Managing director of Heritage Tours, Ainsley Henriques, tries blowing the abeng, a traditional Maroon horn, while Frank Lumsden (second left) from the Charles Town Maroon Council; and Robert Stephens, chairman of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, look on. At left is Linnette Wilks, project manager for the Eco-tourism Development of Bowden Pen. Occasion was last Friday's launch of the restored Cunha Cunha Pass Maroon Trail at the Hilton Kingston Hotel. (Photo: Michael Gordon)

A hiking trail used by the Maroons over 300 years ago was reopened last Friday by the Bowden Pen Farmers Association as part of its efforts to promote Jamaica's heritage and eco-tourism.

The five-mile Cunha Cunha Pass Maroon Trail, which links the parishes of Portland and St Thomas, was the site of some of the most intense battles between British colonists and African runaway slaves known as Maroons who eventually won their independence after years of fighting.

According to Robert Stephens, conservation and sustainable development are at the core of the restoration of the Cunha Cunha Trail.

Stephens, a former director of tourism who now chairs the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), said the project is expected to bring economic opportunities to the community while giving visitors a chance to learn about Jamaica's historical heritage, medicinal plants and cultural diversity.

"We have some very important indigenous flora and fauna in the area," Stephens told guests at the launch of the restored trail at the Hilton Kingston Hotel. "Visitors will be exposed to the history of the trail and the Maroon characters such as Nanny and Cudjoe who used the trail, as well as the natural environs and the unique flora and fauna."

According to Stephens, community members would not only be educated on some of the resources in the area but they should also take advantage of economic benefits such as filling the need for accommodation.

"We want to develop camp sites and get the community involved in bed and breakfast services," he said. "If you have a spare room, fix it up and register it with the TPDCo (Tourism Product Development Co). That way you can get some additional income."

Linnette Wilks, project manager for the Eco-tourism Development of Bowden Pen, said the farmers sought a $3.8-million grant from the Environmental Foundation to restore the trail which had been damaged by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

"We have completed all the physical work of the trail," she said. "It has been bushed and landslides cleared and so on. It is now safe for visitors."

She explained that signs were being erected along the trail and in the community.

"The funds have also been used to deal with the erection of signs which should be completed soon and by the end of the year we should have trained persons in the community in trail maintenance, guiding and first aid," she said.

Jamaican Folk Singers concert season September 6-14

Adopt A Band

Summer ends with Summer's Cool this Saturday