Our Philosophy
C-CAM’s philosophy is that we cannot manage the area alone.
We have established several co-management councils, including Portland Bight Fisheries Management Council (PBFMC), Portland Bight Tourism Council (PBTC), Portland Bight Industrial Council (PBIC) and Portland Bight Citizens Council (PBCC). These councils allow us to collaborate and partner with community groups, NGOs, business people, government departments and agencies to manage the area.
Our Goals
The overall goals for the CCAM are to provide:
(1) Clean land, water & air,
(2) Sustainable use of natural resources
(3) Improved quality of life of residents
(4) Conserve threatened species, ecosystems
(5) Community involvement
(6) Community environmental education
(7) Providing the best available information
(8) Financial sustainability
(9) Efficient and effective institutional capacity
Our Projects
Climate Change Adaptation
2010 –2011: on-going UNDP – Climate Change Adaptation - Full project
2010 – 2012: on-going Forest Conservation Fund – Prepare management plan for the Portland Bight Protected Area
2010 – 2011: on-going – Seacology
C-CAM and Portland Bight
C-CAM’s work is currently focused in the Portland Bight Protected Area, which includes coastal lands from Great Salt Pond almost to Milk River and the coastal shelf out to the edge of the coastal shelf. In particular we are working in the Salt Harbour, Galleon Harbour and Three Bays Fish Sanctuaries.
Overall Goals
The overall goals for the PBPA are to provide:
- Clean land, water and air
- Sustainable use of natural resources contributing to improved quality of life of residents
- Conservation of species and ecosystems
- Support for participation of informed residents, resource users and other stakeholders in decision-making and implementation, based on the best available information.
(Extract from the Portland Bight Protected Area Management Plan 2008)
A Bight Without A Boat
Having signed an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries in December 2010 to manage three fish sanctuaries within Portland Bight, Jamaica's largest environmental conservation area, the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (C-CAM) Foundation is still not equipped to carry out its mandate effectively.
Bee Farmer Weighs In On Climate Change
A BEE farmer for some 15 years, Florizel Thompson is well aware of the potentially devastating impact of climate change on his profession. "With the large-scale cutting down of trees for charcoal, you have less flowering. Then, because of the less flowering, you have less pollination for people who plant pumpkin and other stuff who depend heavily on pollination. So less bees, less pollination. Less trees, less bees," he said in summing up the issue.
Group Pushes Rainwater Harvesting Project
Rainwater harvesting, a strategy used by Jamaicans over many decades, especially in rural Jamaica, to ensure adequate supply of water for domestic and agricultural purposes, is being promoted on a wider scale by the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (C-CAM) Foundation, as it seeks to educate Jamaicans about adaptable and alternative livelihoods in the face of climate change.