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PROTECTED AREAS RESOURCE CONSERVATION (PARC)

PROJECT PAPER - TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

TERRESTRIAL PARKS

by Loren B. FordRegional Forestry Advisor/caribbean

USDA Forest, ServiceRio Piedras. Puerto Rico

l- . Cho i ce of Area

The area of choice for a pilot terrestrial National Park is thecentral portion of the Blue Mountains and John Crow Mountains(BMJCM) Fore6t. Re6erve6. Exact, boundaries of the BMJCMNational Park will have to be determined a6 a part. of masterplan development in the first phase of the project. Thereasons for choice of this area are outlined in t,he subsectionsbe Iow.

An analysis of other potential park sites, not, selected aspilot parks for this Project, is included in the GeneticResourees Ana1ysis.

I . I e!_o_I_og.t_ca_l__p!{e!E_fg

The BMJCM Forest Reserves contain one of the highest levels of'endemism in the Western Hemisphere, a6 well as the highestleveI of biological diversity in Jamaica. Through evolutionarytime, reproductive isolation from Barent, stocks on thecontinents and other islands, and subsequent adaptation to newclimates and ecological as6ociations, has led to evolution ofhundreds of species found only on the island. Five ofJamaica's seven ecological life zones are found in the areaselected for the park. These are 1) Tropical Moist Forest, 2)Tropical Wet Forest,, 3) Premontane Moist Forest, 4) PremontaneWet Forest and 5) Prenontane Rain Forest,. The variety ofedaphie eonditions within these life zone6 increases thebiological diversity there; all life zones have distinctecological associations on limestone, volcanic, metamorphic andalluvial s,)iIs. The inaecessibility and low agriculturalproductivity of the area, a6 well as its status a6 gazett,edForest Reserve since the 1930'6, has maintained a high deqreeof natural habitat, in the area.

Further information on biological diversity of the area isfound in the Genet,ic Resources Analysis.

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l Terrestrial Park Analysis Page 2 af 15

L.2 Rationale and Urqencv for Protection

The rationale for a 6y6t.em of national parks and prot,ectedareas in Jamaica is elaborated in the Jamaica CountryEnvironmental Profile (1987). These reason6 apply to the BMJCMperhaps more than t.o any other area in t,he country.Enhancement and diversificat.ion of local and foreign tourism innature-related activit,ies such as nature t.ours, hiking, campingand bird l^ratching offer great Bronise in the BMJCM. There isgood potential that yet-untested species in the park could beBources of gernBlasm from which to develop production ofpharmaceutieals, ornamental plants, agricultural products andcraft items. Dependable supBlies of high-quality water forKingston, Port Antonio and other ea6tern Jamaican town6,essential for tourism, public health, and agricultural andindustrial production, rely on protection of watersheds in theBMJCM. There is little doubt that the damaqe from flooding andlandslides as6ociated with Hurricane Gilbert would have beenmuch more severe if much of the BMJCM had not been maintaineda6 forest reserve.

There is an urgent, need for the GoJ to reconcile and rea66ertcontrol over land use in the BMJCM. PoIiticaI support, formaintenance of the forest reserve has eroded in reeentdecaaes. Land within the re6erve t,hat had been deforested byit.inerent farmers, and reforested in the 60's with pine by theForestry Department (FSCD), has been leased to the ForestIndust.ries Development Corporation (FIDCO) for industriaLtimber production. FIDCO'6 mandat.e to increase the areaplanted in pines should be restricted to deforested area6 orgreatly degraded "ruinate" forest; areas of intact naturalforest, should be protected in the park or managed forproduction of native species. With Cabinet oversight, FIDCOand t.he Coffee Industry Development Corporation (CIDCO) haveagreed on transfer of some land from the forner to the latterafter pines are harvested. other areas are also viewed byCIDCO for expansion of coffee production.

Political support is much 6tronger for Broduction of export,crop6 than for protection of forest. Production of tinber andBermanent crops, especiatly if mea6ures are taken to mininizesoil erosion, ean provide a valuable buffer between a protectedcore of forest, and unncontrolled agrieultural and urbanexpansion. However, there have been disputes between FIDCo andCiDCo over pieces of land. Futhermore, timber harvesting andcoffee planting impty improvement of acce6s in the mountains,which will lead to increased illegal slash and burn farming inthe forest, reserve. Development of a national park in thisarea can be used to catalyze a concensus on land use in t,hearea bet.ween FIDco, cIDeo, the Undeground water Authority, theNatural Resources Conservation Department, the LandsCommission, the Fore6t DeBartment, NGO6 and the generalpublic. The process can also edueate politicians and t,hegeneral pubtic about the eeonomic contribution that fore6ts,

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arrd the EMJCM National Park in particular, provide to thecount ry (discussed further in the Economic analysis).

