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Mangroves Matter: How Plastic and a Litterbug Culture Are Destroying Our Coastal Lifelines

On World Environment Day, we’re sounding the alarm: Jamaica’s mangrove forests are under siege—not by natural disaster, but by us. The growing flood of plastic waste, fueled by a persistent litterbug culture, is suffocating one of our most powerful climate defenders.

Mangroves: Jamaica’s Natural Shields

Mangroves are more than coastal trees. These intricate ecosystems:

• Shield our shores from hurricane winds and storm surges.
• Stabilise coastlines and prevent erosion.
• Support fisheries, providing nurseries for marine life.
• Store carbon, helping fight climate change.

Yet, they cover just 1.35% of Jamaica’s landmass, according to the 2024 State of the Forests Report. Their small footprint makes them even more precious—and more vulnerable.

Plastic: A Growing Threat

Despite plastic bans and clean-up efforts, the scale of the problem is massive. According to the Ocean Conservancy, Jamaica accounted for 199,000 plastic bottles collected from Caribbean coastlines in 2023—35% of the region’s total.

In just one example, the Forestry Department removed over 1,700 plastic items—including 900 plus bottles—from a mere 300 metres of coastline in 2024. That’s roughly the length of three football fields, piled up with plastic.

How Plastic Destroys Mangroves

Plastic pollution doesn’t just make mangrove forests unsightly. It causes real, long-term ecological damage:

• Plastic wraps around roots, suffocating trees.
• It blocks sunlight and alters the soil’s chemistry.
• It disrupts breeding grounds for fish and other marine life.

When mangroves suffer, so do we. Our protection from floods weakens; fish stocks decline; food security and livelihoods come under threat and the carbon sinks we depend on to fight climate change slowly disappear.

The Litterbug Culture: A Deeper Issue

Cleanups offer temporary relief—but they’re not the solution. As long as garbage continues to be tossed into gullies, streets, and open spaces, mangroves will remain dumping grounds.

Too many of us still hold an “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” attitude about litter. But when plastic flows from our streets into rivers, and eventually into coastal mangroves, the consequences return to our doorsteps, especially during floods.

What’s Being Done

The Forestry Department, under the Jamaica Mangrove Plus (GEF-7) Project, is leading the charge to protect our remaining mangrove forests. Through the National Mangrove and Swamp Forests Management Plan (NMSFMP), we aim to designate 7,600 hectares of mangrove land as protected forests.

Working with partners like the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), other government agencies, and private stakeholders, we are restoring these vital ecosystems and advancing sustainable conservation strategies.

What YOU Can Do

Protecting mangroves starts with personal responsibility:

• Reduce single-use plastics.
• Recycle and dispose of waste properly.
• Join or support coastal cleanups.
• Educate others about the impact of litter on our environment.

Mangrove forests are not just trees—they are lifelines. They matter for our safety, our economy, and our climate resilience.

This World Environment Day, make a commitment:

Protect our mangroves. Beat plastic pollution. Leave a cleaner Jamaica for the next generation.