![Black River Lower Morass Black River Lower Morass](https://rsis.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/styles/risv_medium/public/RISapp/files/3755255/pictures/IMG_2903.jpg?itok=RCc-BiZ9)
![Black River Lower Morass Black River Lower Morass](https://rsis.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/styles/risv_medium/public/RISapp/files/3755255/pictures/IMG_2920.jpg?itok=mxqvZUb2)
![Black River Lower Morass Black River Lower Morass](https://rsis.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/styles/risv_medium/public/RISapp/files/3755255/pictures/IMG_2927.jpg?itok=mGbWivnm)
![Black River Lower Morass Black River Lower Morass](https://rsis.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/styles/risv_medium/public/RISapp/files/3755255/pictures/IMG_2975.jpg?itok=23PDYgZI)
Black River Lower Morass
- Country:Jamaica
- Site number:919
- Area:13,713.2 ha
- Designation date:07-10-1997
- Coordinates:18°02'N 77°48'W
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Overview
This “Ramsar Site” on the south-western coast is one of the largest freshwater wetland ecosystems in the country. In 2021 Jamaica extended the Site’s area from 5,700 hectares to 85,664 ha. It now includes a much greater area of herbaceous wetland, riparian forest, swamp forest, limestone islands, coastal flood plain, freshwater areas and dunes. The Lower Morass and its diverse ecosystems are essential for the maintenance of the overall biodiversity of the area. The Site provides habitat for 207 species of plants and over 300 species of birds. It also provides refuge and habitat for species of international importance included in the IUCN Red List, such as the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) which is classified as critically endangered. It is also a refuge for vulnerable species such as the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the Jamaican slider (Trachemys terrapen) and the West Indian whistling duck (Dendrocygna arborea). The Site, which is protected under national law, is a source of income for local communities that use it for cane farming, fisheries, timber harvesting, charcoal production, and pastureland during the dry season. However, it has been impacted by urban development, burning, and drainage of some areas for agricultural purposes.
Administrative region:
Black River
- National legal designation:
- Conservation area - Black River Lower Morass
- Game Reserve - Lower Morass and Great Morass (Parottee Pond) as
- Last publication date:11-11-2021