Project background
Jamaican coral reefs threatened by inshore fishing
The CoralCarib project aims to enhance marine biodiversity on 1,871 hectares of coral reefs in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica considered to be “Coral Climate Refugia”, reefs that are more resilient in the face of climate change. The project aims to achieve effective reef management, improve the livelihoods of reef-dependent communities and assess the ecosystem services provided by the reefs.
In the parish of Portland in northern Jamaica, inshore fishermen generate most of their catch from coral reefs. Their activities are a major factor in the destruction of the reefs, and fishermen will eventually have to fish further offshore. Today, it is important to reconcile the safeguarding of these invaluable ecosystems with the livelihood of these communities, some of whose members already have alternative entrepreneurial projects that they hope to bring to fruition.
