The Windward Maroons The inscription of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, recognized the natural as well as the cultural heritage of the region; specifically - The Windward maroon communities. Jamaica’s Blue and John Crow Mountains are in good company; the 27 newly inscribed properties include the supposed baptism site of Jesus of Nazareth and the Champagne hillsides in France. Why the Blue Mountains Became a UNESCO Site Biodiversity Significance. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park in Jamaica was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 for its natural and cultural heritage. Jamaica is the third largest island in the Greater Antilles, a group of islands within the broader Caribbean. In 2015, Jamaica's Blue and John Crow Mountains became the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and also the Caribbean's first World Heritage Mixed Site for both natural and cultural riches. KINGSTON, JAMAICA: May 24, 2015 – As part of Jamaica’s continued push to have the Blue and John Crow Mountains designated as a World Heritage Site, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has provided over $ 13 million to date to support the venture. “We are protecting the Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage site not only for ourselves, but for the people of the world,” declared Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, as she unveiled the gateway signs, introducing the people of Papine and its surrounding communities to the fact that the university town is a major gateway to Jamaica’s first World Heritage Site. The park covers 495.2 km 2 and accounts for 4.5% of Jamaica's land surface. While the last confirmed record dates back to 1879, the IUCN Red List concludes that it "may conceivably survive" in the Blue and John Crow Mountains (BirdLIfe International, 2018). The National Park is the largest contiguous area of natural forest in Jamaica, protecting 193 acres of forest on mountain slopes, comprising 10 watershed management units spanning four parishes. The John Crow Mountains is a limestone plateau peaking above 1,140 meters and extending paral… The Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage Site is the 26,000-hectare core preservation zone within the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. The national park, so declared in 1993, is just over 41,000 hectares. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The Blue and John Crow Mountains were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015 on the basis of its distinct cultural heritage found in the retained secret trails being materialised in the Nanny Town Heritage Route and the associated region. The mountains’ biodiversity is protected in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. Dr Susan Otuokon, executive director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, makes a point during a meeting to update Charles Town Maroons about the proposal for the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park to be nominated for inscription as a World Heritage Site, in Charles Town, Portland, on Friday, June 15. The Windward Maroon Environment in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Blue & John Crow Mountains National Park. The Blue Mountain ranges stretch for nearly 50 kilometers, with the highest point being the Peak Mountain at an elevation of 2,256 meters. The cultural and natural heritage of the Blue and John Crow Mountains comprises 26,252 ha (64,870 acres) of tropical, montane rain forest within the larger Blue Mountain and John Crow Mountain ranges. There are a number of guided hikes and trails, bird watching, mountain biking, camping areas, or hot mineral springs to … This UNESCO site also contains ten of the island’s 26 watershed units. The Blue and John Crow Mountains' designation as a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site was a momentous occasion for Jamaica and Jamaicans. It was dedicated to the legacy of the Maroons of Jamaica, "strong, cunning and resourceful persons who found ingenious ways to dismantle a system that blighted peoples of the region… The Blue and Crow Mountain ranges lie in a mountainous region in the remote parts of eastern Jamaica. The ancient city of Ephesus in Turkey and the Blue and John Crow Mountains in Jamaica are just two of the 24 newly inscribed World Heritage sites approved by the 39 th UNESCO committee in Bonn, Germany recently. Representatives from four key organisations involved in management of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park met today with representative from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) – Eva Maria Naeher to initiate plans for the preparat The park is home to a variety of flora and fauna, and also Jamaica’s sole indigenous group – the Maroons. The announcement was made at UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee meeting held in Bonn, Germany. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and World Heritage Site spans four of Jamaica’s fourteen parishes and protects some 41,000 hectares of natural forest. Jamaica’s world renowned Blue and John Crow Mountains have now made the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. It is an area of closed broadleaf or primary forest, one of the last remaining such areas in the island. The emerald mountains define the eastern part of the island and cover an area of 480 km2. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park covers 4.5% of Jamaica’s land surface and includes Jamaica’s highest point, the Blue Mountain Peak, which is 2,256 meters (7,402 feet). Please note that given the exceptional circumstances related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, regular mail sent to the World Heritage Centre in Paris cannot be processed on a normal basis for the moment. The Blue and John Crow Mountains was inscribed on the World Heritage List in July, 2015 and is Jamaica’s only World Heritage Site and the only one in the Caribbean inscribed for both cultural and natural heritage. A first for Jamaica and a first for the Caribbean. The Blue and John Crow Mountains was designated Protected National Heritage under Section 13 of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act on January 9, 2014 and a … The Blue and John Crow Mountains has become Jamaica’s first World Heritage site today, following advice from IUCN, International Union for Conservation of … With an abundance of hiking trails and naturalist-led tours, visitors have plenty of opportunities to explore the lush forestry of the Blue Mountains. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park spans sections of the parishes of St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and Portland. Significant number of rare, endemic and/or endangered species (x) Cultural criteria (iii, vi) Location and Values: The Blue and John Crow Mountains site is located in the highlands of eastern Jamaica, and occupies the higher-lying parts of these mountain ranges from elevations of about 850m to Jamaica’s highest peak at 2,256m. Jamaica's World Heritage Site, the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, is one of the richest biodiversity sites in the world and a nature-lover’s paradise. Blue & John Crow Mountains The Blue and John Crow Mountains were recently inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and when you see it you know why! Their story begins 500 years ago during the imperial race to capture territory in the New World. The Blue and John Crow Mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage site that covers a forested mountainous region in the south-east of Jamaica, which provided refuge first for the indigenous Tainos fleeing slavery and then for Maroons (former enslaved peoples). Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is a national park in Jamaica. What is today the site is the species' only proven nesting site. Blue and John Crow National Park The Blue and John Crow Mountains were designated a National Park by the government of Jamaica in 1992, with the … The Blue and John Crow Mountains (BJCM) World Heritage property, which is located in the eastern part of Jamaica, covers approximately 20% of the islands total landmass. The park is globally known for its biodiversity. Other important biodiversity values. It is home to over 1,300 flowering plant species, the largest butterfly in the Americas - the 6-inch Giant Swallowtail and over 200 species of native and migratory birds. Photo Credit: Wikipedia – Blue Mountains, Jamaica. located in the heart of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And trails, bird watching, Mountain biking, camping areas, or hot mineral springs to such! 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