of the report, particularly as it relates to environmental management, he was not satisfied with a number of the current trends."Although we have made substantial improvements in environmental management, this report shows that many challenges still remain and need to be addressed," he said. Worrying trends He points out that much of the data presented in the study show that there still exists many worrying trends. Among these are deteriorating air and water quality, poor management of solid, liquid and hazardous waste, loss of biodiversity, watershed degradation, and net loss of forest cover."It is true that in 2010, Jamaica's ranking in terms of environmental performance, as measured by the Environmental Performance Index, dropped by 20 points, placing the country at 89 out of 163 countries, indicating that the country's environmental performance has fallen," he said.Jamaica ranked 54 of 149 countries and was the best in terms of environmental performance in the English-speaking Caribbean. In 2010, the country ranked 22 in the Americas. This drop reflects the need for more focused attention, as well as targeted development and implementation of programmes in areas such as ecosystem and biodiversity management.There is also a clear need to strengthen existing legislation and pass new ones to address current and emerging environmental issues and challenges.Knight said the SoE serves as a positive step towards improving Jamaica's environmental performance, noting that the study is the first in a series of reports that NEPA will present to the public every three years to ensure that the programmes and projects being implemented are contributing to improvements in the state of the natural environment. He said the report will also help stakeholders to evaluate Jamaica's progress against Millennium Development Goal number seven - to ensure environmental sustainability.Improving the state of the Jamaican environment requires collaborative arrangement and partnership of the State and civil society. The many complexities and unique features of the Jamaican environment require a focus on strategies that can be utilised to ensure that the country's development objectives are compatible with the natural environment and in keeping with the tenets of sustainable development, Knight said.

UN meet to safeguard natural resources

HYDERABAD, India (AFP) A major United Nations meeting designed to safeguard the world's natural resources began yesterday with appeals to ensure that biodiversity does not become a victim of the global financial crisis. More than 170 countries are meeting in the Indian city of Hyderabad over the next 12 days under the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an offshoot of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. UN environmental experts have warned that the world has as little as a decade to fend off a species extinction that also poses a threat to humanity. And more than two decades after the Rio summit, the CBD's executive secretary Braulio Ferreira De Souza Dias said that it was still a struggle to persuade governments to put biodiversity at the centre of development agendas. "Biodiversity should not be perceived only as a problem, but rather, for what it really is: a crucial asset which underpins sustainable development and is closely linked to many social and economic issues," he told delegates. "Yes, we are facing times of financial crisis, but times of crisis are the best opportunities to make substantive changes in the way we do business. "Expenditures on biodiversity should not be seen as costs they should be seen as investments that will pay back with significant environmental, social and economic benefits for all our societies." Nearly half of amphibian species, a third of corals, a quarter of mammals, a fifth of all plants and 13 per cent of the world's birds are at risk of extinction, according to the "Red List" compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The last CBD conference in Nagoya, Japan, adopted a 20-point plan in 2010 to turn back biodiversity loss by 2020. But it has been a battle since then to find the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to fund such a commitment at a time when the developed world finds itself in economic difficulties. Jayanthi Natarajan, India's environment minister, said failure to fund the protection of biodiversity would mean a higher price to pay in the long term.

"Expenditure on biodiversity needs to be looked at actually as an investment that will reap benefits for us and our future generations," the minister said. "The present global economic crisis should not deter us, but on the contrary encourage us to invest more towards amelioration of the natural capital for ensuring uninterrupted ecosystem services, on which all life on Earth depends." Countries pledged under the Millennium Development Goals to achieve a "significant reduction" in the rate of plant and animal loss by 2010, but the UN admits the goal has been missed by some distance.

