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Blue and John Crow Mountains

Streamer Tail Hummingbird
The streamer tail hummingbird is the national bird of Jamaica and is found only on this island.
© Dan Campbell
 

Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park was established in 1990 to provide stricter protection for government land and designated forest reserves. The park covers some 196,000 acres (79,321 hectares) and houses the watershed for the capital city of Kingston, and all communities in the eastern third of Jamaica.

Location
Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is in the eastern end of Jamaica.

Animals
At least 150 resident and migratory bird species live in these mountains. Migratory species include the worm-eating warbler and the Swainson's warbler. The Jamaican blackbird, yellow-billed parrot, and ring-tailed pigeon are three of the 28 bird species found nowhere else on Earth.

These mountains also are prime habitat for tree frogs, giant swallowtail butterflies and the Jamaican hutia (a large rodent; also called the coney), the island's only land mammal. The hutia is similar in size to a groundhog.

Plants
Trees such as mahogany, cedar, mahoe and broadleaf make up Jamaica's largest remaining intact, closed canopy rain forest.

Why the Conservancy Works Here
Swaths of native trees have been cleared for lumber and replanted with exotic tree species that not only can't survive hurricane-force winds, but aren't appropriate habitat for native animals. Mountain rivers and streams supply water for the capital city of Kingston and other town centers. When trees are cut for the timber trade, or to make room for cattle, crops and housing developments that serve the needs of a growing human population, it leads to reduced water quality, soil erosion and the decrease of vital plants and animals. When erosion removes topsoil and soil fertility declines because of overuse, farmers abandon that land and clear new areas.

What the Conservancy is Doing

  • The Conservancy and the Jamaican Conservation Development Trust are protecting the forests by posting and securing park boundaries, hiring and training park rangers and providing them with guard stations, two-way radios and vehicles, and monitoring short- and long-term changes in the park's plant and animal species.

     
  • The Conservancy and its partners are working with residents of local communities to introduce more environmentally compatible business ventures by providing training, access to loans and markets for products. Catering and crafts are two of the entrepreneurial endeavors. For instance, some residents are selling candles made from coffee waste.