Policy Papers Developed by NRCA

Policies

Description

Species diversity is normally considered to be one of the primary indicators of a healthy ecosystem. In Jamaica, wild endangered animals are protected under the Wild Life Protection Act (1945).
Investigations conducted by the NRCA between 1993 to 1996 revealed that there has been a significant increase in the number of protected animals held in captivity over the years. Wildlife attractions linked to nature tourism are considered to be one of the contributing factors.
The specific objectives of this policy are to:

• Regulate the conditions under which protected animals are held in captivity;
• Develop suitable measures to ensure that the already selected individuals/operations that are in existence may be exempted from the Wildlife Protection Act.
• Promote captive breeding of a species for commercial purposes
  (ecotourism attractions) by providing an economic alternative to
  domestic livestock production and to stimulate people to
  develop and interest in conservation work.
  
  

This Action Plan is being developed as a component of the Management Plan for the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). The activities of this action plan are envisioned for three phases:

short, medium and long term.

Short Term objectives include:

• The development of institutional capacity to deal with nuisance crocodiles;
  

The activities that will be undertaken in order to implement these objectives include:

• Public education
• Establishing procedures for problem crocodiles
• Establishing an Action Plan Group
• Training

Medium term objectives include;

• Determining the island-wide. population and the carrying capacity of the habitat;
• Enforcing the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act and making recommendations for changes where deemed necessary.

Activities that will be undertaken in order to implement these objectives include:

• Identifying and mapping relocation sites;
• Conducting an island-wide crocodile survey;
• Enforcing the Wildlife Protection Act.

Long, tern objectives include:

• Promoting the crocodile as an animal, which afford economic benefit by means of commercial rearing and ecotourism.

Activities that are anticipated to be undertaken in order to implement the objective include:

• Establishing eco-tourism and protected areas/wetlands
• Farming

This species of butterfly are among the most spectacular and are becoming increasingly economical and could be a part of a sustainable industry. This Action Plan states that these invertebrates face threats of extinction in many parts of the world and Jamaica is no exception.

The threat to the survival of this species has been recognized. In 1985, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) upgraded homerus from threatened to endangered. As a result of the above, homerus is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) since 1987 as well as in the Third Schedule of Jamaica's Wild Life Protection Act since 1988.

The homerus swallowtail is endemic to the island of Jamaica, where in the past it inhabited seven of the thirteen parishes. Today it is only found in two isolated areas - St. Thomas and Portland and; the Cockpit Country of Trelawny.

Threats to this species include: deforestation; parasitoids; predators and poaching.

Conservation and recovery measures outlined in the Action Plan include:

• Research - research into the ecology and conservation biology of Papilio homerus has been conducted and presented in two scientific papers which were used as references to this Action Plan.
• Habitat Protection -The island's first national park - the Blue and John Crow Mountain National Park provides the framework for the management strategies to be implemented for the recovery of the homerus swallowtail.
• Legislation - International trade of this species is protected by CITES. Today (1993), Jamaica has a draft Bill on trade in endangered species.
• Public Education - A conservation campaign on Papilio homerus was implemented on March 1", 1994 by the JCDT. The campaign lasted for 1 year and was conducted in the County of Surrey and targeted 250,000. Some of the outputs of this campaign included: the design and production of posters; badges and bumper stickers of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, preparation of a fact sheet, preparation and analysis of a pre-project questionnaire.
  

This Plan establishes a point of reference on environmental education for sustainable development regarding where we stand; what has been done; the key actors; the major target groups; and goes further and identifies programme areas, priority themes and potential partners. The Plan therefore creates a strategic framework within which to place and relate future actions.

The Plan's overall expected result is based on a broadly shared vision of a desired quality of life for a 21" century Jamaica. The expected results identified for each of the programme areas contribute directly to the achievement of the Plan's overall result.