On Tuesday, October 15th, BirdLife Jamaica and the University of the West Indies hosted former United States president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jimmy Carter on an early morning bird-watching expedition into the Blue Mountains.

Carter, who is head of the Atlanta-based Carter Centre, headed a team of international observers for the recent general elections.

The former president, who is an avid bird-watcher and nature-lover, walked along the roadside of Montane Cloud Forest between Newcastle and the Hollywell Recreational Park in search of Jamaican birds.

Of particular interest to the president was finding a male Red-billed Streamertail (commonly known as the Doctorbird), the national bird of Jamaica. During his relatively short walk, the President not only saw the Doctorbird, but also observed approximately 30 species of Jamaican birds including 11 endemic species (that is bird species not found elsewhere on the earth) and two globally threatened species.

He noted that his bird-watch on the island enabled him to add 17 new birds to his life list of bird species he has observed around the world.

He also expressed particular interest in the conservation of natural forest areas on the island and the prospects of initiatives such as the Ridge to Reef Watershed Project, whose focus includes the promotion of sustainable environmental practices, to restore degraded areas.

The Ridge to Reef Watershed Project is a five-year, US$6million initiative between the Government of Jamaica and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) addressing the degradation of watersheds in Jamaica.

President Carter applauded the efforts of BirdLife Jamaica, the island’s only organisation with a specific focus on the study and conservation of the island’s bird life, and the University of the West Indies for their work. In addition, he noted his concern that more local people had apparently not yet become interested in the appreciation and conservation of the island’s unique natural environment and species.

Peter Vogel, president of BirdLife Jamaica and lecturer in the department of Life Sciences (UWI), presented President Carter with a poster of Jamaica’s 30 endemic birds, a copy of the book – Birds of Jamaica and an Audio Guide to the Birds of Jamaica. The island of Jamaica has more endemic bird species than any island in the Caribbean and almost the highest rate of bird endemism of oceanic islands worldwide.

– Contributed by Leo Douglas