1.3 Nature-related Tourism

There are many opportunities for inereasing nature-relatedtourism in the BMJCM. A sy6t,em of trails, dat,ing from t,heprevious century or earlier, will form the basis of local andforeign tourism development. These trails, varying from easyshcrt hikes to longer trails along t,he Grand Ridge of the BlueMo'.lnLains that connect, to allow mu1t,i-day excursions, wiIl bereconstructed or newly designed and built. Most t.rails wilIlead to points of interest, such as waterfallg, caves, scenicviewpoints, oE historical sites such as Nanny Town. At keyacce6s points, warden stations will be built or rebuilt. and aschedule for nanning these stations inBlemented. Trail signswitl be built and trail brochures, with simple maBs anddescriptions of landmarks and nat,ural hi6tory, will be print.edand distribut,ed. Shelters and camping sit,es f or hikers will beconstructed at, cert.ain locations.

LocaI tourism wiIl be promoted by providing information aboutthe park and promoting its u6e by local NGOs, youth groups andthe school system. Picnic sites and well-designed trails withinterpretive facilities will attract locaI residents t,o thepark. Local conservation NGOs, sueh as the Jamaicaconservation and Development Trust, will organize hikes andwork days in the park. Representatives from the Nat,ional ParksDivision wiIl give slide shows on the BMJCM National Park toNGos and schools.

Usr of t,Lre park by foreign tourists wiIl be promot,ed bydeveloping packages for national park tours from touristhotels. Privately-owned buses will take tourist.s from theirhocels Eo trail access points. LocaI guides wilI be registeredand given training in natural history and tourism etiquette.Registered and trained guides will increase the safety andenjoyment of visitors, a6 weII as provide loca1 employment.Efforts will be made to attract tourists from overseas bypromoting speciaJ- nature tourism packages. Int,ernationalconservation NGOs wiIl contribute t,o nature tourism t,hroughciose contacts with government agencies and NGOs in Jamaica, byhelping to organize field trips and volunteer work trips bymember s .

I.4 Recurrent Co6t Generation

Inereasing the level of management of the BMJCM area will implyan increase in recurrent costs to the GOJ for warden salaries,trail maintenance, etc. During t.he initial three-year phase ofthe project, these additional recurrent cost,s will'be borne byAID, a6 an i.nvest,ment in the fut,ure 6ustainability of thepark. A reasonable fee will be charged to park users bywardens at all accegs points. collected fees will go into aspecial National Parks Trust Fund, to be used for park

Terrestrial park Analysis page 4 of t5

management costs. rt is hoped that revenue from a successfulnatu]:e tourisnr pronotion wilt go far towards covering recurrentcosts after the initial phase of the project. The trust fundmight be given an initial boost from a PL-480 local currenciesgrant. Interest from the trust account would go t,oward6meeting recurrent costs of the National parks system.

1.5 Current Tenure Status

Titles for all land within the BMJcM Forest Reserves', and crownlands outside, are herd by the Lands commission of the Ministryof Agriculture. FIDCO and CIDCO have leases for pine andcoffee production in the forest reserve. In the past, thereserve has been demarcated by cutting strips of trees atongthe border. These cut strips have long sinee grown over,which, along with decreasing budgets, has hampered the FscD inefforts to control encroachment within the reserve byneighboring farmers. rn areas where roads and tracks giveaccess, much of the land is eleared up to, or beyond, theborders of the reserve. under the erojeet, this tenure statuswitr be elarified by the Fore6try Department in conjunctionwith the Lands Commission. Funding wiII be given for cadastralsurveys and demarcat.ion of park borders in those areas ofProject activity where agriculture is potentiarly encroachingon the park.

1.6 compatibility hrith coJ Development plans

The coJ development strategy of generating foreign exchangethrough tourism will be enhanced by the national park.Jamaica's naturar beauty is the main attraction to tourists,and a system of nationar parks will help to conserve thisbeaut.y. The attributes of coa6tal areas will be preserved whenwatersheds are Brotect.ed as parks. The parks themselves wiIlattract tourists. A rapidry growing tourism sector, rraturetourism, wirl be attracted t,o Jamaica 6pecificarly beeause ofher nationar parks. Forest visits can extend the length ofstay of tourists in Jamaica, which wilr eontribute to foreignexchange earnings. Nature tourism based on national parks willprovide employment in rurar areas, offering youth a respectfuralternat,ive to subsistence farming or migration to the city.The Project will provide the eatalyst for pubrie and 6t,atutoryagencies with occasionalry confricting objectives to worktogether to reconcile deveropment with land use caBabirity inthE BMJCM.

The environmentar education of Jamaica's Bopuration wilr beenhanced by promotion of IocaI tourism during the project,.Efforts to invorve sehools, youth groups and NGos in the parkwirl arl inerease Jamaicans' understanding of their naturalpatrimony. A more environmentarry aware popurace wirr bebetter able to understand the need for eonservation farming,contror of industrial pollution and obeyance of litter anddumping Iaws.

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P r o iglj__l4p 1 ement a t i on

Phase On erre6trial Park Head arters Staff

During the first phase of the eroject., activities of theterrestrial pilot park wilI be carried out by a reinstatedNational Parks Division (NPD) in the FSCD. The NPD will absorbthe staff presently working in t,he BMJCM Forest Reserve. ABMJCU National Park Superintendent will manage the day-to-dayactivities of this initial phase, asBisted by fu11-time andpart-time wardens 6tationed in strategic locations within thepark, A fuII-time Community Outreach Officer will be hired,funded by t,he rroject.

