All this info and nobody listening? The Land of Look Behind: Precious, But Threatened November 5th, 2014 In the early 1980s I saw a German documentary film called “In the Land of Look Behind.” It opens with a resident of Quickstep showing us an example of the biodiversity of the area – the tiny frog that lays her eggs in the wild pine, which holds rainwater. He then speaks about the need for development in the area, and jobs. It is a rambling film, moving into conversations with Rastafarians, footage of Bob Marley’s funeral, and so on. What fascinated me, though, were the dreamlike sequences of the Cockpit Country – the hillsides, the mountains darkening at dusk, the lush foliage – and the people. (Note: Look Behind is a district, apparently so named because nervous British soldiers would ride through there back to back on a horse – one looking ahead, one behind – watching out for attacks by the Maroons). That film was released in 1982 – in many ways, perhaps, a quieter time. Now we are in the twenty-first century, the environment (and the people) are under greater pressure than ever before. And our precious Cockpit Country is no exception. It is threatened by mining (bauxite and limestone quarrying), deforestation (for housing and other developments, and also coal burning) and pollution. And we must include climate change in all our thinking, these days. The threats come from several quarters. A scene in Cockpit Country. (Photo: Wendy Lee) A scene in Cockpit Country. (Photo: Wendy Lee) The Windsor Research Centre (WRC) in Sherwood Content, Trelawny (yes, the former home of our sprint champion Usain Bolt) conducts and disseminates scientific research – for example, tracking birds, bats, snakes and other animals (one particular baldpate has a satellite tracker attached; these birds are strong flyers and may actually commute among our islands). You can find the WRC on Facebook and on cockpitcountry. Both sites are packed with up to date information – the website even has a useful page on Ebola and wildlife (especially bats) which has been a topic of concern, here: cockpitcountry/batsEbola.html Yes. I used the word “precious” to describe Cockpit Country, and there are so many reasons why it is just that. Shall I mention a few? Taking a dip in Cockpit Country. (Photo: Windsor Research Centre) Taking a dip in Cockpit Country. (Photo: Windsor Research Centre) Water: 40% of Jamaica’s clean, fresh water originates in Cockpit Country (and did you know that all rain water is actually recycled, by the way? There is no “new” water on this planet). Jamaica’s two largest rivers (Black River and Great River plus four others, including the Martha Brae River which feeds into Glistening Waters near Falmouth) have their source in Cockpit Country. Well over half a million Jamaicans, as well as the many thousands who visit our north coast resorts, depend on its water. With its extraordinary limestone karst landscape, Cockpit Country is a deep reservoir for nearly half the island. And after the recent long drought, I think we all know how precious water is. The forests, soils and limestone help to stabilize Jamaica’s water cycle. They attract, filter and release rain water regularly and gently, mitigating the effects of climate change. A map of Cockpit Country watersheds. A map of Cockpit Country watersheds. Flora and fauna: Cockpit Country has many medicinal plants. There are roughly 900 varieties of plants in the area – at least 300 of them endemic to Jamaica, and 71 endemic to the Cockpit Country itself. In other words, many varieties of plants (some probably waiting to be discovered) only live in Cockpit Country; some only live on a hillside, and nowhere else on earth. What an amazing thought. It is a treasure trove, and scientists like Dr. André Lamm (head of the research division of the University of Technology’s Centre for Science-based Research, Entrepreneurship and Continuing Studies) are conducting research into medicinal properties of the plants there. There are an estimated 7,500 – 9,500 pairs of Black-billed Parrots left in Cockpit Country, and very few anywhere else in Jamaica. The bird is listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, because of the small area in which it lives. And the area is home to 95 of the 119 butterflies in Jamaica – including the Giant Swallowtail, the largest butterfly in our region. The endangered Black-billed Parrot. The endangered Black-billed Parrot.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 14:40:27 +0000
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