Wi Beach Blog

The Atlantic Hurricane Season kicks off each year on June 1 and ends on November 30. For Caribbean people, particularly for those in coastal communities, these six months are filled with anxiety and concern over their property and livelihoods in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane, and with good reason. When a hurricane strikes a coastal area, it brings many serious hazards including heavy rains, high winds and storm surge. All of these combined cause flooding and also push seawater onshore, flooding towns near the coast, and can cause major damages, injuries and loss of life. As an example, Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 caused more than US$900 million in damage, much of which was in coastal areas. With climate change expected to increase the overall intensity and frequency of storms, with likely devastating impacts on vulnerable island communities, beaches represent an important line of defence. But what is a beach?

Image: A street in Kingston in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert. (Source: Loop News Jamaica)

Image: Storm Surge in eastern Kingston during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 (Source: NY Daily News)

There are different kinds of beaches – some are made from sand and pebbles washed down by rivers, others consist of coral skeletons and crushed shells, sand excreted by certain types of marine animals such as parrotfish, and some kinds of seagrass and algae break down to form sand. Coral reefs protect the beach from storms, and beaches protect the land. If the conditions that cause beaches to develop and persist over time are disrupted, beaches begin to lose their sand. Beaches are made up of different types of sediment which is held in place by the shape of the coast, seagrass meadows and beach vegetation. Because beach sediment is constantly being moved around by natural forces like wind and waves, beaches can best be described as SAND IN MOTION. Ocean currents and storms move sand up and down the coast and sometimes sand is held in banks on the floor of the sea. Sand can also be stored at the back of the beach in sand dunes. Sand dunes release sand to the sea in storm conditions; in calmer conditions, sand doesn’t move around as much and tends to accumulate on the beach.

Image: Different kinds of beaches (Source: www.theswimguide.org)

Most importantly, beaches are key ecosystems in coastal zones that provide many ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and from healthy ecosystems. One such service is that beach and dune systems are the first line of defence against storms, acting as a buffer between storm waves and coastal development or infrastructure. During storms, waves reach the beach and dunes before they get to properties on land. The beach and dune system absorb wave energy and reduces damage to upland structures.

Image: Vegetated sand dunes at Duncan’s Bay Beach, Trelawny

In addition to providing coastal protection, beaches are an important source of income, recreation and cultural values, supporting a wide number of economic and social activities. They also provide essential habitats for numerous plants and animal species, as well as serve as a link between marine and terrestrial environments. However, as the global climate changes, coastal storms and hurricanes are likely to increase. In fact, the combined impacts of climate change and increasing population pressures on coastal areas for living and recreation have placed beach ecosystems under severe pressure.

As a Small Island Developing State, beaches are central to Jamaican lives and livelihoods. With the multiple threats challenging the health of Jamaica’s beaches, we must act now as individuals and collectively, locally and nationally, to protect valuable sandy beaches and critical adjacent ecosystems that serve to protect and provide for us.

You may have heard the phrase “coral reef” or seen underwater images or videos that take your breath away. But what are coral reefs and why should you really care? Corals are colonial animals that are made up of numerous tiny animals called polyps. Polyps are related to anemones and jellyfish and have a sac-like body and an opening, or mouth, encircled by stinging tentacles. These polyps deposit a hard stony skeleton made from calcium carbonate (like limestone) which builds up over millions of years and creates the 3-D structure that we call coral reefs. Coral reefs are only found in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, such as the Caribbean, and are often described as "the rainforest of the sea" because they support a vast diversity of plants and animal species, including 400 species of fish. Although coral reefs only occupy 1% of the Earth's surface, they contain 25% of the marine fish species found in the ocean.

A healthy coral reef ecosystem

Source: https://earthjustice.org/slideshow/protecting-endangered-caribbean-corals

The coral reef employs individuals in a wide variety of economic activities, mainly in the tourism and fishing industry.  The tourism industry provides jobs for persons in hotels, water sports, boating, sport fishing, diving, and other coastal attractions and contributes significantly to the economies of many countries such as Jamaica. Fishing is also an important economic activity for many people living along the coast.

Scuba Diving in Montego Bay, Jamaica

Source: https://www.beaches.com/blog/scuba-diving-jamaica/  

The coral reef feeds us by providing fish, shellfish, lobsters, and other food from the sea including edible plants (Seaweed). Coral reefs are not only a source of food for coastal communities but also contribute to food security and poverty reduction.

Belmont Fishing Beach, Bluefields, Westmoreland

The coral reef protects our coastline by providing a barrier against high waves caused by storms and hurricanes that would otherwise come ashore and cause great damage.  Many buildings, homes, and other coastal infrastructures, such as hospitals, power plants, and coastal roads are protected because of the coral reef structures that exist offshore. Coral reefs also provide the sand for our beaches and safe shallow waters for us to swim in.

The coral reef educates us by revealing how the natural environment works. For example, research carried out on coral reefs has provided us with answers about how plants and animals interact, and how climate change is impacting the oceans.

The coral reef supports our health and wellbeing through the numerous medicine, cosmetics, and health food supplements that are derived from the sea.  Coral reefs also provide us with a place to rest, relax and rejuvenate ourselves.

Coral Reefs in Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary, St. Mary (top) and Drunkenman’s Cay in Palisadoes Protected Area, Kingston (bottom).

Source: Mrs Marcia Ford

 The health of our coral reefs, however, is threatened by human activities such as overfishing (e.g. parrotfish), anchor and Jet Ski damage, pollution from land and marine sources, poor solid waste management, plastic pollution, and climate change.

We all can do our part to protect coral reefs. Become informed about how your actions affect coral reefs. Make wise choices regarding water use, recycling, seafood, fertilizer use, and driving time.  Don’t remove anything from the reefs.  Pick up your own trash and also participate in coastal/beach/reef clean-up activities.

So, the coral reef employs us, feeds us, protects us, educates us, and supports our health and wellbeing – that’s why you should care.

Guest Contributor: Mrs Marica Ford - Marine Scientist (UWI - Centre for Marine Sciences) 

Thursday April 22, 2021 marks the 51^st celebration of Earth Day worldwide. This year’s theme is “Restore Our Planet” which focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Earth Day began in 1970 in the United States of America (USA), emerging from the concern of millions of citizens about the state of the environment, and trends of environmental degradation in the US at the time. In the 1990s the movement grew to over 140 countries mobilizing civil society and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Environmental restoration aims to assist ecosystems in recovering from damage or degradation, and there are various ways you can contribute. Today we will focus on tree planting, coastal cleanups and the regeneration of marine populations such as lobster, parrotfish and sea turtles.

Trees play an important role in various ecosystems providing a habitat for almost 80% of plants and animals. Trees also absorb Carbon Dioxide from the air and reduce air temperature which is especially important in built up cities such as Kingston or Montego Bay, St. James. The roots of trees provide soil stability and prevent soil erosion in times of flood.

Tree planting is one method of environmental restoration that can be successful when done properly.  When conducting tree planting you should ensure that the trees planted are appropriate for the selected area - this will give them the best chance of surviving. If conducting a tree planting exercise is a coastal environment, ensure the trees are native to the area and can withstand windy and salty conditions. You must also ensure that someone has been identified to ensure the trees will be watered and maintained for at least two years, especially in the summer months or periods of low rainfall. Young trees may also need to be protected from grazing animals.