Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/jcpartners/www/www/wp-content/plugins/cmsmasters-content-composer/inc/shortcodes.php on line 818

Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation

The Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) is an environmental and developmental non-government organization that was established in 1998, with the goal of working with partners to promote the sustainable development of the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA). The PBPA is Jamaica’s largest protected area at 187,615ha and is both terrestrial and marine. It extends from south central St. Catherine to south Clarendon, and southerly down to the 200m depth sea contour.

C-CAM has been developing a habitat restoration program for the marine environment and are working on a coral nursery and artificial reef program. C-CAM also established the Portland Bight Discovery Centre (PBDC) as an educational, ecotourism, research and recreational mechanism to bridge the gap between the vulnerability of community stakeholders and building their resilience.

Improvement in the marine resources of Jamaica through reef restoration and public education in the Portland Bight

2020 -2023

The project was specifically designed to address needs that have been identified by the research and monitoring program of C-CAM. Fish surveys within the sanctuaries show low biomass and diversity, which is primarily due to the fact that many of the once-existing coral reefs within the sanctuaries have lost their live corals and the remaining dead structures are now being eroded by the sea. This has resulted in an acceleration of the erosion of the coastline.

The project set out to:

  1. Install an artificial reef program to create high quality fish habitats within the sanctuary using the Biorock electrified reef system, and apply lessons learned to optimize the design to support more fish in the sanctuary. This design incorporated live coral cover on the reef to increase the biodiversity of these new structures which were located where reef habitat did not exist.
  2. Implement a coral restoration component that utilized a coral nursery to provide coral recruits for use on the aforementioned artificial reef but also to repair sections of damaged natural reef. This is based on the natural reefs in the PBPA showing signs of stress and live coral cover being very low.
  3. Publicize the work of the project and increase general awareness of the plight of Jamaica’s coral reefs and the actions needed to protect them. This involved the design and preparation of reef education displays to be mounted at the Portland Bight Discovery Centre (PBDC). In addition the project supported the first three years of an annual Coral Reef Exposition that will be held at the PBDC to bring a wide range of school students and local community members to learn about the importance of reefs and how this project is supporting restoration.

 

To learn more about The Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, please use the following links:

Website: http://www.ccam.org.jm 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccamfoundation/

Project Location: St. Catherine & Clarendon

Area of Intervention:
• Conservation of Jamaica’s Natural Environment
• Environmental Advocacy and Awareness

 

All donations are managed by the board of trustees of the C.B. Facey Foundation and the Jamaica Conservation Partners.

All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Friends in the United States will also receive tax-deductible benefits by making a donation through the American Friends of Jamaica website payable to the Friends of The C.B. Facey Foundation.