Caribbean's native predators unable to stop aggressive lionfish population growth

"Ocean predator" conjures up images of sharks and barracudas, but the voracious red lionfish is out-eating them all in the Caribbean and Mother Nature appears unable to control its impact on local reef fish. That leaves human intervention as the most promising solution to the problem of this highly invasive species, said researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "Lionfish are here to stay, and it appears that the only way to control them is by fishing them," said John Bruno, professor of biology in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences and lead investigator of the study. The research has important implications not just for Caribbean reefs, but for the North Carolina coast, where growing numbers of lionfish now threaten local fish populations. "Native predators do not influence invasion success of Pacific lionfish on Caribbean reefs" was published July 11 by the journal PLOS ONE. Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific region, have long been popular aquarium occupants, with their striking stripes and soft, waving fins. They also have venomous spines, making them unpleasant fare for predators, including humansthough once the spines are carefully removed, lionfish are generally considered safe to eat, Bruno said.

They have become big marine news as the latest invasive species to threaten existing wildlife populations. Bruno likened their extraordinary success to that of ball pythons, now eating their way through Florida Everglades fauna, with few predators other than alligators and humans. "When I began diving 10 years ago, lionfish were a rare and mysterious species seen deep within coral crevices in the Pacific Ocean," said Serena Hackerott, lead author and master's student in marine sciences, also in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences. "They can now been seen across the Caribbean, hovering above the reefs throughout the day and gathering in groups of up to ten or more on a single coral head." The international research team looked at whether native reef predators such as sharks and groupers could help control the population growth of red lionfish in the Caribbean, either by eating them or out-competing them for prey. They also wanted to evaluate scientifically whether, as some speculate, that overfishing of reef predators had allowed the lionfish population to grow unchecked. The team surveyed 71 reefs, in three different regions of the Caribbean, over three years. Their results indicate there is no relationship between the density of lionfish and that of native predators, suggesting that, "interactions with native predators do not influence" the number of lionfish in those areas, the study said. The researchers did find that lionfish populations were lower in protected reefs, attributing that to targeted removal by reef managers, rather than consumption by large fishes in the protected areas. Hackerott noted that during 2013 reef surveys, there appeared to be fewer lionfish on popular dive sites in Belize, where divers and reef managers remove lionfish daily. The researchers support restoration of large-reef predators as a way to achieve better balance and biodiversity, but they are not optimistic that this would affect the burgeoning lionfish population. "Active and direct management, perhaps in the form of sustained culling, appears to be essential to curbing local lionfish abundance and efforts to promote such activities should be encouraged," the study concluded.

GAPS IDENTIFIED The national level gap analysis was conducted using overlay and spatial assessments to determine critical representation, ecological and management gaps concurrent throughout Jamaicas marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Based on these results, an integrated protected area portfolio was developed that includes a complementary suite of areas from each habitat realm, these then act in conjunction with one another to render a functional, mutually reinforcing network of protected areas designed to maintain the islands critical ecosystems. The proposed national protected area portfolio underwent a review process by critical stakeholders for finalization for the NEGAR. The overall gap analysis revealed that the representation of critical marine conservation targets in the eastern coast of Jamaica is ecologically insufficient for functionality within existing protected areas. Of particular concern is the complete absence of offshore banks in any designated protected area, and the highly selective representation of cays. Moreover, the current protected area legislation is not designed to

accommodate seascape-scale connectivity, functions and processes that are necessary to maintain overall marine biodiversity health. Terrestrial Gaps were the most difficult to analyse and the most serious based on the fact that, for plants, very limited data is available at present; while faunal targets are more comprehensively covered. As a result, only threatened plant assemblages and vegetation types were selected as floral targets. Of particular concern is the under-representation of four targets that fall below the ten per cent threshold: Wet and Very Wet Forest on Alluvium, Mesic Forest on Shale and Osteopilus marianae (frog species). Also 44 of the 55 terrestrial targets fail to meet the adaptive goals that were established, suggesting that most of the terrestrial targets may be highly vulnerable to existing threats and lack of connectivity. Freshwater gaps are large rivers, wetlands, ponds and lakes as well as freshwater caves that occur in the eastern part of the island and high-altitude streams in the western part that have no representation in any of Jamaicas protected areas. John (2006) states the islands rivers, wetlands and ponds are yet to be regarded as whole systems. This accounts for the fact that no protected areas in Jamaica cover complete river systems from headwaters to the coast. The main ecological gap in the design of Jamaicas protected areas is that of connectivity. Longitudinal (or linear) and lateral connectivity are critical for the

