- Signatures: 3,495
- Goal: 100,000
- Deadline: Ongoing...
See Full Petition
Email this PetitionCockpit Country is a mountainous, forested area of western Jamaica, rich in biodiversity and home to the Leeward Maroons of Jamaica. Its landscape of steep-sided hills and deep, round valleys eroded from the limestone bedrock is an outstanding example of karst topography. The wet limestone forest of Cockpit Country is Jamaica’s largest remaining primary forest and a refuge for rare Jamaican animals such as the Black-billed parrot and the Giant Swallow-tail butterfly, and more than 60 endemic plants. While the Land of Look Behind is famous in Jamaican history, each scientific expedition reveals more natural wonders of this ‘biodiversity hotspot’ and secrets of its Taino and Maroon heritage. A renewed interest in prospecting for bauxite and limestone in the Cockpit Country has sparked a campaign led by a wide cross-section of local and overseas Jamaicans – the Cockpit Country Stakeholders’ Group – to protect this unique area. Mining in Cockpit Country would destroy the natural, cultural and archaeological resources of Cockpit Country that are virtually untapped as a source of sustainable livelihoods, especially eco- and heritage tourism, for many rural communities of Jamaica.
| Number | Date | Name | City | Country | Why do you think Cockpit Country should be protected from mining? | What is your connection with Jamaica, if any? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,499 | 3:06 pm PDT, May 12 | david marshall | kings lynn | United Kingdom | This is an area of outstanding natural beauty.I want this area to be left as it is for our children and the wild life it supports.Lets have common sense and caring before profit for once, please. | None |
| 3,498 | 8:27 pm PDT, May 11 | Stephanie Zimmerman | Mabelvale | United States | ||
| 3,497 | 5:03 pm PDT, May 4 | Shelly Claflin | Kalamazoo | United States | Many of Jamaica's people are descendants of people displaced from their homeland, Africa. They were once taken from their land, and it would be unfair to have their land taken from them now. Cockpit Country is steeped in history, and is a natural resource that should not be exploited, but left as a national treasure for the Jamaican people. Once it is gone, it cannot be restored. | I promote sustainable tourism to Jamaica. I have friends in Jamaica, and I love traveling there. |
| 3,496 | 8:46 pm PDT, May 3 | Don McConnell | Salem | United States | The cockpit country is a truly unique environmental and cultural jewel. Just like in Colombia, if you allow greedy multinationals dig up the earth to sell natural resources to foreign nations, the result will be destruction of a natural wonder and resentment towards those countries that are the market for the plunder. | I am a documentary film maker who has produced educational videos relating to the Port Antonio Marine Park and am in production on a Jamaican Music documentary "Reggae in the Ruff". |
| 3,495 | 2:16 pm PDT, Apr 28 | JAMES SULLIVAN | Chicago | United States | ||
| 3,494 | 11:30 am PDT, Apr 28 | Jacqueline Rose | Pacific Grove | United States | to preserve the environment, history, and natural resources and to pursue a more sustainable income for this area - one that contributes to the conservation of Cockpit Country while also contributing to the community | visited many times and have local friends |
| 3,493 | 9:06 pm PDT, Apr 27 | Anonymous | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | The natural set up of the Island must be protected. | I ave many Jamaican friends who are in my country and in Jamaica. |
| 3,492 | 2:26 pm PDT, Apr 27 | Marcio Bruno Milech | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | As a citizen of the world, I`m always concern about any destruction to a ecosystem. | I have a good jamaican friend. |
| 3,491 | 8:54 am PDT, Apr 27 | Pauline McLean | West Palm Beach | United States | For maintaining a culture of sustainability in the country, and for improving the health and quality of life of the Jamaican citizenry. | Citizen |
| 3,490 | 5:32 pm PDT, Apr 24 | Andria D. Whyte | Kingston 8 | Jamaica | The Cockpit Country is unique and is a habitat for many rare Jamaican flora and fauna and must be protected at all cost. | I am Jamaican. |
| 3,489 | 11:28 am PDT, Apr 20 | Fernando Cole | Brampton | Canada | We have not done a very good job of passing on the values of our culture to the younger generation. Let's preservve the physical things that still exist, maybe someday we will again see value in the preservation of this unique culture,landscape, diversity and country on a whole. I strongly beleive that in the near future my fellow Jamaicans will realize how beautifull our blessed little country is. Big houses, fast cars, well paved roads, cell phones are of little or no value when a culture is lost. I have lived abroad for the past 18 years, with numerous trips back within that time frame. My last visit was December of 2007. I must confess I did not realize how beautifull my country was until I found myself being the tour guide for my wife and Canadian born children (my children were visiting for the first time). Our country is unique, Our country is special, our country is freedom, Our country is Love,The cockpit Country represents our freedom from slavery, Our country must be restored. I hereby mandate and declare the COCKPIT COUNTRY SACRED JAMIACAN SOIL IMUNE TO THE GREEDY COMMERCIAL MONSTER. I would one day like to tour this beautifull place called the cockpit country with my children. | Born Jamaican |
