THE Jamaica Environmental Advocacy Network (JEAN) has expressed concern about the proposed building of a 6,228-room development resort on 361 acres of land on the Negril Peninsula.
The proposed development will cover a large parcel of land on Negril's west end, and the environmental network, in a statement this week, said irreparable damage would be done to secondary and primary forest of the most threatened kind in the Caribbean and Jamaica if construction of the resort goes ahead.
"This tropical dry forest includes small, highly specialised ecosystems, which are unique to Jamaica and the rest of the world. Negril Hill was an island for extended periods of time; hence its very special evolutionary history of which little is known," the statement said.
The group said an environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by consultants hired by the development company failed to provide a complete assessment of either the plants and animals on the site.
"The section of the EIA that deals with environmental impacts and mitigation is wholly inadequate, failing to address sewage or drainage impacts sufficiently," the environment group said.
JEAN also bashed a proposal by the consultants that coral be relocated to other sections of the coastline.
"The EIA proposes coral transplantation as a mitigation measure, but fails to provide any information on the success of coral relocation. In fact, according to experts, this is a risky and costly approach with a spotty record of success," said the group.
JEAN claims that the proposal to construct a marina and alter the shoreline, by dredging and building five sandy beaches, is a recipe for disaster and would result in negative effects on air quality, allow invasive species to take over the area, hazardous waste management, oil spills and storm water management.
The group was also concerned about the impact on Negril's cultural heritage.
"According to the journal of the Archaeological Society of Jamaica, there are five Taino cave sites in Negril, four of which are burial caves, and one of which had a petroglyph (carving)," the release stated.
JEAN also urged the National Environment and Planning Agency to call for a new EIA to be conducted and for sections of the site to be declared as conservation areas as well as the immediate stoppage of cutting and bulldozing.
Source: The Jamiaca Observer
Showing posts with label Archaeological Society of Jamaica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Archaeological Society of Jamaica. Show all posts
4/17/2007
Release from the Archaeological Society of Jamaica
From: wacicjamaica@gmail.com
"We are pleased to announce that the first major publication on Archaeology in Jamaica will be launched in Kingston on Tuesday, May 22, 2007.
The book titled " The Earliest Inhabitants: The dynamics of the Jamaican Taino" will be formally presented at the ceremony to be held starting at 6.30 p.m. at the Rex Nettleford Hall at the University of the West Indies Campus at Mona in Kingston, Jamaica.
It is a collection of works by various archaeologists and researchers on "The Earliest Inhabitants", edited by Lesley-Gail Atkinson, published by the University of the West Indies Press and launched with the cooperation of the Archaeological Society of Jamaica
If anyone wishes more information on how to purchase the book please email:
"We are pleased to announce that the first major publication on Archaeology in Jamaica will be launched in Kingston on Tuesday, May 22, 2007.
The book titled " The Earliest Inhabitants: The dynamics of the Jamaican Taino" will be formally presented at the ceremony to be held starting at 6.30 p.m. at the Rex Nettleford Hall at the University of the West Indies Campus at Mona in Kingston, Jamaica.
It is a collection of works by various archaeologists and researchers on "The Earliest Inhabitants", edited by Lesley-Gail Atkinson, published by the University of the West Indies Press and launched with the cooperation of the Archaeological Society of Jamaica
If anyone wishes more information on how to purchase the book please email:
wacicjamaica@gmail.com"
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Related Articles:
UCTP Book Announcement:
http://uctp.blogspot.com/2006/11/earliest-inhabitants-dynamics-of.html
Jamaican Gleaner Review (Nov. 19, 2006)
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061119/arts/arts4.html
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Related Articles:
UCTP Book Announcement:
http://uctp.blogspot.com/2006/11/earliest-inhabitants-dynamics-of.html
Jamaican Gleaner Review (Nov. 19, 2006)
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20061119/arts/arts4.html
3/02/2007
CLIMATE CHANGE:Latin America Failing to Adapt
By Diego Cavallos
MEXICO CITY (IPS) - Latin America and the Caribbean are not prepared to confront the problem of global warming, to which the region is contributing with growing emissions of greenhouses gases, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to the report, "Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006", there is a "Lack of informationàregarding how to approach adaptation" to the phenomenon, "Uncertainty regarding the interaction between climate change and other pressures," a "Short-term planning horizon," and a "Lack of mechanisms for public participation."
"The region has made great progress in terms of civil defence measures to deal with the disasters arising from climate change, but it has not done so in the area of adaptation," Ricardo Sánchez, UNEP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told IPS.
Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases, which are mainly produced by the burning of fossil fuels.
In this region, the impact of climate change is seen in the growing intensity and frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean, changes in rainfall patterns, increased water levels in rivers in Argentina and Brazil, and the shrinking of glaciers in the extreme southern region of Patagonia and the Andes mountains.
The report, drawn up by UNEP and Mexico's ministry of the environment and natural resources, warns that in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean there is "Limited non-technical knowledge (economic, legal, institutional) for adaptation" and "Limited knowledge of tools and procedures for evaluating adaptation performance."
In the future, "climate change will increasingly be a development problem" in the region, which is already suffering economic and human losses as a result of the phenomenon, the study warns.
"Climate change is no longer science fiction, it is already hitting us, and for now it is inevitable," said Sánchez.
In October 2005, Hurricane Stan tore through several Central American countries, hitting Guatemala and El Salvador especially hard, and causing at least 1,620 deaths. Just two months earlier, Hurricane Katrina caused severe damages in the southern United States, becoming one of the most devastating hurricanes in recent U.S. history.
And in 1998, Hurricane Mitch left a death toll of around 1.2 million and material losses of 8.5 billion dollars -- more than the combined gross domestic product of Honduras and Nicaragua, the countries that bore the brunt of the storm's fury.
Other disasters were Hurricane George, which slammed into the Dominican Republic in 1998, claiming 235 lives, and Hurricane Ivan which left over 100 dead in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba and the United States in 2004.
Although emergency measures to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of hurricanes have improved, global adaptation mechanisms are also needed, including long-term plans, funding, development of alternative energy sources, and a concerted effort to fight poverty and deforestation, said Sánchez.
While the report points out that compared to industrialised countries, this region contributes relatively little to the phenomenon of climate change, it warns that its share of global greenhouse gases is growing, from seven percent in 2000 to a projected nine percent in 2050.
The study also expresses concern that CO2 emissions in the region were 75 percent higher in 2004 than in 1980.
Just over 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina, it adds.
UNEP says these emissions are barely counteracted by investments and renewable energy projects, while poverty and deforestation continue to increase vulnerability to climate change.
The highest deforestation rates in the region are seen in small Caribbean nations like St. Lucia and Haiti. In Central America, meanwhile, deforestation rates range from 4.6 percent in El Salvador to 0.8 percent in Costa Rica.
In South America, the highest deforestation rates are seen in Ecuador, "which faces strong population pressure," and Argentina, where the expanding agricultural frontier continues to encroach on the country's forests.
Although Brazil, which accounts for 56 percent of the region's forests, no longer has the worst deforestation problem, the report notes that logging activity in the Brazilian Amazon jungle region increased 32 percent in the last decade, from 14,000 to more than 18,000 square kilometres a year.
The report also mentions the region's "very serious social problems in relation to inequality and poverty," and says "many difficulties stand in the way of finding development patterns that will lead to sustainability capable of meeting the social and environmental challenges for present and future generations."
In the region, the richest 10 percent of the population has 35 percent of the income, while the poorest 40 percent has just 10 percent.
"These indicators have remained stable in most of the countries despite the improvements in economic performance and, except for a few cases, in spite of the predominant social development policies," the study says.
"The failures in adaptation and vulnerability increased as a result of poverty, the degradation of natural resources, the lack of land-use planning and the lack of a significant plan prepared to counteract the damage cause by climate-related disasters," it adds. (END)
*The material in this post is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
MEXICO CITY (IPS) - Latin America and the Caribbean are not prepared to confront the problem of global warming, to which the region is contributing with growing emissions of greenhouses gases, says a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
According to the report, "Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean 2006", there is a "Lack of informationàregarding how to approach adaptation" to the phenomenon, "Uncertainty regarding the interaction between climate change and other pressures," a "Short-term planning horizon," and a "Lack of mechanisms for public participation."
"The region has made great progress in terms of civil defence measures to deal with the disasters arising from climate change, but it has not done so in the area of adaptation," Ricardo Sánchez, UNEP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told IPS.
Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases, which are mainly produced by the burning of fossil fuels.
In this region, the impact of climate change is seen in the growing intensity and frequency of hurricanes in the Caribbean, changes in rainfall patterns, increased water levels in rivers in Argentina and Brazil, and the shrinking of glaciers in the extreme southern region of Patagonia and the Andes mountains.