The principal activities will include f) Management Plandevelopment, 2) commencement of park infrastructureimprovement. 3) training of park staff and 4) communityoutreach. Because existing FSCD Etaff wilI comprise themajority of personnel working in this eomBonent of the Project,there will be less start-uB time required at t,he beginning ofthe Project, and certain Project activities can be 6t,artedalmost immediately.

Six person months of international technical assistance, thetiming of which is sBecified in subsequent sections, will befunded to help with park management plan preBaration. The ParkSuperint,endent wilI be assisted in field and office activit,iesby a peaee cor96 volunteer with a Forest Recreation background.The volunteer will be responsible for working with t.he6uperintendent with the park resource inventory, communityouLreach liaison, and in development of interpretive materialsapd trail guides. No policing responsibilit.ies will beassigned to PCVs.

The BMJCM Park Headquarters staff will be provided hrith twofc'ur-wheeI-drive vehicles (US$14,OOO eaeh), one to enable thesuperintendent and PCV to visit, the park as needed, and theother for Community outreach activities -

A BMJCM National Park headquarters building will be provided bythe coJ in tvlavis Bank. The NPD headquarters wiII be equippeclwith office equipment (US$lO,OOO), and a two-way, hultiple bandradio to allow eommunicat.ion wit,h FSCD headquarters and wardenstations, and to facilitate emergency search and rescueoperations in the park. The suBerintendent's vehicle will alsobg equipped with a two-way radio (eStimated cost for radios forheadquarters. warden stations, vehicle and walkie-talkies isus$zo,ooo).

The park Superintendent and Communit.y Outreach Officer wilI beexpected to live in Mavis Bank, of 6ome other community in theBIue Mount,ains. This is essential to maintenance of goodcomrnunity relations and avoidance of exeessive travel time andexpense which would be incurred if they lived in Kingston.

Terrestrial Park Analysis Page 6 of 15

3.

3. I Determine Area for Park

The BMJCM National Park will be made up largely of lands withinthe BMJCM Forest, Reserves. An exceBtion wilI be a corridor ofrelatively undistrubed forest, to extend from the existingforest reserve boundary to as close to the 6ea as possible;from the air, forest south of the BIue Hole apBears promising.This corridor is necessary in order to include habitatrepresentative of lower elevation forests. in order that thepark contain as broad a range of biological diversity aspo6sibIe. crown Iand within this corridor wiIl be gazettedinto t.he park; private land owners will be encouraged tomaint,ain their lands in forest through t,he granting ofconservation easenents. The Barts of the forest reserve in thewatersheds of the Buff Bay. SBanish, swift, Back Rio Grande,Guava, Rio Grande, Driver6, Plant,ain Garden, Morant, Yallahsand HoBe rivers and their tributaries, aB well as the north endof the John Crow Mountains, wiIl eomprise managementcompartments for the park.

As one of the first steps of park nangement plan formulationthe precise boundaries of the BMJCM National Park wiIl bedetermined. These will be arrived at by concensus between theFSCD, NRCD wildlife and Watersheds Units, FIDco, crDCo, theUnderground water Authority, the Town and country PlanningDivision. the relevant Parish Councils (St. Thomas, St. Andrewand Portland), UWI and the Lands Conmission. A preliminarymeeting of the heads of these agencies wiII be held wit,hin thefirst month of the eroject initiation, to explain the objectiveof reconciling different demands for lands in t.he BMJCM forestreserve. Thi6 group will determine how they will function,name designated representatives, and plan a subeequent neetingof these representatives, to be held within one mont.h of thefi rs t neet,ing. These designated reBresentatives. plusinterested NGOs and citizens, will comprise a Key Contact Groupfor future public input, into BMJCM National Parkdecision-making. If t.he Key contaets do not regularly work andreside in t.he Blue Mountains. they will designat.e locaIrepresentatives of their agency for liaison with the park inthe Blue Mountains.

At this meeting of agency representatives, each representativewill bring det.ailed maps (1:5O,OOO) of areas of concern totheir agency. It is expected that the designatedrepresentative of the FSCD will be the BMJCM ParkSuBerintendent. The Community Outreach officer will alsoattend this meeting, in order to begin to beeome familiarizedwith agencies working in the area. The representatives willnegotiate, comBartnent by comBartment, hrhat land their agenciesrequire to carry out t,heir development plans. Within threemont,hs of the beginning of t,he project, t.he heade of agencieswill meet again to affirm the chosen boundaries for the park,based on t,he concenaus of technical repre6entatives. The

