How can we as Jamaicans Protect our Blue Mountains?

Joe i don't think damming the Rio Grande is a good idea at all, the destruction to the ecosystems is not worth it as well as the amount of energy generated would not be sufficient for even one quarter the parish. I think we should invest more in solar energy.

The entire Blue Mountain range should be a protected area

there are too many persons going in and cutting trees, Long Mountain Housing Scheme shouldn't have ever been approved and all the mining should be stopped.

What we need are education campaigns (involving the people more) and more policing of the area, with stiffer penalties for wrong doers. But will these be effective? Can we get more park rangers can we afford to? I don't think so, the people have to want to change but the economic benefit is hard to pass up- save a tree or "eat ah food"? Creating more opportunities across the board is the way out of many woes including the environmental one.

I don't think citizens or the government understand the nature of the Blue Mtn forest at all. All the nutrients are stored not in the soil but in the trees and as such when the trees are the removed these nutrients are lost. With such a nutrient deficient soil its hard for the native trees to return and be stables as well as its hard for the foreign vegetation to be brought in.

A number of invasive species have also been introduced such as the Wild Ginger and PIne that is suffocating native vegetation, which have no defences against these alien species. Though its incredibly hard to remove such species no more should be brought in.

John Maxwell In the Observer said a piece on the Jamaican Tody along with other endemic and native species which can be found in the Blue Mountains, but are slowly disappearing and as they do we losea part of out "Jamaicaness" as it is.

IMHO Jamaicans as a people are the problem.....easily influenced and wanting everything and quickly too. The end result is the government struggling to 'mind' everybody. Tourism is it right now, and I am sure every area of Jamaica is going to be surveyed, Blue Mountains or not, Cockpit Country or not, so that the Govt can bring in enough foreign exchange to do 'what they want to do'. So until we as a people stop behaving like rabbits, be more socially responsible, ensure that we are educated and can contribute meaningfully to society, the vicious cycle will continue and the Govt will always be trying to find a 'band-aid' to cover the 'sore'.

We need to encourage people to stop burning down the trees, if they cut a tree replant a tree. Stop littering and just start to do our best the ensure we take care of the environment.

whats goin on wit it> i tohought its just where they take the coffee beans from and make the coffee iam mov'n to mobay (soon)...