Save Goat Islands

The Portland Bight Protected Area contains significant environmental assets. The coastline includes the largest mangrove system in Jamaica (about 2/3 of all Jamaica’s mangroves, according to land use 1998) which together with extensive sea‐grass beds and coral reefs, likely contains the largest nursery area for fish and shellfish on the island. The land area includes 81 square miles of dry limestone forests and 32 square miles of wetlands. These areas are of high conservation value due to the numbers of vulnerable and endemic species that live there. Overlooking Portland Bight are three tropical dry forests including the largest remaining area of intact dry limestone forest in Jamaica, where 271 plant species have been identified, including 53 that are endemic and found nowhere else on Earth. The PBPA is also home to 44 communities with a total of 50,000 human inhabitants. The area also contains the highest concentration of fishers in Jamaica.

The Government of Jamaica is engaged in negotiations with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to establish a large transshipment port in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA) in the vicinity of the Goat Islands.

Help the Jamaica Environment Trust and other concerned citizens raise awareness about this important protected area in Jamaica, and send a message to the GOJ urging them to identify a more suitable location for this transshipment port. All proceeds from sale of the shirts will go to the Save Goat Islands campaign. For more information go to www.savegoatislands.org or www.jamentrust.org