Coastal and Marine

Chapter Introduction

Jamaica’s coastline is 795 kilometers (494 miles) long and is highly irregular, with diverse ecosystems, including bays, beaches, rocky shores, estuaries, wetlands, cays, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Coastal ecosystems protect land-based communities from natural disasters. They are a significant base for the island’s economy, especially fisheries and tourism. Marine ecosystems also act as stabilizers of global systems especially our climate. We continue to undervalue the marine environment and its contribution to national development, although Jamaica’s marine territory is 24 times its land area

 What is the general situation with these ISSUES

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