This blog, Jamaica Gems: Caves and Sinkholes, was written by Dr. Donald Farquharson. It showcases the beauty of Jamaica’s many natural wonders and the economic potential that can be harnessed.
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Jamaica the Rock
Like many, I think Jamaica is one of the world’s wonders. God, the master structural engineer, found time to package so many amazing gems into one little island. You might ask, “What are the gems of Jamaica?” My favourite Jamaican wonders; are Dunn’s River Falls, Black River Safari, YS Falls, Blue Mountain, Blue Lagoon, Blue Hole, Port Royal, Treasure Beach, and Green Grotto Caves. These wonderful gems are scattered randomly all over the island, and some are difficult to access.
Gems and Wonders
Jamaica is located in the Greater Antilles, surrounded by the emerald blue Caribbean Sea. The island is an architectural wonder, intricately shaped and defined along its coastline, running 146 miles long and 52 miles across. She is well-toned with an assortment of minerals and rocks that form her many high mountain ranges, which extend up to 2,256 metres - the Blue Mountain. Equally, her depth is alluring from surface to core. Her mountains taper down into many valleys, with rivers, lakes, and waterfalls meandering across her beautiful, breathtaking plains from the base of her mountain ranges to the shores. The heat of her inner core is calmed by her many cool underground rivers and aquifers.
The geological and land formation of her mountainous hinterland consist of igneous, metamorphic, and limestone rocks created millions of years ago. She is divided into three (3) landform regions: the eastern mountains, the central valleys and plateaus, and the coastal plains, nearly mirroring its three counties: Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey. The eastern mountains have the highest peaks and the steepest general gradients in the world. Her mountains and hills are adorned with many native trees such as ramoon, dogwood, wild ackee, prickly yellow, yellow sanders, and broadleaf.
Her central valleys and plateaus have significant deposits of karst bauxite, which is the result of limestone erosion in solution. She has many sinkholes, caves, caverns, disappearing streams, hummocky hills, and terra rosa soils in these areas. To the west of her valleys and plateaus is the famous Cockpit Country. Here, she is an undulating landscape of steep-sided hollows separated by conical hills and ridges. The ridges between sinkholes have dissolved into flat-bottomed basins or valleys made up of rich terra rosa soils. Her largest basin is found in Clarendon, but others exist such as Queen of Spains Valley, Nassau, and Cave Valley.
Caves & Sinkholes
Natural Gifts
Jamaica is home to a rich and diverse landscape, including numerous caves and sinkholes that offer unique opportunities for sustainable development and economic growth. In this blog post, we will explore some of the ways that these natural wonders can be monetized while preserving their ecological and cultural value.
Investments – Big Infrastructure
The mountainous terrains of Jamaica are made up of cretaceous and volcanic rocks. My own childhood rural community, Springfield in St. Elizabeth, like many hilly areas in Jamaica, consists of limestone rocks with a proliferation of caves and sinkholes. The home is precariously located on an aquifer, which is recharged by multiple caves and sinkholes. It was a major fascination for us boys to see the rainwater “swirling and disappearing” into the ground via the inlets of these caves and sinkholes.
Another fun activity for us boys, was dropping stones into the sinkhole at the back of our home and listening to them slapping the sides of the sinkhole until they finally made a big echoing splash into the aquifer below. Many underground rivers emerge in these hills and terminate many miles away in the plains of Carmel. In June 1979 New Market Town and the Carmel plains were inundated with floodwaters caused by many days of constant, heavy rainfall and raising waters from these underground rivers and aquifers.
It is typical for excess surface water to drain into caves and sinkholes, leading to underground rivers and aquifers. These caves and sinkholes are untapped resources with the potential to aid in sustainable growth and development for Jamaica.
Rivers and Aquifers
To understand the strategic value of caves and sinkholes to Jamaica, one must explore its geological and hydrological makeup. The formation of Jamaica occurred 25 million years ago when the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates collided. Jamaica has an average annual rainfall of 82 inches and a temperature of 22o C per year. Its brilliant sunshine is facilitated by its location, 1,255.20 miles (2,020.04 kilometres) north of the equator. Its beautiful vegetative terrains and waterways give it the famous name "the land of wood and water."
Land of Wood & Water
Exploration
The Jamaica Caves Organization is the only entity that is presently involved in the exploration and auditing of caves and sinkholes. This is a non-profit company with no direct support from the Government of Jamaica (GOJ). Their funding comes predominantly from donations and volunteerism. Minimal revenue is raised form charged services such as rescue and body recovery, rapid assessment, physical surveys and mapping, guiding and equipment supply. Significant work has been done by the Jamaica Caves Organization on creating a database and mapping of caves across the island.