Terre6trial park Analysis page 7 of t5

inLeruational parks consultant will arrive in the third monthof Lhe project, to attend the park boundary affirmationmeeting, meet heads of government agencies and NGos, and herpwith set,ting up the subsequent, park resource invent,ory activity.A6 a separate component, t,he BMJCM National park, and itsboundaries, wirl be gazetted. provisions for this will beincluded in the Project component on National parks Iegislation.3.2 Inventorv Park Resources

st.arting in the sixth month of the project, the internationalparks coneultant will work one month hrith the parksuperintendent and the peace corpE volunt,eer to e6tabrishinventory procedures and to begin to inventory resources withinthe proposed BMJCM National park on a conpartment basis.Int.eracting with the warden currently assigned to eachcompart,ment wirr take advantage of his knowtedge of the area,and give the superintendent insight into the motivation andcapabilities of the warden. Botanical, georogieal, historicar,archaeorogicar and scenic points of interest wilr be listed.Existing trails, and any infornation on previously existingtrails, will be listed and mapped on LzLZ,5OO maps. Fieldnotes will be kept on trair reconstruction requirement.s foreach lO-chain segment of each trair. point,s of accegs to thepark. by public bus, two-wheel drive and four-wheel drivevehicres, and foot, will be listed and mapped. rnformat.ion onpossible camping and sherter sites wirl be list,ed and mapped,taking into consideration aceess, proximity of attractioni,topograBhy and avairability of water. The NpD invent,ory staffwill spend a week in each compartment, reeording information.Local knowledge of trails, history and points of interest witlbe sought and recorded.

AL t.he same time that the suBerintendent wilr be working with'-he FCV and warden inventorying resources of t,he park, thecommunity outreach officer will hord meetings in rocarcommunities at which the Park Superintendent Lrill explain whatis a nat.ionar park. cooperation of community groups wirl besought t.o facilitate interviews of local residents to begin todeternine how they use the park for travel correction of goods,recreation, etc.

Forrowing a week in a watershed, the information wilr beaecuratery risted and mapped in the NpD headquarters. Thisinventory shourd t,ake six months, and shourd take prace fromthe sixth through the eleventh months of the project.

3. 3 oevelop Ob iectives

rn the twelfth month of project, the NpD wirl host a one-dayworkshop to develop broad management. objectives for the BMJCMNational Park. The Key contacts will receive a presentation onpark resources. mapped on overlays with a base maB of thepark. The workshop wirr seek a concensus on key areas for

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Terrestrial park Analysis page I of 15

future development of trails and other recreationalactivities- con6iderat.ion wilr be given to acce66, scenic andother attributes and compatibility wit,n other developmentactivities- The internaLionar p"ixr eonsurtant wilr rerurn toJamaica in rhe twerfth month to assist the NpD in pi"p"."tionof re6.urce summaries and the objectives workshop.3.4

wlren the resource inventory is completed, and managementobjectives determined, the NpD staff wirl be assisiea by theparks consultant for a month to establish proceaures fordevelopment of park management alternatives, and to begin todevelop alternat.ives for p?!k deveropment for a lo-yearplanning period, based on different iunding revers.' Thesearternatives wirl detail activities to be undertaken and aschedure for their imprementation, staffing r;;;i;;--responsibirity for inplementation, "ort ana any environmentalimpacts forseen as a result of the activities.

The community outreach officer will organize a meeting in eachcommunity at which the park superintenient wirr ericit inputfrom eommunity members about their ideas for park development.once a ranqe of park deveropment alternatives are compiled,which should take place in mont,hs 13 - r8, a workshop wirl beherd, to which the key GoJ and private secror Key cont,acts wirlbe invited, to seek a concensus on which management art.ernativeto serect' The parks consultant wirr assist io, two moremonths in presentation of alt.ernatives and organization of theAlternative selection workshop, BS werr as preparation andpublishing of a final park management pran, sBecifying aschedule for park development over the ro-year pranning period.4. On-site ActivitiesThe first three-year phase of the project wirr focus activit.iesin three areas of the Blue Mountains;-Hardwar Gap, Clydesdaleand BIue Mountain peak; as well as one area in the John CrowMountains, at Mirl Bank. These activities wirl be o.r"rseen bythe BMJCM National park superintendent. who will answer t,o theHead of t,he FSCIJ

warden stations in each area will be rebuirt, and wilr serve tohcuse a furr-tine warden, as a visitor reception area and as acommunicat,ions 6tation.Each warden station wirr be equipped with a two_way radio, withthe eapability to eommunicate on muttiple bands, irr"iuaing thecoJ civir Defence band in ease of emeriencies. -uo"i-communication will be held with npo n"Jaquarters at the FSCD oncon6tant spring Road. A portabre radio (warkie_tarkie) wirralso be used by the warden auring tr"ii

"on"truetion andpatror. Repeater6 might have to be e6tablished on certainpeaks to alrow coverage of mo6t of the t.rairs in the park.

