Jamaica will join over 100 countries worldwide in celebrating 'World Wetlands Day' on February 2, 2006. Students in the Jamaica Environment Trust’s Schools’ Environment Programme (SEP) will mount displays on wetlands, take tours of wetlands or investigate the importance of wetlands and the plants and animals that live there.

Jamaica has two wetlands of international importance that have been designated Ramsar sites. They are the Black River Lower Morass in St. Elizabeth and the Palisadoes/Port Royal wetland in Kingston. These areas are called Ramsar sites because Jamaica agreed to preserve these wetlands under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international agreement signed by 150 countries. The Convention on Wetlands got its name as it was first established in Ramsar, Iran in 1971.

What is a wetland?

A wetland is any piece of land that is regularly flooded with fresh, brackish (a mixture of salt and fresh water), or salty water. They are called swamps if they consist mostly of trees, or marshes. Most of Jamaica's wetlands consist of trees called mangroves.

The Black River Lower Morass, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica  

Why should we protect Jamaica’s wetlands?

·          They are home to three globally threatened species. This means these species are at risk of going extinct and need to be protected. They are the West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea), the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus).  

·          They are home to many endemic plants. The Black River Morass has 92 species of flowering plants, of which 25% are rare and 8% are endemic – found in Jamaica and nowhere else. The swamp cabbage is one of the endemic plants in the Morass. 

·          Nearly 80% of the fish we eat use wetlands as nurseries. The calm, shallow water and intricate root system protect them from predators and wave action.  Jack, snapper and snook, all use mangroves as nurseries.  

·          Mangrove forests offer protection from flooding and hurricanes. They soak up excess water and slowly release it. Mangroves also block the force of strong winds caused by hurricanes and storms. 

·          Mangrove forests protect our seas from becoming contaminated with land-based pollutants, as they filter the water running off from the land before it enters the sea.

What can you do to protect wetlands?  

For more information on how you can protect our wetlands or ideas as to how you can celebrate World Wetlands Day, contact the Jamaica Environment Trust at 960-3693 or e-mail jamentrust@cwjamaica.com.

• www.ramsar.org/wwd2005_index.htm
• Photo of the Black River Lower Morass was taken by The Jamaica Environment Trust