sustainable health of freshwater systems. viii With regard to the management of Jamaicas current protected areas, it was report ed that major gaps exist relating to a lack of focus on conservation actions that directly impact biodiversity such as threat abatement and enforcement. These gaps are fuelled by overall inadequate investment of monetary and human resources in conservation. At the policy level, the complications of multiple-agency management combined with the lack of a harmonised system of classification to guide the management of protected areas are contributing to inefficiencies and shortcomings in overall performance. As a result, the map on page ix, illustrates the recommended conservation portfolio of protected areas for Jamaica that meets biological conservation goals as well as the countrys commitment to protect at least ten per cent of its biodiversity.

The marsh islands of Jamaica Bay may disappear in less than 20 years. These islands filter water and create habitat for numerous species. Restoration efforts are underway but the future ecology of New York Citys Jamaica Bay is uncertain. In response to this important environmental issue, I collaborated with local NY participants to conduct artist-led public field trips and created ecological artworks about the Bay beginning in 2000. These activities culminated in a collection of installations exhibited at the Jamaica Center for Arts in Queens, NY in 2004. Each sculptural component represented a different ecological aspect of the bay. Throughout the exhibition, the metaphor of shadows symbolized species extinction as well as human degradation to the bay.

Installations included: Water of Life/ Water of Death a Map of the Present and The Uncertain Future of Jamaica 2004 This drawing was created by juxtaposing a nautical shipping charts with topographical maps to examine the connection between human dredged channels and deteriorating natural formations in the bay. Tidal mud flats and beaches (the dotted areas) and the surrounding Marsh Islands are rapidly sinking into the bay at a startling rate of 40-60 acres a year! At this rate most of the bays islands will be underwater in less than 20 years. Wetland habitats such as these are declining globally because of sea level rise from climate change, geologic movement, alteration and loss from industrial and Bay

residential development, as well as changes in water flow from activities such as dredging and high pressure output from sewage treatment plants.

Plankton 2002-2003

Diary

Over the course of a year, weekly samples of Bay water were surveyed for microscopic plants and animals. Samples were photographed and animated in chronological or seasonal order creating a kind of plankton diary. The animation runs from Spring to Winter capturing the life-cycles of numerous micro-organisms. Follow the visual transition that occurs from spring with isolated shapes moving towards the highly saturated greens seen in Chlorophyll producing algae in the summer and transitioning towards a more red and earth tone palate in the fall and winter.

School 2002-04

Of

Fish

The creation of this piece involved the clearing and staining of several species of preserved fish through chemical alteration. The red areas are dyed calcified tissue such as bone and the blue is cartilage. Just as every being is different, each individual fish and species has its own unique biological architecture. The fish float in space as though swimming in a loose school yet they are placed tracing fish evolution.

An Illustrated Key to the Fishes of Jamaica Bay ca. 1974- 2024 AD 2000-2004 In this piece preserved fish are placed in Phylogenic or Evolutionary order beginning on the right from the most ancient primitive species moving left with more recent adaptations. Specimens in Natural History collections are preserved to last for decades perhaps even centuries. If species continue to go extinct at the current accelerated rate such specimens and DNA samples in scientific collections may be the only records of we take into the century.

Island 2004

of

Life

Marsh islands like this filter water, produce oxygen, and are home to countless species of plants and animals. Environmental efforts to curb Marsh Island habit loss at Jamaica Bay is currently underway. With public support and future scientific solutions important marsh islands like this may still be protected for future generations to appreciate.

Phragmites 2003-2004

Clone

Experiment

Many species of plants and even animals naturally clone themselves as a form of reproduction. Phragmites Reed is such a plant and appears to be out competing several species of native wetland plants. At Jamaica Bay an enormous Phragmites field may contain thousands of plants yet be genetically all one plant!