It is estimated that over 1000 caves and sinkholes exist in Jamaica. The Jamaica Cave Register – 2020 catalogs the number of caves in Jamaica by district, name, location, altitude, length and depth. These caves and sinkholes are located on private and public lands all over the island. The parishes with the most caves and sinkholes are; St Ann, Trelawny, Manchester and St. Elizabeth. As expected, these parishes are areas on the island where limestone is most pervasive. The Smokey Hole Cave in Manchester is the deepest sinkhole in Jamaica. It is approximately 200 metres deep and 250 metres in length.
Map of Jamaica Caves
Historically, caves and sinkholes have become integral to the culture and heritage of Jamaica. While many caves in Jamaica have been used as attraction sites, some have been used as shelters during disasters, sites for religious sanctuaries, and secure spaces during wars and conflicts. The Spaniards, Jamaican Maroons, runaway slaves, and the Arawak Indians all utilized the caves for different reasons. In the past, the Maroons, in particular, used caves as shelters and hiding places during wars with English and Spanish soldiers while in more recent times, gangs have used caves as hiding places from the police and military; hence remains relevant as a place of hiding.
The exploration of caves and sinkholes in Jamaica is mainly for research, cultural, and entertainment purposes. With tourism booming in Jamaica, the exploration of caves and sinkholes have become major sources of entertainment. The top five caves and sinkholes recommended for adventure and tourist attraction sites in Jamaica are as follows:
Benchmark Caves & Sinkholes
A Global Perspective
Numerous successful blueprints exist of how caves and sinkholes are used to support productive and sustainable development. The following are some examples of caves and sinkholes in foreign countries being utilized for creating economic value (click links to read more):
Wookey Hole Caves – spectacular cave with stunning surroundings located in South West England, closely to the Mendip Hills. It is the largest cave system in the UK use for adventure and entertainment. https://www.wookey.co.uk/.
Dolomites Caves – natural refrigerator in the hills of Predaia Italy. Italian fruit farmers use the caves to store fruits in natural space. This natural refrigerator is used to cut energy bills to the farmers. https://www.globalheroes.com/italian-fruit-farmers-use-hill-caves-to-help-cut-energy-bills/.
Cappadocia Caves – located in the volcanic landscape of Cappadocia in Turkey. These caves foster beehives, dovecotes, water canals, winepresses, horse stables, kitchens and ovens. https://www.cappadociahistory.com/post/agricultural-cave-spaces.
Pulejajar Caves – located in Jepitu Village in Indonesia. Freshwater is pumped from an underground river in the cave to supply the village. https://th.boell.org/en/2023/04/12/gunung-kidul.
Guadix Caves – located in the Rockies in Spain. Thousands of cave-dwellers still live in caves while continuing with their agricultural life. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/cave-underground-dwellers-ancient-modern-granada-spain.
Punta Cana Caves – located in Punta Cana Dominica Republic. The Punta Cana nightclub can house up to 450 patrons, the club also caters for dinners and private parties. https://www.imaginepuntacana.com/en/the-cave.
A Magical Cave
Dr. DF Suggestions
The importance of making investments to sustain and utilize Jamaica’s untapped gems cannot be overstated. The following are some suggestions to better leverage Jamaica’s caves and sinkholes for sustainable development:
Inventory – Create a full inventory and catalog of all caves and sinkholes in Jamaica, organized by parish, county, and characteristics (partially exists).
GPS Mapping – Create an online database and GPS mapping of all caves and sinkholes to facilitate researchers, investors, and visitors alike (partially exists).
Strategic Assets – The GOJ to designate and declare some caves and sinkholes as strategic assets and national monuments.
Development Plans – The GOJ to direct specific agencies to prepare a development plan to monetize these strategic assets, while protecting them.
Environmental Study – Conduct environmental studies to ascertain the risk and impact on the environment of monetizing these strategic assets.
Benchmarking – Conduct benchmarking exercises in other jurisdictions to ascertain how best to maximize these strategic assets.
Stakeholder Engagements – Conduct nationwide stakeholder engagement forums on the sustainable development of these strategic assets.
Grant funding – Secure grant funding from international funding agencies such as USAID, Adaptation Fund, Blue Action Fund, etc. for the development of these assets.
Pilot Projects – Develop and implement pilot projects such as rural water supply, farming in caves, mining of minerals, entertainment and eco-tourism in these strategic assets using Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Research and Education – Develop research-based partnerships with local and overseas stakeholders to preserve the scientific and cultural value of these strategic assets.
Jamaica Tourism Booming
Conclusions
Jamaica boasts abundant wealth in its untapped gems. The GOJ should designate these strategic assets as valuable resources to be maximized for sustainable national development. Jamaica's caves and sinkholes are prime examples of such assets. Monetizing caves and sinkholes in Jamaica requires a delicate balance between economic development and environmental conservation. By adopting a sustainable approach, we can harness the economic potential of these natural wonders while preserving their beauty, historical and cultural significance. Let us continue to make the “likkle but wi tallawah” country the place to live, work, raise families and do business....DIVE IN!!!
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