I have ventured upon the islands twice during my visits to the area. I have toured the remains of the old Goat Island Naval Station built by the US and abandoned a couple of years after WWII. Between these two visits, I have also seen firsthand the bounty of shellfish and small fish that used to teem around those islands before the local fishermen overfished many of the areas. The Portland Bight (as the area is known) is a large area of which Goat Islands are only a relatively small part.Originally Posted by yetta
Thanks for the links. I have read a few others also. I guess it's the ole hippie gal in me, but respecting Mother Nature and preserving what we can in this world still makes sense to me. With that said, I have not ventured upon this island so I cannot attest to the info.. but I do respect National Geographic as a good source. Always smart to keep reading so we can increase our knowledge base.
As with any ecologically sensitive area, some better management of resources needs to be done to preserve as much of the area as possible. Right now these areas are not being properly cared for due to lack of funds caused by Jamaica's anemic economy.
The simple fact is that Jamaica needs the money the Chinese are willing to give to develop these islands. From what I have read I believe that the Government of Jamaica is taking a responsible approach to the trade-off between the Economy and the Ecology with this project. It is true that the protected areas of the Portland Bight will be a lot smaller but there will be sufficient funds to adequately protect that smaller area. With development of Goat Island Logistical Hub, Jamaica will be one of only four logistical hubs in the world and it's position near the Panama Canal will bring tens of thousands of jobs to Jamaica and logistical companies like FedEx, UPS, etc. will be adding warehouse spaces and offices to process this new business.
I consider myself to be a Conservationist and I am not in favor of willful damaging of the Ecology. In this case, I think we have to respect the good intentions of the Jamaican Government who must walk a balancing line.
The People's National Party were given a mandate to govern responsibly and I believe they are generally living up to their responsibilities. I know everyone has an opinion on how THEY would run the country but, after all, they only have opinions.
This is only my opinion. I am nothing but an interested bystander in having a prosperous Jamaica.
Peace and Guidance