The report, drawn up by UNEP and Mexico's ministry of the environment and natural resources, warns that in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean there is "Limited non-technical knowledge (economic, legal, institutional) for adaptation" and "Limited knowledge of tools and procedures for evaluating adaptation performance."
In the future, "climate change will increasingly be a development problem" in the region, which is already suffering economic and human losses as a result of the phenomenon, the study warns.
"Climate change is no longer science fiction, it is already hitting us, and for now it is inevitable," said Sánchez.
In October 2005, Hurricane Stan tore through several Central American countries, hitting Guatemala and El Salvador especially hard, and causing at least 1,620 deaths. Just two months earlier, Hurricane Katrina caused severe damages in the southern United States, becoming one of the most devastating hurricanes in recent U.S. history.
And in 1998, Hurricane Mitch left a death toll of around 1.2 million and material losses of 8.5 billion dollars -- more than the combined gross domestic product of Honduras and Nicaragua, the countries that bore the brunt of the storm's fury.
Other disasters were Hurricane George, which slammed into the Dominican Republic in 1998, claiming 235 lives, and Hurricane Ivan which left over 100 dead in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Jamaica, Cuba and the United States in 2004.
Although emergency measures to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of hurricanes have improved, global adaptation mechanisms are also needed, including long-term plans, funding, development of alternative energy sources, and a concerted effort to fight poverty and deforestation, said Sánchez.
While the report points out that compared to industrialised countries, this region contributes relatively little to the phenomenon of climate change, it warns that its share of global greenhouse gases is growing, from seven percent in 2000 to a projected nine percent in 2050.
The study also expresses concern that CO2 emissions in the region were 75 percent higher in 2004 than in 1980.
Just over 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina, it adds.
UNEP says these emissions are barely counteracted by investments and renewable energy projects, while poverty and deforestation continue to increase vulnerability to climate change.
The highest deforestation rates in the region are seen in small Caribbean nations like St. Lucia and Haiti. In Central America, meanwhile, deforestation rates range from 4.6 percent in El Salvador to 0.8 percent in Costa Rica.
In South America, the highest deforestation rates are seen in Ecuador, "which faces strong population pressure," and Argentina, where the expanding agricultural frontier continues to encroach on the country's forests.
Although Brazil, which accounts for 56 percent of the region's forests, no longer has the worst deforestation problem, the report notes that logging activity in the Brazilian Amazon jungle region increased 32 percent in the last decade, from 14,000 to more than 18,000 square kilometres a year.
The report also mentions the region's "very serious social problems in relation to inequality and poverty," and says "many difficulties stand in the way of finding development patterns that will lead to sustainability capable of meeting the social and environmental challenges for present and future generations."
In the region, the richest 10 percent of the population has 35 percent of the income, while the poorest 40 percent has just 10 percent.
"These indicators have remained stable in most of the countries despite the improvements in economic performance and, except for a few cases, in spite of the predominant social development policies," the study says.
"The failures in adaptation and vulnerability increased as a result of poverty, the degradation of natural resources, the lack of land-use planning and the lack of a significant plan prepared to counteract the damage cause by climate-related disasters," it adds. (END)
*The material in this post is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
2/07/2007
Support Needed for Jamaican Maroons
Dear UCTP Taino community:
Please ask people to visit the petition to save the heart and soul of Jamaica from local government and blood hungry capitalists.
The Land called the Cockpit country is the last area owned and given by treaty to the Maroons, an independent group of indigenous communities living together and apart from laws and rules from the rest of the island for over 400 years. The government and other "Interest groups" have been trying to undermine the influence and catalyst role the Maroon community has played on the island for the same amount of time.
The government and local good ole boys want to sell the land off for mining.
Can you ask people to support this petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/848967167?ltl=1170682059
Chet Alexander
Alexander Foundation
Tel: 305-856-0506
Mobile: 786-271-5170
http://www.rainbowbelt.com
chet@rainbowbelt.com
Please ask people to visit the petition to save the heart and soul of Jamaica from local government and blood hungry capitalists.
The Land called the Cockpit country is the last area owned and given by treaty to the Maroons, an independent group of indigenous communities living together and apart from laws and rules from the rest of the island for over 400 years. The government and other "Interest groups" have been trying to undermine the influence and catalyst role the Maroon community has played on the island for the same amount of time.
The government and local good ole boys want to sell the land off for mining.
Can you ask people to support this petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/848967167?ltl=1170682059
Chet Alexander
Alexander Foundation
Tel: 305-856-0506
Mobile: 786-271-5170
http://www.rainbowbelt.com
chet@rainbowbelt.com
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