“The
two Goat Islands are a very special part of our Jamaican heritage, as is the
Jamaican Iguana.....I look forward to visiting Jamaica's newest wildlife
sanctuary in the near future, and congratulate the Government of Jamaica for
this long-awaited decision”
Diana McCaulay, JET
outgoing CEO on the decision to make Goat Islands in the PBPA (Portland Bight
Protected Area) a Wildlife Sanctuary
Folks
the unthinkable has happened…..and it's all good!!!
As
we close off 2017, we start on a good note for Goat Islands in the PBPA
(Portland Bight Protected Area).
The
UDC (Urban Development Corporation) has decided to declare the area as a
Wildlife Sanctuary as reported in the article “JET
Celebrates Goat Islands Being Declared A Wildlife Sanctuary”, Published
Thursday December 14, 2017, The Jamaica
Gleaner.
The
JET (Jamaica Environment Trust) received the news from NEPA (National Environment
and Planning Agency) Wednesday December 13 2017. The UDC and NEPA will
establish as a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Biosphere Programme.
These
were the same Goat Islands that the Government led by the PNP in 2014 had
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese to construct a
transhipment port. In 2016, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the
Goat Islands were to be protected and halted the Hub plans.
Suzanne
Stanley, incoming chief executive officer (CEO) of JET, was very pleased that
the Save Goat Islands campaign had finally achieved its aim, quote: “We are
elated to hear this news. The Save Goat Islands campaign has been one of JET's
greatest successes to date under Diana's leadership, and this is a great note
on which to celebrate her retirement”
But
why the sudden change of plans by Prime Minister Andrew Holness?
Goat Islands a UNESCO
Biosphere Preserve – Cashing in on Nature Tourism as Green Iguanas Invade
On
the surface, it appears to have been made possible thanks to vigorous
opposition by the following groups:
1. JET
2. Managers
of the PBPA
3. The
CCAM (Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation)
4. Other
interested parties
But
it wasn't really these people and groups that won the day. Government don't
just scrap Memorandum of Understanding with multibillion dollar partners unless
something of greater importance may have come along.
More
important than Chinese Money; Iguana Tourism.
In
this case it's all about iguanas....or possible an ongoing invasion of Green
Iguanas in Jamaica similar to what's happening in the Cayman Islands as
explained in my MICO Wars blog
article entitled “Iguana
Invasion in Cayman Island presents Iguana Meat Export Opportunity”.
Yes,
Jamaica doesn’t have any Green Iguanas, but blue ones.
NEPA
and UNDP jointly run a Jamaica Invasive Species Database as pointed out in my blog article
entitled “NEPA
and UNDP Jamaica Invasive Species Database - Why Jamaicans may be the Environment's
worst Enemy”, so teaming up in this way makes sense, as they can protect
the indigenous Blue Iguana from the more aggressive Green Iguanas set to invade
Jamaica in 2018!!
Tourism,
after all, is the biggest money earner, even more than mining.
Our
natural environment, for better or for worse, is attracting more Airbnb
visitors as noted in my blog article
entitled “Ministry
of Tourism says Airbnb brings 32,000 to Jamaica to Bob Marley's Trench Town”.
But
with the threat of an impending Green Iguana invasion as noted in my blog article
entitled “Why
Jamaica faces a Green Iguana Invasion and how eating Iguana Patties may help”,
by making the area protected, it will preserve these rare animals as part of a
push towards Nature tourism.
So
it only makes sense for the Ministry of Tourism and the Government to be seen
as protectors of the environment, making more tourism dollars in the
process....while they secretly prepare to fight the coming invasion of Green
Iguanas that threaten to derail their Nature Tourism cashcow....
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