THIRTY planners met recently to develop strategies to address climate change impacts on Jamaica’s Portland Bight Protected Area.

“Climate change is a serious threat to development, livelihoods, the environment, and human health in Portland Bight — and participatory planning is essential if we are going to minimise its impacts,” said Ingrid Parchment, executive director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), the agency that organised the April 20 event.

She was giving a summary of the consensus arrived at based on the planning discussions of the participants, who were drawn from central government agencies, parish councils, non-governmental organisations, and the University of the West Indies.

Local residents, representatives from the parish development committees and funding agencies were also party to the discussions held at the workshop, which was funded by the United Nations Development Programme and Panos Caribbean, with additional support from the Forestry Department.

“Climate change is happening now. We must acknowledge it is happening, assess how it is affecting us and take action to address it,” noted Dr Michael Taylor of the University of the West Indies, in his keynote address.

C-CAM consultant Dr Ann Sutton underscored this point, noting the importance of Portland Bight’s environment and the free services it provides.

“The forests, wetlands, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and the fish and wildlife that inhabit them have a huge actual and potential value in their natural state,” she said, adding that the free services they provide were valued at US$2 million per year in 2000.

Portland Bight is one of the places on the island which are most vulnerable to hurricanes, floods, storm surges, and sea level rise. Its complex ecosystems provide habitat for a wide range of Jamaican wildlife.

On the coastline, it has the largest remaining mangrove system in Jamaica — Galleon Harbour, West Harbour, the Goat Islands and almost all areas between — which, together with extensive seagrass beds, sandy and muddy areas and coral reefs, provide the largest nursery area for fish, crustaceans and molluscs on the island.

Brandon Hay, science officer for C-CAM, said many proposed new developments — including housing and heavy industry — in the flood plains and along the coast will be vulnerable to natural disasters and destroying the natural protection, such as mangroves and reefs, will make the communities more vulnerable.

Parchment supported his point, noting that the purpose of the workshop was to bring stakeholders together to ensure that decisions about development are made on the best available information.

“We have identified that there is an urgent need to document climate change, increase awareness, take action and co-ordinate initiatives around climate change, and planners have a crucial role to play… This meeting was an important first step in the process,” she said.