Communities to Benefit from World Heritage Site

Communities within and around the Blue and John Crow Mountains are set to benefit economically from the only mixed World Heritage site within the Caribbean.

“I know there are many residents in the over 30 communities scattered in the Blue and John Crow Mountains who already have businesses and business ideas that reflect the rich culture of the area…. that would allow for the responsible exploitation of the site,”  says Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.

Speaking yesterday (April 18), at the unveiling of gateway signs in Papine Square, St. Andrew,  leading to the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Ms. Grange said the benefits are both direct and indirect.

She pointed out that next month, the Ministry will host a world heritage economic opportunities workshop and fair, the first in a series.

“Entities such as Jamaica Business Development Corporation, HEART Trust, Tourism Product Development Company and Jamaica Social Investment Fund, will engage residents from these communities on how to monetize the cultural assets, while ensuring that the world heritage site is not compromised,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Grange said the inscription of the Blue and John Crow Mountains as a World Heritage Site means there is international protection of the site, for present and future generations.

“It means that the local legal and protected frameworks have been put in place. Inscription to the World Heritage list attracts international, technical and funded assistance in managing the world heritage property,” she noted.

The Minister pointed out that Jamaica has already benefited from technical assistance through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Kingston office, having hosted the first ever workshop on world heritage education in the Caribbean.

For her part, Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, Juliet Holness, said she is looking forward to the direct and indirect benefits, such as an increase in the number of tourists who are attracted to the area.

“I look forward to significant increase in tourist activities for East Rural St. Andrew and for Jamaica, due to us having the Blue and John Crow Mountains as a World Heritage site,” Mrs. Holness said.

The unveiling of the gateway signs is one of several initiatives being undertaken by Jamaica in recognition of World Heritage Day. The aim is to raise public awareness about the world’s built monuments and heritage sites among individuals, communities and nations and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.

In 1983, UNESCO declared April 18 as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day. It is being celebrated under the theme: ‘The Heritage of Sport’.