Cockpit Country (18718)
Jamaica, Caribbean
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1e, B1, B2
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Cockpit Country
Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.3029, Longitude: -77.6759
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 100 to 700
Area of KBA (km2): 638.67646
Protected area coverage (%): 41.56
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Cockpit Country is one of three KBAs that lie within the Cockpit Country Conservation Area (CCCA). The other two, Litchfied-Matheson and Catadupa, are separated from Cockpit Country-Central by rural communities, agriculture, and Class B road networks. The CCCA is located in west-central Jamaica and is the globally recognized type locality for cockpit karst limestone. The Cockpit Country Forest Reserve is the largest contiguous block of wet limestone forest remaining on Jamaica and is surrounded by private lands of disturbed broadleaf forest and agriculture. Surface water is limited except in low-lying areas because of the limestone geology. However, CCCA includes the upper parts of five major watersheds, and rivers originating from it account for approximately one-quarter of Jamaica’s exploitable surface run-off. The two largest rivers in Jamaica (the Black River and the Great River) originate in Cockpit Country. Annual rainfall is 1750-3800mm.
The major threat to Cockpit Country is non-renewable resource extraction, notably bauxite mining and limestone quarrying. Prospecting licenses issued in 2007 and which cover approximately 75% of the CCCA have been suspended, pending review of boundary delineation. Mining laws pre-date forestry and natural resource protection laws. Secondary threats include clearing for agriculture and the encroachment of non-native plant species following abandonment of farmland and pasture. All Forest Reserves are designated as Game Reserves but illegal shooting during the gamebird hunting season occurs along access roads and trails. Conservation efforts currently are being directed with a call on Government of Jamaica to declare this irreplaceable landscape “closed to mining.” Under the guidance of Jamaica’s Forestry Department, three Local Forest Management Committees (LFMCs) have been established to facilitate co-management of public and private lands for biodiversity conservation and watershed management.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site holds the entire known populations of the amphibians Eleutherodactylus griphus (A1a, A1e, B1, B2), Eleutherodactylus junori (A1e, B2), and Eleutherodactylus sisyphodemus (A1e, B2). The Black-billed Amazon and Yellow-billed Amazon meet A1b/B1/B2 and an additional 27 birds meet B2.
Manageability of the site: This site was identified as an IBA/KBA in 2007.
Delineation rationale: This site was identified as an IBA/KBA in 2007.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced Vegetation | 5 | |
| Other | 25 | |
| Forest | 70 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Only in the future |
Additional information
Contributors: Amphibian Red List Authority