Traditionally, mangroves have been an important source of poles for fenceposts, stakes, scaffolding and yamsticks as well as for the construction of huts and chicken houses. Mangrove wood is also suitable for making charcoal, and is sometimes used for this purpose. Mangrove wetlands are important nursery areas for many finfish and lobster species, providing a safe habitat for juveniles and post-larvae. Indeed, one reason why the Portland Bight area supports such a fecund fishery is because of the extensive mangrove stands. The flowers of Black Mangroves are also particularly good for honey production. Mangroves provide important coastal defense from hurricane storm surge and sea level rise.
One of Jamaica’s most important populations of West Indian Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna arborea) occurs in PBPA. Parts of the mainland shoreline as well as many of the coral cays within the Bight, are major nesting areas for sea turtles including Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and seabirds including Brown Noddies (Anous stolidus) and Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens). Manatees (Trichecus manatus), which used to be numerous in the area, are now rare. Many rivers, streams and gullies empty into the Bight (e.g. Bowers River, Salt River, Cockpit River, Salt Island Creek, Bower's Gully, Breadnut Gully, Calabash Gully, Coleburn's Gully, Salt Gully), and this riparian environment is habitat for the endangered crocodile (Crocodilus acutus).
The Rio Minho – Jamaica’s longest river (92.5 kilometres) – has its estuary within the protected area after passing through much agricultural and residential country. The Rio Cobre – Jamaica’s third longest river (50.9 kilometres) – enters the sea in Hunt’s Bay, just a few kilometres upstream of the protected area.
Overlooking Portland Bight are four tropical dry forests: the Hellshire Hills, the Braziletto Mountains Portland Ridge and Kemps Hill. The Hellshire Hills (ca. 11,400 ha) represents the largest remaining area of intact dry limestone forest in Jamaica. In total, 271 plant species were identified in Adams' and DuQuesnay's botanical survey of Hellshire (Woodley, 1970), of which 53 (19.6%) are endemic to Jamaica. Portland Ridge (ca. 4,200 ha), the Brazilletto Mountains and Kemps Hill (ca. 3,000 ha) have been less studied, but they support vegetation types similar to the western Hellshire Hills. Portland Ridge is currently afforded reasonably good protection by gun clubs in the area but was seriously damaged by Hurricanes Ivan and Dean. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan destroyed large areas of wetlands and dry forests. After the hurricane Jamaica experienced a severe drought lasting nearly six months. These conditions resulted in wildfires throughout the entire country. Portland Ridge was particularly badly affected. Recovery has been extremely slow compared to other areas and further damage was done by Hurricane Dean in 2007. The status of the forests of Brazilletto Mountains, the closest to human habitation, has not been assessed.
The PBPA is the only known habitat for several species of endemic reptiles and frogs. The Hellshire Hills provide the last known habitat of the recently rediscovered (1990) endemic Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura collei), an globally threatened species and Jamaica's largest native land animal. Two endemic reptiles (a new and undescribed thunder snake Tropidophis sp., and the Blue-tailed Galliwasp, Celestes duquesneyi), the Jamaican Skink Mabouya sloanii and an endemic frog (Eleutherodactylus cavernicola) are entirely restricted to Portland Ridge. Populations of another endemic globally threatened species – Jamaica’s largest snake, the Jamaican Boa or Yellow Snake (Epicrates subflavus ) – are also found there. Jamaica’s only remaining endemic terrestrial mammal, the Jamaican Hutia or Coney (Geocapromys brownii), is found in Hellshire and Portland Ridge where it is less hunted than elsewhere. The endemic sub-species of the Bahama Mockingbird (Mimus gundlachii hillii) is restricted to Hellshire and Portland Ridge, and the Jamaican Pauraque (Siphonorhis americanus) last seen more than 100 years ago is rumoured to persist in the Hellshire Hills. Many forest birds as well as North American migrant birds add to the biodiversity.
Over fifty caves have been identified in the dry limestone hills of the PBPA, including the Jackson Bay Caves, Jamaica’s most extensive cave system. Their faunal inhabitants have not been fully studied, but the endemic cave frog mentioned above (Eleutherodactylus cavernicola) and the fish-eating bat (Noctilio leporinus) are known to be among the resident species.
Under Section 5 of the Act, “National Parks” (land only), “Marine Parks” (sea only) and “Other Protected Areas” may be established. The creation of this system of protected areas began on 5 June 1992 with the declaration of the Montego Bay Marine Park and continued on 26 February 1993 with the creation of the Blue Mountain/John Crow Mountain National Park, both under the PARC Project funded by USAID.
Under the NRCA Act the management of these protected areas is the responsibility of the NRCA; however the NRCA sees itself as an oversight agency not directly involved in day-to-day protected area management. The GOJ does not propose to create another state agency# to manage protected areas under the oversight of the NRCA; government policy calls for the management of these protected areas to be delegated to other entities under Section 6 of the Act, whereby the NRCA may delegate any or all of its functions under the Act to a member, officer or agent of the Authority, except the power to make regulations#.
Management of the Montego Bay Marine Park was delegated to the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust in 1996, and management of the Blue Mountain/John Crow Mountain National Park was delegated to the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust in 19xx.
On Earth Day (April 22) 1999 the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA) was created by the Jamaican government; the Caribbean Coastal Area Management (C-CAM) Foundation, an NGO whose staff have been collaborating with the NRCA and working in the area since 1993, assisted with technical advice and organizing community support. In preparation for assuming natural resource management responsibility for the PBPA, C-CAM staff prepared a Management Plan intended to be implemented between 1999-2004; however it was only on 18 July 2003 that C-CAM was appointed an agent of the NRCA and a 5-year agreement was signed whereby many of NRCA’s NRM functions within the PBPA were delegated to C-CAM#. This agreement expired in 2008 and a new arrangement is being developed.
In May 2001 C-CAM received a Block B Project Development grant# from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the United Nations IDB-GEF through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to further technical preparations to assume NRM responsibility for the PBPA; the project was successfully concluded in October 2005 however, due to external factors the project could not be funded. This proved a serious blow to the early implementation of management in Portland Bight. Despite many efforts C-CAM was unable to identify another major donor or capitalize the C-CAM Trust Fund.
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