Field-Guide

to

the

Birds

of

Jamaica

Bay

ca

1952-

2024

AD

2002-2004 In natural history collections dried bird specimens or skins are kept in trays and grouped according to evolutionary relationships. Related species are grouped into Genus and further grouped into larger Families. In this piece viewers are invited to examine drawings of Jamaica Bay birds as though they are actual specimens. Trays represent Families and are stacked in Phylogenic or Evolutionary order from the most ancient species on the bottom moving up with more recent adaptations. Bird diversity at Jamaica Bay is impressively high with over 326 species reported so far. Yet global biodiversity (different types of plants and animals) appears to be rapidly declining. According to some statistics as many as 40% of all the worlds bird species may be in threat of decline. Unless we re-examine our approach towards other species sharing this planet many of the species we see today may only be shadows in the future.

JAMAICA: Trading ecology for a highway

Scientists and local environmentalists accuse the National Works Agency (NWA), which is responsible for the construction, and government's environment watchdog the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) of ignoring likely impacts of planned coastal improvement work in the protected wetlands. The area is said to be home to more than 300 species of plants and animals, including six native species of cacti.The public is outraged at what many see as government's haste to start coastal protection works along a 2.5kilometre stretch of the 14-kilometre-long peninsula. Environmentalists are calling for an Environmental Impact Assessment study (EIA) and the requisite public consultation process. In the absence of details about the planned development, many are sceptical that a three-year old EIA for similar work in the area is sufficient.The Palisadoes peninsula links Jamaica's capital city Kingston to the historic town of Port Royal and the larger of the island's two international airports.The development area lies within 13,000 hectares of cays, reefs and mangroves that is also a National Heritage Site and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Decades of development in the capital has severely denuded the mangrove forests, polluted the waters, destroyed its once considerable fishery and rendered Kingston's only bathing beach useless.University of the West Indies scientists Mona Webber and Karl Aiken are mindful of the benefits of the improved roadway but remain concerned.In a recent joint article they wrote: "We feel that the ecological damage that is being wreaked on the environment in this special area is considerable and rather risky and may have significant medium-term negative effects." Work to elevate the roadway began in earnest nearly two months ago with the NWA and NEPA resisting renewed consultations even though current works vary significantly from the 2008 plans. Engineers have questioned the cost of the project, estimated at $65.7 million - almost twice 2008 estimates. And since the plans were also well outside the original scope of work, environmentalists wanted a new EIA. The works will destroy two years of mangrove replanting, intended to restabilise and minimise damage to the sand dunes during bad weather. In recent years, extreme weather events such as Hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Dean in 2007 have inundated the roadway. There is also concern that the tombolo sandbar, which makes Kingston's the world's seventh largest natural harbour, is at risk.Transport and works minister Michael Henry has promised that the project will "protect the airport and infrastructure inside the Kingston Harbour", but Webber and Aiken believe it could "cost us (Jamaica) dearly in the ecological sense"."Impacts are really uncertain, which is the whole point, as the area is a specially sensitive area," Aiken told IPS in a written response.At a public meeting on Oct. 5, NWA's head Patrick Wong, in an attempt to soothe angry environmentalists, explained that only two lanes with soft shoulders and not the four lanes previously announced are being built.Despite variations that include an elevation of additional 0.4 metres that make it "less susceptible to flooding", an additional one kilometre of development and the removal of several sand dunes, both NEPA and NWA believe there is no need for a new EIA. Marine biologist Peter Wilson-Kelly agreed. In addition to the EIA, he said NEPA would have been informed by its own extensive research of the area. "The problem is that the public at large may not know what currently pertainsor the mitigation measures being put in place to minimise the impact on the local environment," said Wilson-Kelly, whose firm carried out the original study.,The Palisadoes project is part of a five-year Jamaica Road Development Infrastructure Programme to rehabilitate more than 570 kilometres of roadways across the island. It is funded a $465 million loan from the Chinese Export Import Bank and a 10-cent per litre tax on petrol.

