Blue and John Crow Mountains named World Heritage site

Blue and John Crow Mountains named World Heritage site

The Blue and John Crow Mountains is now listed on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

Minister of Youth and Culture, Lisa Hanna made the announcement on Friday morning. She said the site made the list by unanimous vote at the 39th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, in Bonn, Germany.

“We did it.  Made History for Jamaica… We join famous sites as the Pyramids of Giza, The Great Wall of China, the Acropolis in Greece. We are designated as a mixed site, one of 39 in the entire world,” Hanna said on her Facebook page.
The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park spans sections of the parishes of St Andrew, St. Thomas, and Portland.
The National Park is the largest contiguous area of natural forest in Jamaica, protecting 193 acres of forest on mountain slopes, comprising 10 watershed management units spanning four parishes.

The area is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, being home to the Maroons, whose traditions are recognised by UNESCO as masterpieces of world culture.

“This is the first mixed site recommended in the region and, if inscribed, will be among only 32 other such sites around the world,” Hanna said recently.

A mixed site showcases both natural and cultural values considered to be of outstanding universal value, based on criteria for World Heritage Status.