Jamaica is the largest English-speaking commonwealth island in the Caribbean at about 230 x 80 km and a total estimated coastline in excess of 900 km. The island is made up of cretaceous basement rock topped by tertiary limestone in a karst landscape covered with lush tropical rainforests. Changes in sea level have resulted in a series of submarine terraces and, along the north coast, a narrow shelf supporting a well-developed fringing and bank-barrier reef system, while the broader southern shelf contains several discontinuous reef systems. Jamaican reefs are some of the most intensively studied coral systems in the world, and Discovery Bay (DB) on the north coast of the island, is arguably the most important coral reef in the Atlantic, with ecological data sets that extend back four decades. Distinct zonation patterns have been defined for the DB nearshore marine community, and our understanding of Caribbean coral reef dynamics are based largely on this and nearby systems. These reefs were home to more species of scleractinian coral and sponges than elsewhere in the Caribbean, yet they have seen extreme anthropogenic encroachment via fishery, recreational and nearshore commercial interests (e.g. bauxite plant tailings). In addition, groundwater run-off, which is high in nitrates, has resulted in nearshore eutrophication leading to algal blooms and sedimentation, both of which have damaged coral reefs. Natural disturbances such as hurricanes (Allen in 1980 and Gilbert in 1988) have also resulted in significant changes to Jamaica’s coral reefs. Some of these stresses may act to increase susceptibility to bleaching and/or coral diseases. Perhaps the greatest impact on coral community health in Jamaica was the Caribbean-wide die-off of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum. The removal of this “keystone” herbivore resulted in an increase in reef algae which out-competed slower growing coral species and thus changed the face of the reef. In Jamaica, these effects were particularly exacerbated since over-fishing reduced herbivorous fishes that elsewhere compensated for the reduction in algal grazing by the sea urchins.

The Jamaican government, in cooperation with USAID, has provided significant legal protection for their natural resources via the Protected Areas Resource Conservation (PARC) act of 1989, and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) act of 1991. The NRCA merged with other agencies to form the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) with a mandate is to oversee environmental and sustainable development policy and regulation. NEPA has established an integrated series of parks and marine protected areas (MPAs), however a critical shortfall has been in natural resource management and enforcement. While there are some signs of stabilization in Jamaican reef health (e.g., coral abundance has increased slightly in DB over the last few years), fleshy algae continue to dominate these systems, and problems related to over-fishing and eutrophication persist. It is clear that funds and infrastructure that will encourage conservation of the coral reef resources are desperately needed.

The Jamaican economy was traditionally based on agriculture and bauxite exports, but more recently tourism has overshadowed both as the leading economic sector, and coral reefs are an important draw for these visitors. Human health in Jamaica is surprisingly good, and average life expectancy is comparable to that of western industrialized nations. In recent years, biomedical issues have shifted from the infectious and parasitic diseases common to the Caribbean tropics to chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular illness (http://165.158.1.110/english/sha/prfljam.html). This is likely due to improved sanitation, health awareness and access to medical care. Nonetheless, the prevalence of AIDS and other STDs are on the rise, and represent a serious concern for public health officials. AIDS cases have doubled every two years since the first reported case in 1982. Recent studies suggest that the economic costs of this disease to Jamaica could further cripple an already severely impacted system. Savings and investments are estimated to decline by 23.5% and 17.4%, respectively, resulting in 4.1-8.2% decreases in employment in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. These declines would come at a time when the medical costs of AIDS are expected to rise by 35.4%. Other STDs of particular concern to Jamaicans include chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, nongonococcal urethritis, and ophthalmia neonatorum.