Besides taking NEPA and the NWA to task, environmentalists point out that a parking area for construction vehicles had been built inside the habitat of the extremely rare Opuntia tuna, an endemic species of cactus. On Sep. 7, within days of the commencement of work, NEPA served the NWA with a Stop Order to "facilitate the demarcation of the working foot print, and repair a damaged sand dune". But also at issue, explained Aiken, a life sciences lecturer, is the "loss of much of the smaller biota, mainly insect and fungi which live in the top few centimetres of sand whichare usually forgotten in these projects as they are tiny and out of sight, but whose activities 'run' the ecosystem".There is all-around agreement that the roadway should be improved and that the Palisadoes should be protected. Few are, however, confident that agencies like NEPA are able to carry out their legislative mandates because of sometimes conflicting legislation. The Palisadoes Port Royal Protected Area is managed by NEPA, a role many see as contradictory to the agency's responsibility of overseeing development approvals. In its defence, NEPA's CEO Peter Knight explained that it is the boards of the Town and Country Planning Authority and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority for which it carries out regulatory functions that approves development and environmental applications. The Palisadoes peninsula is described as a "relatively unique portion of the Jamaican environment". Classified as a semi-desert, it is made up of several tiny islets, which up to the start of the 20th century were separated by water. It is these passageways, scientists say, that allow water to flood the roadway during the strongest storms and which must be maintained to preserve the narrow strip of land. Knight is confident in the mechanisms his agency has instituted to monitor the construction and protect the environment. He told journalists at a press conference on Oct. 1 that his agency is satisfied that the construction work would not significantly affect the harbour's plant and animal life. "It is not true that there will be destruction of endemic plants, and it is not true the issue of turtle nesting...because the area is not a turtle nesting site," the island's chief town planner said. He noted that existing plants including mangroves would be removed and replanted when construction was completed. But even as discussions continued, the bulldozers rolled and despite assurances, few are confident that NEPA will be able to hold its own against a government bent on development - in the words of one activist, "at whatever cost".

Humans arrived in the Caribbean islands about 4000 years ago, countless Caribbean species have been driven towards extinction. However in the last 500 years that significant environmental degradation has occurred on the Caribbean islands which is a rich hotspot of biodiversity home to countless endemic species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Centuries of human exploitation of these regions natural resource and wildlife had a negative impact on the fragile diverse ecosystems and biodiversity, but now with the help of environmental awareness regional governments, citizens and conservation groups are working together to save the endangered wildlife from the brink of extinction. Following are the 10 species clearly indicate that pragmatic conservation action and attention directed towards species and their habitat can ultimately prevent the extinction. Following are the 10 species saved from the brink 1- Cuban crocodile

Found only on the island of Cuba, the Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer, EN) is threatened due to hunting and habitat encroachment by humans and competition with caimans (Caiman crocodilus), a crocodilian species from Central and South America that was introduced to the island. Scientists estimate that just 3,000 of these crocs remain in the wild. Direct conservation measures, including captive breeding programmes,

reintroductions and protected areas by the Cuban government and conservation groups have saved the species from extinction. 2- Grand Cayman blue iguana

Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura lewisi) has been brought back from the brink of extinction with the help of conservation action, plus natural reproduction in protected areas, the population of this species declined to extremely low levels due to threats such as introduced species and habitat conversion by 2000, the wild population was believed to number less than 25 adults. Due to captive breeding and head-starting, the wild population of Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas is increasing and is currently estimated at 443 wild adults. With ongoing conservation work, experts anticipate that the wild population will rise to 1,000 iguanas. The exemplary conservation effort that saved this incredible species from the edge of extinction has resulted in reassessing the as Endangered from the previous precarious state of Critically Endangered.