Terre6trial Park Analysis Page 9 of 15

4. i Field Sraff

A fuIl-time park warden wilt provide most of the on-sitesuBervision in each of the four areas to receive infrastructureinprovelnent during the initial phase of the project,. Thesewardens might be the individuals currently assigned as forestwardens in their respective areas of the BMJCM Forest Reserve,or might be recruited from the locaI community. Park wardensshould be in good physical condition, and must be willing t,ol i.re in the warden stations and patrol and supervise work ont.raiIs. The Project will fund uniforms and motorcycles foreach fu1.1-time warden, to improve visibility and rnobility, andto motivate the wardens to 6ustain a leveI of activity uncommonin recent Fore6t Reserve history.In order that warden stations be manned even during the daysoff of full-t,ime wardens, part-time wardens will be hired bythe Pro ject f or two days each week. Since this co6t is aboveand beyond current. establishment leveIs for the FSCD, it willbe covered by the Project. during the initial phase. It isexpected that t,his cost will be covered by interest from theNational Parks Trust Fund after the initial Project phase.

Interest.ed youths from the areas where Project act,ivities wilIbe focused will be registered as Park Guides by the NPD. Theywill be provided with laminated identification eards, ds proofof their registration. Established fees for specific guideserviees wiIl be established by t.he BMJCM Park Superintendent,in consultation with the Tourist Board.

4.2 Traininq

Practical training in trail design and maintenance, and designand construction of trail signs and interpret,ive displays, wilIbe gjven by USDA Forest service trail specialists in a two-hreekworkshop, during the sixth month of t.he project. Emphasis willbe given to oecupational safety, especially the correct use andmaintenance of chainsaws.

Training in natural history and tourism etiquette will bepro'r:ded to Park Guides by UWI f aculty in the eighth month oft.he project (see 5.2 below).

4. 3 lle!4l{c!_-Gc.P

Fardwar Gap is one center of traditional forest, recreationmanaged by the FSCD that merits infrastructure improvementunder the Project. The site is easily accessible from theKingston metropolitan area, and offers good potential forimproving forest recreation opport.unit,ies for a Iargeproportion of the Jamaican population. A system of trailsradiai.ing from this site offers a range of forest walksthroughout this area of the Blue Mountains. Project, activitiesat Hardwar Gap would consist of construction of managenent and

Terrestrial park Analysis page to of 15

recreation facilities, trail reconstruction and patrolling bywardens.

The warden 6tation and three guest houses at Holrywelr parkLrere de6troyed by Hurricane GiIbert. The guest houseE r^rererented on a nightly basis to individual famiries or groups aE amodest fee by the FscD. use vras almost, totally re6tricted toweekends. Given the shortage of frat 6paee at Hardwar Gap, itis not recommended that, these guest houses be rebuirt, since agreater number of visitors could be accomodated durihg dayvisits by building ten picnic sherters in the same rocation.The warden station shourd be rebuilt, however, with quartersfor the warden and his famiry. Many of the materials forreconstruction ean be salvaged from the destroyed buildings.rt is estimated that the warden station ean be rebuirt forUS$5,ooo. and the picnic shelters with tables built forus$1,ooo each. Existing parking facirities shourd be adequatef or the site. A Minist,ry of Agriculture (pubric worksDepartment?) draft6man will provide plans for rebuilding t.hewarden station and constructing the picnie shert,ers. Thewarden will supervise construction during months 7 Lz, whenthe park resource inventory is not being conducted in his area.

The rnstitut.e of Jamaica owns a house near Hardwar Gap, theGreen HiIl Field Station. This house wiII be refurbished withus$5,ooo. and will be made avairabre for a fee to uwl erassesand visiting scientists and internat,ional tropical ecorogyf ield trips.

over 36 months of the project,, 30 rnires of t,rairs wilr beconst.ructed or reconstructed, dt a totar cost of us$rs,ooo.Trails will go to Mt. cressy via Moodies cap, Dicks pond,caseade waterfall, Nencastle, catherines peak, cold sprinq,silver Hitl Gap, Fern wark, Fairy Glade and other points otinterest. A trail crew will be supervised by the full-timewarden, and will consist of t.hree Iaborers (US$I,54Olyr).There will be US$I,3BO/yr budgeted for materials and equipmentsuch as lumber for signs, tents, chainsaws, shovers, pickaxes,gas and oil cans, water cans and safet,y equipment, and for packaninars. The crew wilr typicarry canp two consecutive nighlsto cut down on traver time between the trairhead and theconstruction site.one of the most important eomponents of the project wilr be t,hepatrolling of trairs by park wardens. one full-time wardenwill live in the warden station at Hardwar Gap, and wirlsupervise trail work three days per week, and patrol trails andsupervise the warden station on weekends. On two consecut,ivedays per week, a part-time warden (US$ 67O/yr ) will t.ake overpatrol dut.ies . A f u11-time wat.chman (US$1, IOO /yr) wiII watchover the warden st,ation and monitor the radio on weekends andthree weekdays. These wardens shoutd be in good physicalshape, reeruited from the IocaI population, and show anavocation for the outdoor6.

