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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE January 18, 2007
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| June 10, 2006 |
Montego Bay, Jamaica – Preserving
and Protecting Nature |
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| Montego Bay |
Jamaica's beautiful beaches, tropical breeze and friendly smiles invites people from around the world to visit its Caribbean shores. Tourism provides the much needed revenue for Jamaica but rapid coastal development has begun to destroy its marine ecosystem. While Peace Boat docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica, 42 participants took the day to learn about its ecosystems and assist in marine conservation efforts. Participant Merideth Wutz went on this educational tour because, “I think it's important to preserve our environment. If we don't take care of our oceans, the coral reefs and marine life will disappear.” |
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| MBMP Staff Clayton Powell explains the effect tourism has had on the bay's ecosystem |
A 15 km2 area of Montego bay has a been designated as a Jamaican national treasure. The Montego Bay Marine Park protects an area of sea grass, mangrove wetland, and coral reef from fishing, swimming and motorized boats. Designated since1992, the area was previously deteriorating because of overfishing, natural hurricane damage, coral harvesting, and pollution from tourism. Peace Boat participants visited the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust (MBMP), a marine conservation organization, to learn about the current ecological situation of the protected area. MBMP staff Clayton Powell explained the destruction of the reef through pictures. Through enforcing the already existing protective laws, scientific research and public education, MBMP has been able to succeed to revitalizing the protected areas and heighten public awareness. “We are aware that a lot of members of the public don't realize the effects of their actions,” said Clayton on the importance of public education. |
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| Participants clean the trashed beach. |
Tourists are not the only ones to blame for the polluted beaches. On weekends, locals crowd the beaches and carelessly dispose their trash. Plastic bags left on the beach are the leading cause of the endangerment of the Hawksbill turtle. After visiting the Resource center of MBMP, participants went to the nearby Old Hospital Beach and spent an hour cleaning its shores. They combed the beach, picking up empty food containers, water bottles, baby's diapers and other unrecognizable trash. Participants noticed that the few wire trash bins on the beach did little to help the situation. Large piles of trash rested in a heap underneath their bottomless frames. “There was so much garbage, I almost didn't know where to begin!” said participant Megumi Ishiguro. Another participant, Erina Kinjo commented, “I noticed that mother's just throw away their baby's diapers. It seems like they think it's the governments responsibility to keep their beaches clean, not their own.” |
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| Posing with locals and the piles of garbage participants collected. |
On Old Hospital Beach, MBMP organizes beach-clean ups 30-40 times a year, yet the problem persists. Clayton told participants that it was not the lack of trash bins that kept the beaches so cluttered. “You could put a hundred garbage cans here but people don't care. We have to change the social acceptance of trashing the beaches.” Local beach-goers took notice of Peace Boat's beach-cleaning efforts. One local approached and commented that he highly appreciated Peace Boat's actions “Most people come here, eat and leave their rubbish. You are showing us how to take care of our beaches,” he said. |
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| Sailing on a catamaran, participants learned about the rich wildlife the Marine Park protects. |
In the afternoon, participants boarded the Tropical Dream catamaran and sailed into the protected Bogue Lagoon. Drifting on crystal-clear waters, the catamaran neared the intricate mangrove-made islands. By providing shade and oxygen to its roots, the mangroves act as a nursing ground for infantile fish and crustaceans. Sailing past Bird Island, participants saw the large pterodactyl like Frigate birds flying about. Participants also had the opportunity to go snorkeling in Montego's coral reef area. Careful not to disturb the coral and fish life, participants observed the marine life teaming within its waters. Damsle, Hamlets, Angle fishes swam nearby, as Finger, Brain, and Sea Fan coral laid across the ocean floor. As the sun began to set, the catamaran headed back to shore and partcipants said their goodbye to the beautiful bay and marine life while listening to the tunes of Bob Marley. |
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