3- La Hotte glanded frog

La Hotte glanded frog is a critically endangered species that is restricted to the Massif de la Hotte, Haiti. Due to severe degradation of the species habitat it was thought to be extinct since it was last seen in 1991 but in 2011 there came a good news by scientists searching for long-lost frogs in Haitis forests came face to face with the critically endangered La Hotte glanded frog, which sees the world through unusual, sapphire-colored eyes. Despite the bad news that is heard all the time from the poorest nation in the western hemisphere in discovery of half a dozen newly rediscovered Haitian frog species, which had not been seen for nearly two decades and occur nowhere else in the world has given renewed hope to save the islands endemic species and its precious forest from destruction. Many Americans zoos have now launched captive breeding programmes to save the species from extinction.

4- Hispaniolan solenodon

Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus) is roughly the same size as a large brown rat that resembling an overgrown shrew but this venomous mammal is a living fossil that has unchanged for 76 million years. Hispaniolan solenodon is an endangered species that was identified as one of the top ten focal species by conservationist who are researching to save this species from extinction by implementing conservation measures such as habitat protection, education campaigns, control of exotic mammals, and an ex situ breeding programmes. Last Survivors Project is a collaboration of many conservation groups with the main purpose is to ensure long term survival of this unique animal in the wild.

5- Montserrat oriole

Montserrat oriole (Icterus oberi) is a small perching bird that lives only on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, where it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the very near future. Current estimated population is between 200 and 800. Deforestation by humans already threatened the oriole but the volcanic eruptions wiped out the wild population and only 200 individuals survived in the wild prompting the conservationist to take action and rescue mission was launched to capture the birds for the captive breeding programme. Since then orioles taken into captivity serve as a vital safety net to the wild population from any possible risk of eruption, disease or invasive species.

6- Puerto Rican Toad

Puerto Puerto Rican Toad (Bufo lemur) is a criticlly endangered toad species found only in Puerto Rico. Greatest threats affecting the Puerto Rican crested toad are human-related and include habitat loss and the introduction of the invasive giant toad (Anaxyrus marinus). The wild population number between 1,000-3,000 adult toads due to reintroduction projects, habitat protection schemes and island wide education programmes have saved this species from near extinction and helped in long-term recovery efforts for the crested toad.

7- Great Hammerhead

Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) is a large, widely distributed, tropical hammerhead shark that is endangered due to shark finning and bottom trawling but there is still hope for Great Hammerhead and 40 different sharks that were recently protected in 2011 by the government of Bahamas which banned shark finning and export of shark also declared approximately 630,000 square kilometers of its waters as shark sanctury saving many endangered sharks from extinction and also protecting its waters as sanctuary which are already famous for being shark paradise for tourists to enjoy.

8- Antigua racer

An a small Caribbean nation, It is thought to be the rarest snake in the world then dubbed the worlds rarest snake in 1995, when only 50 individuals remained. Antiguan racers used to be the top predators throughout Antigua until Asian mongooses were released by British plantation owners in the 1890s, which wiped out most of the snakes. However, in the last 15 years, conservation efforts have boosted numbers from an estimated 50 to some 500 snakes. Antiguan racers have become an unusual flagship species for conservation in Antigua and Barbuda, and feature prominently in the national schools environmental education curriculum. Many Antiguans have become rightly proud of their unique snake and their islands.
9- Pribby

A rare shrub found only on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, the pribby (Rondeletia buxifolia) was rediscovered in 2006 after volcanic eruptions destroyed much of the islands unique vegetation. After this survey rediscovered several populations of the pribby, this Critically Endangered species collected and saved by various botanical gardens .

10- Saint Vincent Amazon

Saint Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii) is endemic to the heavily forested mountains of the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, where it declined seriously through the 20th century reaching an all-time low of just 370 to 470 birds in the early 1980s . Fortunately, following exemplary conservation efforts, the population has steadily increased, with an estimated population of 800 individuals in 2005. Habitat conservation, law enforcement and public awareness campaigns have halted this species slide towards extinction, and even reversed some of the previous declines. Conservationist and people of saint Vincent saved this parrot by protecting its habitat through the establishment of the St Vincent Parrot Reserve; delivery of successful public education campaigns and maintaining a vital captive breeding and conservation program to conserve the St Vincent Parrot on this tiny Caribbean island.