CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust Diana McCaulay tweeted recently:
Cockpit Country is heartland. History. Struggle. Triumph. Water. People. Farmers. Culture. Forests. Jamaica. #savecockpitcountry
I have nothing more to add. Cockpit Country is all of this.
If you have not already done so, this is a reminder to sign the petition on the Jamaica House website here…
More signatures are urgently needed. Please share.
Some of these photos might express some of the words that Diana McCaulay strung together, so eloquently.
One of the last untouched areas of our fragile island: the now-threatened Cockpit Country. (Photo: Gleaner)
Cockpit Country history.
Jamaica – Cockpit Country. Inset: “Old Cudjoe Making Peace,” from “The History of the Maroons” circa 1803. PHOTO BY DEA / V. GIANNELLA/DE AGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES. INSET: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Tishon, a member of the Cockpit Country Maroons, sprinkles white rum as a libation, as the drumming starts at the press conference. (My photo)
Local guide showing traditional medicinal plants along the trail at Flagstaff, Cockpit Country, Jamaica. (Photo: Ted Lee Eubanks)
The beautiful Crested Quail Dove is found only in Jamaica (it’s one of the 29 endemic bird species). It is a shy bird and if you are lucky you can spot it in the Blue Mountains, Cockpit Country and perhaps the John Crow Mountains. Like many other Caribbean birds, its numbers are being affected by loss of habitat. (Photo: Sam Woods/Facebook)
Residents of Cockpit Country stand in protest on the roads hacked out by the bauxite company. “We want clean drinking water” says one placard.” (Photo: Wendy Lee)