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4.4 C lvd e e_d_a ! s

Clydesdale is another center for forest recreation in the BlueMountains. The FSCD gue6t house is an historical coffee estatehouse, which will 6erve as a warden station, withrefurbishing. The ground floor will serve as warden quarters,while the first floor will continue to serve as a gue6t house,doubling as a warden station. A total of us$7,ooo is budgetedto refurbish the guest house. warden station, and to restorethe historical coffee Broce6sing facilities, which include aworking wat.er wheel. CIDCO will be encouraged to developdisplays of traditional coffee proeessing techniques. A feewill be charged for u6e of the guest house by private parties.The proceeds will go into the National Parks Trust fund to earnint.erest to cover recurrent park costs.

Trail reconstruction and new trail con6truction wiIl beundertaken in the area around crydesdare, reading t,o Morces capand beyond to Vinegar Hill, Silver Hill GaB, Cinchona, St.He1ens cap and the Grand Ridge of the BIue Mountains,Approxirnately 30 miles of trail work wiII be funded over threeyears, at us$6,ooo/yr. Three laborers (us$I54o/yr each) wiIlbe supervised in trail work for three days per week by t,hefu11-time warden, and US$I,38O/yr will be budgeted formaterials and equiBment.

The Clydesdale warden station will be staffed similarly to theHardwar Gap station, with a fuIl-time warden working Wednesday- Sunday. Trail work will be supervised on WednesdayFriday. On weekends, the warden will Batrol trails andsupervise the hrarden station.4.5 Blue Mountain Peak

Blue L{ountain Peak is perhaps the most popular desl-ination forh:.kers in Jamaica. clirnbing to the peak is armost a right ofpassage for youths. Because of frequent use, the peak trait isin excellent condition, and will need little work.Reconstruction wilI be needed to restablish the trail betweenPortland Gap and Morees Gap. however, ds well as the Radnortrail between Abbey Green and Hagley GaB. There are tales of aMaroon trail between Brue Mountain Peak and Nanny Town, thatmight offer promise for a long-distance, nulti-day hike.

At Portland Gap, the warden station and pit toilet will have tobe rebuilt, which will cost approximatley USg4,ooo. Threeshelters for hikers, each wit.h a double pit toilet, will alsobe built, at us$5,ooo eaeh. The hut. on Brue Mountain peak willbe rebuilt.. at a cost of US$a,5oo.

Thirty miles of trail eonstruetion will be budget,ed atUS$6,OOO/yr. A crew of three laborers (US$1.540/year each)will be supervised by the warden residing at portland cap. Thelaborers will spend three or four nights Ber week at portland

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Gap, working three days on trails. For naterials andequiBrilent, US$I,38o/yt wilI be budgeted.

Because of the renoteness of Portland GaB. a rotating shift, ofthree wardens witl each live one week full-time there. EachwilI receive one-third salary (Us$733/yr), and will spend oneweek at the hut before being relieved, from Monday of one weekto Monday of the next. The trail crew will travel to Portlandcap vrith the warden for that week on Monday. The trail crewswill work Tuesday - Thursday, travelling back to their hones onThursday evening or Friday morning. The warden wiII patroltrails and supervise the warden station on Friday - Sunday. Apart-time warden wilI be stationed at Blue Mountain Peak fromFriday afternoon to Sunday afternoon each week (US$67O/yr), tot.ake care of the facilities when the mo6t use occurs.

4.6 MiIl Bank

A trail over cuna cuna Pass is frequently used by loca1inhabitants. This trail will form the beginning of a BMJCMNational Park recreation area in this vicinity. The fanoustrail through Corn Puss Gap will be reopened, and connected toJohnson Mountain and Spring Bank. A side trail will be openedto Drivers River Falls from Corn Puss Gap. The hot mineralsprings at Bath will be a tourist destination, where hikerswill enjoy a soak after a leisurely walk through the lush rainforest of the mountains.

A full-time warden will beGoIden Pen Warden St,ation,Wednesday - Friday, and paWarden Station on weekends

FIDCO hut in Golden Pen1I serve as a warden sta

based from Wednesday - Sunday at thesupervising the trail crew from

trolling trails and supervising the

wi-I1 be ref urbished f or US$f , OOO, andtion.

Awi

There wiIl be US$6,000/yr budgeted for trail construction,funding a three-perons trail crew of laborers (US$I,54o/yreach) that. wiII be supervised by the fuIl-time warden, andUS$r,38o/yr for materials and equipment.

Communitv out-reach

Maintenance of natural ecosystems is problematical in area6subject to high population growth and erosive agriculturalpractices. Forests have long been regarded as reposit.ories of"unused" land that can be converted to agriculture t.o feedgrowing populations, or replace production lost. t,o soil erosionresulting from inappropriate farming methodologies. Generally,many benefit.s derived by rural and urban populations fronforests, sueh as dependable supplies of quality water, floodprevention. amelioration of climate and habitat for indigenousplants and animals, are not perceived on a daily basis, if atalI. unvironmental education can teach the poBulace aboutthese values, and there is promise of instilling a conservation

Terrestrial park Analysi6 page 13 of t5

ethic in youth through effective environmentar eductionprograms in schools. Monetary benefit for locaI residents fromforest management is one of the nost 6ure ways of gaining theirBupport for this land u6e. while declaration of the BMJCMForest Reserve has in the Bast given some protection to landswitlrin the reserve, because of contror of encroachment by theFSCD, there is currently very rittle monetary incent.ive forlocaI populations to favor forest, cover in the area"

The main objective of the community out,reach program'is toinvolve locaL communities in the management and benefits of thepark. An educational component wilI inform inhabitants aboutconservation objectives of nationar parks, and about theenvironmentar benefits provided by the forest. An enterprisecomponent will try to increase the monetary benefits from thepark of residents by pronoting appropriate entrepeneurialventures related to park management. The program will besupervised by the Community Outreach Officeer, who will report,to the Park superintendent and be assisted by suceessive teansof Peace Corps Environmental Education and Nature Ent,erprisevolunt,eers.