| 3,488 | 2:10 am PDT, Apr 19 | Julia Tawyea | Lake Ariel | United States | ||
| 3,487 | 11:11 pm PDT, Apr 14 | Darren S | philadelphia | United States | Cockpit Country should be protected from mining not only due to the cultural importance of the area but also the impact that mining will have on one of the few undisturbed refuges in the country; it is important that steps be taken to preserve the environment and beauty that is Jamaica. | I was born and lived in Jamaica for the first half of my life, and still have many family members there. |
| 3,486 | 9:06 am PDT, Apr 14 | Anonymous | Niagara-on-the-Lake | Canada | I am half Jamaican and I lived in Jamaica for 12 years before moving to Canada. | |
| 3,485 | 8:31 pm PDT, Apr 13 | Anonymous | N.O.T.L .Ontario | Canada | ||
| 3,484 | 6:22 am PDT, Apr 7 | Justin Greene | Columbia | United States | It should be protected because people are looking just to make a quick dollar and they aren't thinking about preserving the nature.I just wish people that don't care could think about what there doing to the animals.Wonder if they would like to have someone or something come along and just take everything they have to survuve just gone.The animals can't go anywhere else they need to just leave nature alone. | none.id like to visit it someday |
| 3,483 | 5:44 am PDT, Apr 6 | Susan Tatham | Montreal | Canada | It will destroy the natural habitat of alot of species and destroy one of the last natural wilderness areas in Jamaica. Not to mention the ugly pits that are left after, like in Williamsfield and Kendal. | My Mother was born in Jamaica. I went to high school in Kingston at Immaculate Conception. My husband's 3 siblings still live there. |
| 3,482 | 8:11 am PDT, Apr 5 | Alice Chin | teaneck | United States | to preserve the bio-diversity for humanity. Also to maintain nature's balance. | born citizen |
| 3,481 | 7:37 am PDT, Apr 5 | Peter Kennedy | Great Falls | United States | We must stop the encroachment of big business on such a natural wonder. | homeowner in St. Elizabeth |
| 3,480 | 6:51 am PDT, Apr 2 | Janet Lumsden | Calgary | Canada | ||
| 3,479 | 9:16 pm PDT, Apr 1 | Janel Wageman | Calgary | Canada | When will people learn that "Big Industry" cares nothing for the environment, or people. In search of the almighty dollar, they are willing to devastate our planet. This practise of exploitation has to stop, especially in the underdeveloped nations of our world. Once the Bauxite is gone from Jamaica, so to will all the endemic flora and fauna in Cockpit County, as well as the mining companies. All that Jamaicans will be left with is the "SHAME" for having allowed this to happen. | We own a home overlooking part of Cockpit County. |
| 3,478 | 11:53 am PDT, Apr 1 | samj samj | St. Andrew | Jamaica | The cockpit country is a home for our endemic species. People has established communities there and it is the only mass of greenery that is left in Jamaica. It should be left alone. | citizen |
| 3,477 | 3:32 pm PDT, Mar 31 | Anonymous | CORAL SPRINGS | United States Minor Outlying Islands | IT WILL CHANGE THE WEATHER SYSTEM | USED TO LIVE THERE-STILL HAVE FAMILY THERE |
| 3,476 | 5:59 pm PDT, Mar 23 | Ryan Potts | Winston Salem | United States | ||
| 3,475 | 3:38 pm PDT, Mar 22 | Kimberley Webb | Trelawny | Jamaica | to preserve its natural beauty and to protect the environment | citizen |
| 3,474 | 2:45 pm PDT, Mar 21 | walter blackwood | St. Catherine | Jamaica | just think of all those innocent animals and insects that are indigenous to this part of the island, and also the importance of the ecosystem.to lose this area is like loosing the whole of jamaica and all its natural resourses.this untouch are must remain a virgin. | i am jamaican, not leaving here!! |
| 3,473 | 7:22 am PDT, Mar 20 | Nicole Cirella | Brampton | Canada | My husband is Jamaican and my inlaw's all still live in Jamaica. Also my family owns a home in Trelawney | |
| 3,472 | 2:40 pm PDT, Mar 19 | Oliver Forbes | Cambridge | United Kingdom | ||
| 3,471 | 8:56 am PDT, Mar 19 | Alex Haynes | sheffield | United Kingdom | ||
| 3,470 | 3:23 pm PDT, Mar 18 | Gavin Hawkins | Coventry | United Kingdom | none, I have yet to visit. however I have visited much of the caribbean and to see part of it destroyed would be heart breaking | |
| 3,469 | 1:50 pm PDT, Mar 18 | amy loveys | gloucester | United Kingdom | ||
| 3,468 | 10:08 am PDT, Mar 18 | Anonymous | buxton | United Kingdom | there is enough extinction on this planet without adding this area and its bio diversity to it | |
