Project Detail

Evaluating Discovery Bay Inshore Coastal Water Quality to Improve Capacity for Environmental Management

The key environmental problem relates to the continued impact of increased urbanisation of rural areas and consequently of poor water quality on the integrity of critical coastal ecosystems and the fisheries they support. An already overexploited local fishery is presumed vulnerable to poor water quality in terms of the parameters that maintain the health and long term viability of coastal habitats (in particular reefs and seagrass beds) and marine sanctuaries on which the fishery is dependent. The project seeks to identify major point sources of pollutants and the primary marine habitats being affected in Discovery Bay in order to develop best practice guidelines for minimising pollution impacts in the Bay.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

ALLOA Fishermen Co-operative Society Limited

Country:

Jamaica

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity
Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP6 - Y3 (Jul17 - Jun 18)

Grant Amount:

US$ 44,500.00

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 16,625.00

Project Number:

JAM/IWEco/2017/02

Start Date:

12/2017

End Date:

9/2020

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Project Characteristics and Results

Notable Community Participation

A large number of youths ( 333% of ALLOA?s members are between the ages of 18-40 )are involved in the project many will be trained and engaged as field assistants during the data collection period of the project.

Gender Focus

A small percentage of ALLOA members are women, 50 percent of the persons engaged as field assistants will be from this group. Additionally participants will be engaged through training workshops, (mid project and end of project), project c field works (to gain hands on experience with field sampling techniques and lab analytical procedures as well as first-hand knowledge of the data and results being produced) and project exchanges with other SGP grantees.

Project sustainability

Alloa, in partnership with the Discovery Bay Marine Lab - UWI, plans to offer water testing to community members or other similar Marine Protected Areas when required. This will, however, require getting the lab established by the project to be accredited.

Capacity - Building Component

An already overexploited local fishery is presumed vulnerable to poor water quality in terms of the parameters that maintain the health and long term viability of coastal habitats (in particular reefs and seagrass beds) and marine sanctuaries on which the fishery is dependent. The livelihoods of fisher-folk are dependent on these habitats as is the health of the wider community. The identification of the points of origin of various pollutants impacting habitat health and therefore floral or faunal diversity as a means of the optimal management of coastal resources and the mitigation of climate change impacts. Improvements in the capacity of local regulating agencies to manage the development, use or rehabilitation of the island?s coastal resources will assist a large group of disadvantaged individuals regain their source of livelihood.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Data capture will be achieved through the implementation of a water quality monitoring and reef survey program that will target the specific point sources of pollution identified and log water quality parameters.

Policy Influence

During implementation the project did not influence any policy. However, the project may influence adherence to a rarely implemented Government policy; by replacing traditional ?soak away? pits with more environmentally friendly septic tanks in one project identified point source location.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Information will be shared and documented from lessons learned and good practices through workshops Inclusion of the garnered by this project in the DBML Outreach program which impacts three to four thousand visitors each year (both local and overseas) of varying ages, and backgrounds.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Person trained as part of the project activities will be able to participate in data gathering as part of the project, they will also be engage in other data gathering exercises that may be done by the Marine Lab. The data produced by the project that is expected to guide policy framework in how runoff is managed in the bay area should ensure a return to viability of the local fish population and a healthier reef system.

Planning non gef grant

The project can be upscaled through other grants. The UWI Discovery Bay Marine Lab plans to make its laboratory and equipment from the project available to conduct further studies.

Planning gef grant

The project can be upscaled to a medium-sized GEF Project. The UWI Discovery Bay Marine Lab plans to make its laboratory and equipment from the project available to conduct further studies.

Policy Impact

The project plans to produce Policy Impact by providing combined water quality investigations with reef surveys to determine existing relationships between flora, fauna and habitat health over a 1.5 year period and providing evidence of the impacts of water run off in the Discovery Inshore to the legislative bodies to guide policy fame work in this area. Data that does exist is temporally and spatially fragmented.

Replication of project activities

This project supported the Integrated Watershed and Ecosystem Management (IWEco) regional project currently under implementation by NEPA and can be replicated in other communities in Jamaica where water quality needs to be assessed especially in areas where recreational use of the coastal waters exist.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

not applicable

Project Results

Equipment needed for water analysis was purchased and set-up at the UWI Discovery Bay Marine
Lab. Staff members and volunteers from the communities were trained to use this equipment.

Water samples were collected from twenty (20) sites in Discovery Bay. The area of sampling
spanned 162 Ha of the bay. The following parameters were assessed: nitrates, phosphates, coliform
levels, biological oxygen demand, pH, conductivity and salinity.

Maps of the sampling sites were generated and the results were reported to community members
and other stakeholders.

Six coral reef sites were assessed for coral cover, macro algal cover and fish diversity with the aid of
3 fishermen from the community.

Community surveys were conducted throughout the project to understand the viewpoints of
community members towards pollution. One hundred and two (102) individuals were surveyed.
A workshop was conducted, where project findings were relayed to the community and other key
stakeholders.

Community members, specifically three fishermen, were trained to scuba dive and collect water
samples from spring sites. Other community members, including three females from the
community, were also trained in water sampling. They also learnt how to conduct various chemical
analyses for the determination of the parameters listed above.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Hectares of globally significant biodiversity area protected or sustainably managed by project 162

Biophysical

Number of national policies informed in biodiversity focal area 1

Biophysical

Number of innovations or new technologies developed / applied 3

Biophysical

Number of local policies informed in climate change focal area 1

Empowerment

Number and type of support linkages established with local governments/authorities 4

Livehood

Number of individuals (gender diaggregated) who have benefited* from SGP project 10

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