As mentioned above, locar communities wirr be invorved indevelopment of management arternatives for the park. rnpartieular, opportunities wilt be sought where inhabitants cancontribute, with monetary remuneration, to park management.For example, rat.her than the park buying pack animals, trailtransport.ation wilI be contracted out to IocaI residents withpack animals. Trair const.ruction work and warden stat,ionconstruct.ion wirr be carried out by rocar laborers andcarpenters.

5. I Environmental Education

The Environmentar Education Volunteer (EEv) wirr develop andiitai ttl-a in contacts witn t.he SociaI Development commission, theMavis Bank voeationar schoor, erementary schools, the parishcouncil, and local representatives of government agencies andstatutory bodies in the Mavis Bank, Cocoa WaIk and Cedar VaIleyenvirons. The volunteer should have a background inEnvironmental Education, Forest Recreation or parks Management.

EE classroom exercises wilr be developed, perhaps adapted fronavailabre programs like project Learning Tree or project, wira.The volunteer will work with eight different, elasses per month,spending the first day with each class helping the teacher t,oapply EE exercises as part of the curricurun, and transportingthe class to the BCJCM National park in the projectfour-wheer-drive vehicre on the forrowing day. rndividualschools wirl adopt specific parts of near-by forest trairs tomaintain. Light trail work wilr be combined with nat,uralhistory instruction during fierd trips. EE materials used inthe crassroom wilr arso be used by the community outreachofficer to give talks on the national park and natural historyto community groups. opportunities wirl be sought for grouBs

Terrestrial park Analysis page 14 of 15

to develop stewardship a66ociations with the park, which wirlfocus on forest recr:eation, field days for trair work and otherouting6 in t,he park.

A training workshop for cooBerating teachers witl be put on byProject Learning Tree or Project wild 6taff frorn the unitedst,ates six months after the first volunteer begins service.

5.2 Nature EnterpriEe

The Nature Enterprise volunteer will promote efforts ofindividuals and grouBs to develop money-making ventureB,comBatibre with park and forest, reserve management objectives,based on resources of the park or eurrounding forest. Aninitiat activity wirl be registration and training of parkGuides (see sections 1.3 and 4.3 above). rt is expect.ed thatthe rnajority of the Park Guides will be youths, who have littreother opt.ion than urban migration or erosive farming ondegraded soirs. The NEV wilr work with uwt faculty to deveropa training course eight months after initiation of service.The course should include instruction in Blue Mountain botany,geology and ornithology, as well as tourism etiquette. Theguides wilr be made honorary park wardens to further theirident.ification wit.n the park. The NEV wilr work with the BMJCMPark superintendent to establish officiar guide prices forsBecific trail sections.

Other potential Nature Enterprise activities are guest housesand restaurants for tourists, cottage industry production ofsouvenirs for tourists, such as silk screened T-shirts,baskets, wood carvings and turnings, fabrication of rusticfurniture from bamboo and residues from timber harvesting andhardwood cooperatives with nore sophisticated Brocessingtechnology. Cultivation of park plant.s used as herbalnredicines wirr be promoted, drawing on expertise from wfr andthe agriculturar college. Araskan sawmills (chainsaws wit.hattachments for ripping rumber from logs) are being used in theBrue Mountains to saw up wood in the aftermath of HurricaneGirbert,. use of these highry portabre devices threatens todegrade the natural forest in the park, if not controlled.Organization of local sawyers by the NEV could help tonormaLLze their activities. Lumber production usingappropriate technology, and hurricane-proof carpentry, could betaught at the vocational school in Mavis Bank, with assistancefrom the NEV.

Terrestrial Park Analysis page 15 of L7

E$=J_CM Nationai Park Costs

E.:DTechnical Assistance - International park6 Consultant

s ix nronths @ USlO, 0OO/mo .