| 3,467 | 8:49 am PDT, Mar 18 | Pauline Wallace | York | United Kingdom | Although I probably never will get the chance to visit, Cockpit County is the home of the beautiful Jamaican boa (Epicrates Subflavus) which must not be allowed to become extinct. | My only connection is that I own 3 Jamaican boas and am currently trying to breed them at my home in England. |
| 3,466 | 9:45 pm PDT, Mar 16 | Keleiah Dixon | Albany | United States | I have yet to visit the cockpit country and it does a disservice to those who are interested in doing research in that region and on Jamaicans who want to learn more about their culture. What affects voiceless animals also affects us in the long run. | Jamaican born |
| 3,465 | 9:47 am PDT, Mar 16 | Łukasz Cudo | Mielec | Poland | ||
| 3,464 | 6:47 am PDT, Mar 13 | Derek Dunlop | Morristown | United States | You wouldn't think we would need a reason, it seems obvious to me that this area needs to be protected forever. | |
| 3,463 | 9:42 am PDT, Mar 11 | N Bay | Seattle | United States | We need to preserve the last biodiversity hotspots on the planet like the Cockpit Country forests of Jamiaca for future generations and longterm sustainable biodiversity worldwide. | Visited with my family |
| 3,462 | 1:44 pm PDT, Mar 10 | Liz Turner | Scotia | United States | ||
| 3,461 | 9:31 pm PST, Mar 6 | Kaley Franklin | San Luis Obispo | United States | It's a true gem - it's our duty to save it! | I'm currently taking a Humanities class that has a focus on the Caribbean region |
| 3,460 | 3:53 pm PST, Mar 5 | Hayley Schultz | Hollywood | United States | ||
| 3,459 | 9:01 am PST, Mar 1 | Vaughn Lyn | Toronto | Canada | Absolutely. There is only one Cockpit Country. There are other less sensitive areas that can be mined. The mining company should be ashamed to have even applied to mine there. | Born and grew up in Jamaica |
| 3,458 | 11:28 am PST, Feb 29 | Marc Robertson | Calgary | Canada | I am from Alberta, Canada, and I've seen first hand the enviromental impact the Oil & Gas Industry has had on the Oilsands in Northern Alberta. No matter how enviromentally friendly energy companies try to be, the impact is devastating. I would hate to see this happen to such a beautiful place as Jamaica. | Home owner in Kempshot, St.James |
| 3,457 | 12:26 am PST, Feb 26 | Nicolas BELLEUDY | Allauch | France | ||
| 3,456 | 11:55 am PST, Feb 24 | Anonymous | Macon | United States | It is an environmental landmine and should not be exploited in such manner. It is not the only way to fix jamaica's brokenness and what will happen after we destroy any remaining beauty that the island has? We can't recklessly go around destroyin, there must be some level of restraint. If we destroy all then from where will our hope come? I know we will die, but what world are we going to eave for our children's children? | I am a Trelawny-born, Westwood High School Alumni studying in America. |
| 3,455 | 7:46 pm PST, Feb 21 | Anonymous | Montego Bay | Jamaica | Many developed countries belatedly realize the mistakes that they have made with their own environment. Jamaica does not need to follow the same path. Instead she can recognize the intrinsic value of indigenous and unique landscapes. The Cockpit Country needs to be recognized not only as having had a dynamic role in our history and independence, but also as a token Jamaica’s commitment to the environment, which is her well-being. | Citizen. |
| 3,454 | 11:31 am PST, Feb 21 | Anonymous | Port Antonio | Jamaica | Because there are so few non-touched ecosystems like Cockpit Country still available in our world. If we destroy Cockpit Country we are destroying an ecosystem with a rich environmental value that will prove to be more rewarding in the end then more Bauxite. Mining of Bauxite is just a quick fix and a way to deplete Jamaica's beauty. | I am a temporary resident and work in the environmental field in Jamaica. |
| 3,453 | 4:40 am PST, Feb 20 | Jonny Ffinch | London | United Kingdom | This history of mining operations in Jamaica establishes that the benefits do not flow to the people. | |
| 3,452 | 3:24 am PST, Feb 20 | Anika Aarons | Bull Bay, St. Andrew | Jamaica | Because although bauxite mining is a source of income for this country it is not worth destroying what it has taken nature years upon years to build and to take away this natural beauty from the island is just evil. | I am a Jamaican who lives in Jamaica |
| 3,451 | 6:10 pm PST, Feb 19 | Marie-Rose HECKMANN | Marseille | France |
Save Cockpit Country, Jamaica
1. We call on the Prime Minister of Jamaica to ensure that the Cockpit Country and environs, as described by the Cockpit Country Stakeholders’ Group, is declared CLOSED to mining and commercial prospecting.
2. We urge the Government of Jamaica to take steps to declare the Cockpit Country a Protected National Area as a matter of priority, as stipulated in the 1997 Policy for a National System of Protected Areas in Jamaica.
3. As organisations and individuals interested in the conservation of Jamaica’s unique natural and cultural heritage, we wish to see the Cockpit Country protected and managed as a World Heritage Site.
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