Bogue Lagoon, 1964

Up until the 1960's, the Bogue Lagoon was a relatively wild and undisturbed ecosystem. Fourteen mangrove islands provided a porous water filtering environment for the nearby Montego River. The entire region was a well-developed ecosystem that was home to a variety of animals. This aerial image shows how the lagoon looked at this time. The most intrusive human activity was sugar cane cultivation, which appears in the bottom portion of the map. In 1969, ten of the fourteen islands were connected to build the Montego Bay Harbour and Freeport complex. This project greatly altered the flow of the Montego River and the surrounding sea. It eliminated or damaged all of the elements of the marine ecosystem: mangroves, sea grass, coral, and other the substrate. Furthermore, development of the lagoon area facilitated long-term human impact in the area. Homes and businesses now exist within this fragile environment. Circled in red on this map is the area that would one day become a housing development.

The Lagoon in the mid-1990's

Today, Bogue Lagoon is a heavily impacted, but still productive and ecologically valuable site. Due to land reclamation, its mangrove islands had been reduced to four in number. The Montego River no longer flows through the mangrove chain of islands. Today it flows with all its associated pollutants and sediments around Seawinds Peninsula and directly over the coral reef . Today, the Bogue Lagoon shows many signs of impact. The area in red shows an island of 1964 (same circle as above) which is now a housing development for wealthy Montegonians. The Park works with parish council, development, architects, engineers and planners to maintain a higher degree of environmental responsibility for the future than have been the norms of the past.

Looking to the future....

It's about revaluing a living thing or system. A mangrove wetland is more then a stinky mosquito factory to be immediately turned into a beach, and people need to know this to make good, responsible decisions. The Montego Bay Marine Park has a number of plans to help encourage sustainable practices and responsibility in the mangrove wetlands. Our key projects are the Howard Cooke Blvd. Mangrove Wetland Walking Trail and Interpretive Centre, as well as the Bogue Lagoon Kayaking Eco-Tour. Both of these plans are designed to have a minimal impact on the environment, while at the same time providing an educational outlet to Jamaicans and visitors from abroad. They will also provide an alternative income to fisherman. A fish, plant or critter that is kept alive will continue to attract visitors, whereas a dead tree or fish is good for only one night's firewood or dinner. Hopefully we can encourage protection of the natural resources through these projects, and that the benefits will help all those who call Jamaica home.