CommoditiesVehicles - two 4-wheel drive G US$l4,OooMotorcycles - 5Communicat ions Equipment

Subto ta I

TrainingInternational National Parks Seminar for

Super intendent,Trail Construction and Maintenance course

by USDA Forest, ServiceTraiI Guide course by UWI

Subtolal

PersonnelCommunity outreach Officer - 3 years G $B,oOOPart-time warden - Hardwar cap @ $alO/yrWatchman - Hardwar Gap G $t,loO/yrPart-time Warden - Clydesdale G fi67O/yrl{atchman - Clydesdale G $1. too/yrPart-time Warden - Blue Mountain peakPart-time Warden - colden pen G fi67O/yr.watchman - colden pen G $I,IOO/yr

subto ta I

CoIrs f riJctionHeadquarters Building and Superintendent HouseWarden Stations - rebuild Hardwar cap

rebuild Clydesdale- rebuild Portland caB- rebuild Blue Mount,ain peak- rebuild colden Pen

Int.erpretive center, Portland GapHiker Shelters, Portland cap 3 G $5,OOo

subtotal

Trail Construct,ionHardwar cap - 30 miles G $to,ooo/yrClydesdale - 30 miles G $lo,ooo/yrBLue Mountain Peak - 30 miles G $lO, OAO/yrMill Bank 30 miles G $to,ooo/yr

$6O,OOO

$zg, ooo$zr. ooo$zo, ooo

$69,OOO

$to,ooo

$ 5, ooo$ z, ooo

$ r7, ooo

$24, OOO

$ z, olo$ 3,3oo$ 2, oto$ 3,3oo$ z,aro$z, oto

$ 3,30o

$+ t, geo

$20, ooo$ 5, ooo$ 7, ooo$ q, ooo$ 4,500$ 3, ooo$ 5, ooo$ts, ooo

$63, soo

SubLo ta ICada6t,ra I SurveysB:ocli.ures, trail guides and environmental ed maTota I

$30, ooo$30, OOO

$3o,ooo$3o,ooo

$ 12O , OOO

$25,ooot.er ia Is $tZ, OOO

$aog, eeo

rg^

Terrestrial park Analysis page 16 of L7

7. Schedule of Act.ivities

Act ivitvStaf f

Month

I 6 L2 18 24 30 36I t M ! ! ! ! ! t ! ! t ! ! t ! t ! t ! t t ! t t t t t t t ! t ! !

Recruit Staff xxParks Consultant xx xx xxPeace corp6 Park vo1. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Manaqement Plan

Park BoundariesAgency Heads xtechnical Workshop xAgency Heads x

Inventory Resources xxxxxxManagement Objectives xDevelop Alternatives xxxxxxSelect AlternativeEi 1Publish Mangement plan x

Park ectivit,iesTrail Workshop xRebuild Warden stations xxxxxxTr a i 1 Re c ons t ruc t i on xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxSuurveys and Demarcat.ion xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxrnterpretive uaterials xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

out r ea ch

EE Volunteer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

NE Volunteer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

EE Workshop xEE Classes xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxGuide Training xGuide Enterprise xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

4a,irr_. Terrestrial park Analysis page L7 of L7

8. Li.st of contacts

Roy Jone6, Director, Forestry and soil conservation DepartmentYork Reid. SuBervisor, Eastern Region, FSCDRobert Feurtado. Forester, St. Andrew DistrictMarceI Ander6on, Director, NRCDGuy Symes, Exeeutive Direct,or, FIDCOJames Uonroe, Deputy Commissioner of LandsDr. Eric Garraway, Zoology DeBartment,, UWIDenzil Dunkley, Regional Manager, Ea6tern Region, crDcoElaine Fisher, Head, Naturar History Divisioi, rn6t. of JamaicaJoy Douglas, Executive Director, JCDTBrad williams, peace corps vorunt.eer, Blue MountainsTim Charles, peace corps Volunteer, yallahs Varley9. Principal References

ArD, 1987. Jamaica count,ry Environmentar profire. Kingston.Jamaica. 362 p.

Burrard, L972, park and Recreation in Jamaica. Forest,ryDevelopment and watershed Management in the uplandRegions. Rome, rtary. FAo Fo:sF/JAM 5. Technical Report7. 30 p. + map.FAO, Rome. Italy.

'Government of Jamaica (survey Depart,ment) , r984. t:5o, ooo Maps(Metric Edition). sheets l3 (The Blue Mountains), r4(Port Antonio ) , 18 (Kingst.on) , t9 (Morant Bay) . plinistryof Agriculture, Kingston, Jamaica.

Ke1ly, Daniel L. r986. Native f ore6ts on rrret limestone inNorth-east,ern Jamaica. p. 31-42 in D.A. Thonpson, p.K.Bretting & Marjorie Humphreys. gg amaica.Papers from the Regional seminar on Fore6t6 oF-Jamaica,held in Kingston, Jamaica. 1993. Jamaica society ofScientists and Technologists, Kingston, Jamaica.

Tanner, E.v.J. 19g6. Forests of the Blue Mounatains and thePort Royal Mountains of Janaica. p. I5_3O in D.A.Thompson, p.K. Bretting & Marjorie Humphreys. Forests ofJamaica. papers from the Regional seminar on Fore6t6 ofJamaica, held in Kingston, Jamaica, 19g3. Jamaica societyof scientists and Technologists, King6ton, Jamaica.

wilcox, Bilr. 1995. A hiker's guide to the Blue Mountains.Kingston, Jamaica. peaee corps, Jamaican camping andHiking Association, Mini6try of Tourism and nepartment ofForestry. ZB p.