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Environmental Concerns in Jamaica

Jamaica was once known as the land of wood and water. Jamaica is still famous for its green mountain landscapes, beaches and coral reefs, and unusual biological diversity. Population increases have put pressures on the land, rapid expansion of mining, tourism, and farming have caused degradation of watersheds. The pollution of ground and surface water, and urban sprawl and blight are increasing. The broad-leaved tropical forests have largely disappeared leaving less than 25 percent of Jamaica's land area as forest cover today. The rural poor (60 percent of all poor) mostly undertake hillside farming which is contributing to soil erosion. The scarcity of land for low-income settlements has led to overcrowded squatter settlements with inadequate basic amenities. The Jamaican government established a National Resource Conservation Authority in 1991 due to these problems. In 1995, the government finalized a national environmental action plan that is trying to deal with land use and watershed management, including hillside erosion and pollution of waters from untreated or inadequately treated sewerage, pollution from the bauxite industry, lack of a human settlement policy, and weak legal frameworks and enforcement capacities. The conservation authority is poorly staffed, however, Jamaica benefits from a strong environmentally oriented non-governmental organization community and environment specialists at the University of West Indies.