Situated on Jamaica’s south coast at a latitude of 170 57’ N and longitude 760 48’ W, the Kingston Harbour is a semi-enclosed bay which forms an extensive natural harbour.3 As the seventh deepest, and arguably one of the finest natural harbours in the world, Kingston Harbour boasts immense ecological, economic and social value.
The Harbour, which is bordered on the north and east by Jamaica's capital, and on the west by Green Bay, Port Henderson and the municipality of Portmore, owes its existence to the Palisadoes tombolo, which extends 15 km (eight miles) east to west.
The tombolo acts as a natural protective barrier that mitigates the intense wave action from the Caribbean Sea, thus creating an important disaster mitigation feature for the Kingston Metropolitan Area.
Many depend directly and indirectly on the Harbour and its resources for their survival and economic well-being. As home to the Port of Kingston, the 7th busiest port in the Americas, Kingston Harbour plays an important role in the supply of goods for the island as well as the generation of foreign exchange.4 The Harbour also supports several industrial and commercial enterprises, with nearly 1,739 businesses located within 1 km of its shore (MGI, 2018).5 Additionally, its environs provide homes for thousands of Jamaicans as well as livelihood activities like fishery and recreation, international air and sea transportation and education.
These activities and enterprises, however, operate within a sensitive marine environment. Kingston Harbour and its varied habitats of mangroves, coral reefs, cays, sand dunes and seagrass beds is renowned as an area rich in biodiversity. These natural ecosystems, including the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area, which is a designated RAMSAR site, play an unparalleled role in carbon sequestration, regulating nutrient flow and providing habitat for marine species and birds. Mangroves also provide an environment for education and recreation as well as a plethora of exploitable resources like medicine/bioactive compounds and food.6
3 M. Webber, W. Henry, T. Christian. Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold?. GraceKennedy Foundation. 2019.
4 https://blue.monagis.com/tackling-kingston-harbour-waste-problem-mgi-frontline-science-technology/
5 M. Webber, W. Henry, T. Christian. Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold?. GraceKennedy Foundation. 2019.
6 M. Webber, W. Henry, T. Christian. Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold?. GraceKennedy Foundation. 2019.
For decades, Jamaica’s vital resource in the Kingston Harbour has been under constant threat from point and nonpoint source pollution. Discharges from ships, industrial waste, sewage from improper treatment practices, farming chemicals and solid domestic waste from Kingston, St. Andrew and Portmore, contribute considerably to the pollution of the Harbour.
The deterioration of Kingston Harbour has been evidenced by numerous measures over time, including increases in coliform counts and nutrient levels, and reductions in marine life, as well as seagrass densities. The volume of marine litter found along the Harbour’s shores further highlights the Harbour’s decline, and is largely a consequence of urbanization and continued improper solid waste practices.
This solid waste pollution not only discourages tourism and economic investments, but damages the mangrove forests and the flora and fauna that it supports.
This solid waste pollution not only discourages tourism and economic investments, but damages the mangrove forests and the flora and fauna that it supports.
Much of this waste finds its way into the Harbour through complex gully and river drainage systems, especially during heavy rainfall. Gullies saturated with solid waste have caused several incidents of localised flooding and have damaged economic activity in the communities surrounding Kingston Harbour.7
According to 2019 data, 80 percent of the solid waste emitted from these gullies is plastic.8 The dominance of plastics and styrofoam in the environment is alarming, due to the chemical and physical harm the debris can inflict upon marine animals, their habitats, and even humans.9 Furthermore, the weathering of this plastic waste increases the leaching of microplastics into the environment- tiny plastic particles which can further threaten the food chain. Studies have shown that the ingestion of microplastics by fish, crustaceans and invertebrates leads to reduced growth, reduced body size, and reduced performance. Globally, microplastics have been identified in a variety of commercial fish, shellfish and in humans.
7 M. Webber, W. Henry, T. Christian. Clean Kingston Harbour: Pipe Dream or Pot of Gold?. GraceKennedy Foundation. 2019.
8 Presented during “2019 GraceKennedy Foundation annual lecture – Clean Kingston Harbour,” statistics by Mona GeoInformatics Institute
9 Presented during “2019 GraceKennedy Foundation annual lecture – Clean Kingston Harbour,” statistics by Mona GeoInformatics Institute
Simulation developed by MGIBlue, showing the distribution of solid waste transport from gully outflows, across the Harbour and out through the Harbour mouth, over a
30-day period.
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