Restoring Life to Our Shores: Why Jamaica’s Mangroves Are Dying and How We Are Reviving Them

Peake Bay

Along Jamaica’s southern coastline in Clarendon, an environmental crisis has been quietly

unfolding. Once-thriving mangrove forests, vital to coastal health and community

livelihoods, have been dying off at an alarming rate. Today, more than 1,600 hectares have

been lost or severely degraded. This is a significant problem.

Mangroves are natural protectors. They shield homes from storm surges, support fisheries,

store carbon, and stabilise shorelines. Their loss threatens not only the environment but also

the security and economy of surrounding communities.

At UWI Solutions for Developing Countries (SODECO), we are leading a major restoration

project, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Kingdom’s

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), to bring these ecosystems

back to life.

Why Are the Mangroves Dying?

The primary reason for the decline of the mangroves in southern Clarendon is the disruption

of natural hydrological connections.

Hydrological connections refer to the natural movement of water. This includes freshwater

from rivers, rainfall, and underground springs mixing with saltwater from the sea entering the

mangroves through tidal excursions. These flows are essential because they maintain the right

balance of salinity, deliver nutrients, bring oxygen to mangrove roots, and flush away waste

and toxins. When these water movements are blocked, diverted, or reduced, mangroves are

starved of what they need to survive. Without enough freshwater and tidal exchange, soils

become too salty or stagnant, oxygen levels drop, and the mangrove trees begin to weaken

and die.

Several factors have contributed to the disruption of these crucial water flows in Clarendon.

Severe hurricanes in 2004, 2007, and 2012 uprooted trees and blocked natural channels with

sediment, disrupting the delicate balance of saltwater and freshwater flows.

Over the decades, as sugarcane cultivation declined in the area, the severe reduction of flooding irrigation for sugarcane cultivation further decreased freshwater entering the mangrove areas. Poor

Maintenance of drainage systems and the dumping of garbage worsened the situation by

clogging important waterways.

Infrastructure development also played a major role. The construction of roads across the

mangrove wetlands severed key hydrological pathways, cutting off the free flow of water

between land and sea. In some areas, new land uses, such as shrimp farming, redirected water

away from mangrove habitats and silted up the mangroves. Additionally, the cutting of

mangrove trees for charcoal production has further weakened the ecosystem.

Without urgent intervention, the continued degradation of these ecosystems will erode the coastal

resilience, diminish fish stocks, expose agricultural lands to the effects of saline intrusion,

and increase the vulnerability of communities to the impacts of climate change.

How UWI SODECO Is Responding

Our restoration efforts are built on three years of careful scientific assessment. We are taking

a nature-based approach that supports the mangrove's ability to heal itself, using proven

techniques that work with natural tidal and freshwater flows. In this project, nature-based

solutions mean restoring the natural flow of water so that mangroves can regrow on their

own, creating a stronger, healthier ecosystem without relying only on human replanting.

Key activities include reopening blocked freshwater and sea channels to allow proper tidal

exchange. This reintroduces the vital balance of salt and freshwater flows that mangroves

depend on to grow and regenerate. We are also installing culverts under roads and paths

where natural water movement was cut off, restoring hydrological connectivity across the

mangrove landscape.

Rather than relying heavily on replanting, we are encouraging seedling dispersal by using the

area’s natural water movement to carry mangrove seedlings from healthy stands into

degraded zones. We are also carrying out ongoing ecological monitoring to track changes and

guide future interventions, ensuring that restoration efforts are adaptive and based on

environmental needs.

Rather than applying short-term fixes, we are restoring the conditions that allow mangroves

to recover naturally, building a foundation for sustainable and lasting regeneration.

Why This Matters for Communities

Healthy mangrove forests are more than just beautiful landscapes. They are critical lifelines

for coastal communities, offering protection from hurricanes, sustaining fisheries, and supporting

livelihoods, protecting agriculture, and storing carbon to combat climate change.

Restoring these forests strengthens the resilience of Clarendon’s coastline and creates a

legacy of protection and prosperity for generations to come.

At UWI SODECO, we are proud to be working alongside communities and partners to bring

life back to Jamaica’s shores, one channel, one tree, and one ecosystem at a time.