Martha Brae River – Petchary's Blog

Cockpit Country Worries: Community Members Voice Ongoing Concerns Over Mining on Periphery

November 1, 2018

Cockpit Country is fragile. It remains under threat from bauxite mining, which is pressing around the edges of the declared Cockpit Country Protected Area. Just a month ago, I noted in my news summary: “I fear that, while the “ground-truthing” of Cockpit Country continues (the measuring, step by step, of the boundaries) there will be … More Cockpit Country Worries: Community Members Voice Ongoing Concerns Over Mining on Periphery

That Glowing Feeling

October 23, 2017

This week’s photo challenge is simply “Glow.” One immediately thinks of sunsets – and here are one or two. But colour can glow, in the sunlight, too. I hope you enjoy these…

Stakeholders Petition Jamaica House to Save Cockpit Country

August 22, 2017

As I mentioned recently, Jamaica House has opened a new petition portal – rather like President Obama’s White House petition page. Jamaica Environment Trust and a range of civil society/environmental advocates have opened a petition to Save Cockpit Country. Yes, I have written about this many times before, and there have been public consultations, many … More Stakeholders Petition Jamaica House to Save Cockpit Country

The Elements (But It’s Hard to Photograph Air)

August 13, 2017

This week’s Photo Challenge asks us to “explore the classical elements of earth, air, water, and fire.” Photographing air is a real challenge, I would say. I’m a Fire Sign (Aries) so the first thing I thought of was photographs I took of forest fires in the hills of St. Mary. I wasn’t able to … More The Elements (But It’s Hard to Photograph Air)

Weekly Photo Challenge: It’s Easy Being Green

March 25, 2017

We live in the tropics, where green actually does come easy, unless we are in a drought. We have had so much rain recently though that the hills surrounding Kingston yesterday were the colour of emeralds, in the evening sunlight. As suggested, I will share several aspects of green in Jamaica. Hope you enjoy the … More Weekly Photo Challenge: It’s Easy Being Green

International Day of Forests in Jamaica: The Wood and Water Connection

March 22, 2016

The Taino word for Jamaica, Xaymaca, means “Land of Wood and Water.” The Tainos were describing tall trees, flowing rivers, splashing waterfalls. The two words fit together. Today (March 21) was International Day of Forests; and the theme is Forests and Water: Sustaining Lives and Livelihoods. What could be more important than the forest/water connection? However, the average … More International Day of Forests in Jamaica: The Wood and Water Connection

Everything is Connected… Cockpit Country and Goat Islands

September 13, 2013

I am returning to the issue of environmental conservation, because I have a sense of urgency. Somehow, I don’t want to leave this one till later. Time is pressing, so bear with me. Because, as one speaker at this evening’s public forum at the University of Technology (UTech) said, we must realize that “everything is connected.” That … More Everything is Connected… Cockpit Country and Goat Islands