Strengthened management planning and implementation underway in the Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica

Port of Spain, 23 January 2023 – The Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA) Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) is one of the most biodiverse areas in the Caribbean region. Not only does it include the largest mangrove system and dry limestone forest in Jamaica, but it also provides essential habitat for a significant number of threatened endemic species, such as the endangered Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura collei). It is a multi-use protected area that integrates conservation of its interdependent terrestrial, freshwater, marine and wetland habitats and the ecological services they support with sustainable human economic, social and cultural activities.

The biodiversity of the PBPA is, however, under threat from both large- and small-scale pressures. These threats are also aggravated by the disruption of livelihoods and the local economy, which drives illegal and unsustainable human activities.

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For further information, please contact:

• Simone Lee, English-speaking Caribbean Country Coordinator, CANARI – caribbeanrit@canari.org
• Ingrid Parchment, Executive Director, C-CAM – ccamfngo@gmail.com

Click on the link below to browse our interactive map on current CEPF grants in the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6b2618e2a26649dc8041af7f12ead197