Exploring for Plants Conserving the Cockpit Country of Jamaica

A tasty breakfast of spiced callaloo, plantains, and dumplings from smiling chef AJ awaited us.  Great fuel for our long day ahead traversing unexplored Cockpit cliffs.  Today, our nimble group managed to climb our way across three hill crests and down into a Cockpit bottom.  The habitat there is much different- our soles finally sunk into soil a bit rather than limestone rock.  The Cockpit bottom was naturally home to a different suite of plant species.  Nonetheless, surrounding it we found the spot bordered on all sides with endless solution holes in the limestone, and dark caves and crevices in every corner.  Caution each step of the way is critical, and we’re all looking out for one another in this rough terrain. 

The expedition work is well worth the effort, as we have made exciting discoveries of plants previously unknown for this region.  This early on, we’ve already collected numerous herbs, epiphytes, trees, shrubs, and ferns.  Today was especially fruitful for building our ex-situ collection of endemic Jamaican species.  The night was cloudy again, with no moon apparent; and we carried on in throughout the evening in our little “lantern city” to conduct meticulous preparations of our hundreds of specimens.  I went to sleep proud and grateful to be working with such a committed team.

We all awoke bright and early to wafting smells of saltfish and ackee coming from the kitchen.  Yum.  Accompanied by steamed yam and plantains, we all cleaned our plates and the team set out.  After meeting with our local Forestry Dept. staff counterparts, Keron expertly led the way up into the Cockpit.  It was a great first field day to say the least, with several important plants found right off the bat.  Keron doesn’t miss a beat, and his expert botanist’s eyes take in everything around him.  The day led into another long but impassioned evening wherein we proceeded to: further plant identifications, enter full specimen and habitat data, clip and prepare, number and organize, photograph, and press the precious plant specimens.  Whew!  Our committed team finally got to bed for a well-earned rest after a rigorous and exciting start to the expedition.

Following our afternoon arrival yesterday in Montego Bay, it took us a great deal of time to get everything properly through customs and transport our extensive field supplies into town. We did counts continually to make sure all 17 separate pieces were with us along the way!

Transportation presented me with some unexpected challenges. First, it took us a near two hour wait to finally obtain our 4-wheel drive vehicle that we’d previously reserved for use during our journeys; upon picking it up we found tires were very low on air, the gas station was out of air, and so we had to go on a jaunt around town to get them pumped up and ready to go.

Little did we know, there was still another unexpected transportation obstacle lying ahead of us that Tuesday night…

We journeyed in caravan with the Forestry Dept. through picturesque terrain around narrow hairpin turns (honk! honk! Here we come!). The landscape was dominated by scenes of small-scale farming in red earth, with steep limestone mountains all around. Phone reception to coordinate with the team is difficult at best, but we’re making it happen! A couple hours later we came down and made our way through lovely Bamboo Avenue, and finally we had made it from Montego Bay to our new home base in Santa Cruz. We were met there by our long-time colleague and expedition co-leader Keron Campbell, Botanist at the Institute of Jamaica (IoJ) and our key scientific advisor, Dr. George Proctor, the world’s foremost authority on the flora of Jamaica. They were accompanied by Courtney Lyn, the Herbarium Technician at IoJ, who is a keen new addition to our team. We’d arrived at our base to carry out the expedition work around the south and southwestern area of the Cockpit. After settling in and having a team meeting to review our strategy and methodology, we set off for dinner…

I left the team to have their dinner, as I was due to be back to base to make more arrangements for the long field day ahead- but alas! As Ken drove to drop me off back at base, the two of us suddenly heard a loud pop and hiss from our tire. Fortunately we managed to make it safely to our nearby base. Ken and I proceeded to inspect the damage – a badly busted front tire – and he was pleasantly surprised to see stereotypes shattered as I grabbed our tools and climbed under the rear end of our pickup to get to work with the spare J It was a long night… but in the end, we got everything taken care of to prepare for the long field day bright n early the next morning.

Palau’s Rock Islands are among the most pristine habitats in the Pacific. Unlike most tropical islands, they still support native forests and are not ravaged by exotic invasive plants. They include the only known populations of Ponapea palauensis, the palms we came to study. There are more than 800 Rock Islands, stretching south from the larger volcanic islands of Babeldaob and Koror.

Rock Island terrain with jagged, crumbling rocks.

Waters surrounding the Rock Islands are difficult to navigate, and the terrain can be dangerous. Anyone not bloodied by the razor-sharp limestone will at least leave the Rock Islands very itchy, either as a result of the the poison tree (Semecarpus venenosus, a more potent relative of poison ivy) or chiggers. Because of these dangers and annoyances, the Rock Islands are mostly uninhabited, seldom visited, and show few signs of human impact. Read More…

Palau is home to the rarest, most endangered species of Ponapea. Known only from the Rock Islands, Ponapea palauensis inhabits moist, sheltered pockets among the limestone hills.

Ponapea palauensis, with most of its leaves clipped by cockatoos.

The exotic Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) is a threat to Ponapea palauensis.

Replica of a traditional meeting house, or bai, at the National Museum of Belau.

Today, October 1, Palauans are celebrating 14 years of independence.  Palau is geographically a part of Micronesia, but not politically.  Rather than becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, Palauans opted to do things their own way.  After a century of domination by Spain, Germany, Japan and the United States, Palau officially became an independent nation on this day in 1994.

Palau is a small country of about 25,000 people but is geographically quite complex. It is a network of more than 800 islands that add up to just under 200 square miles of total land area. Tourism is one of the most important components of the economy.  People come from all over the world to dive in Palau’s gorgeous blue waters, ranked among the top dive spots in the world.  Read More…

If I had to personify the three species of Ponapea we are studying, I would say Ponapea ledermanniana, found in Kosrae and Pohnpei, is a bit of an exhibitionist.  It flaunts its bright white inflorescences above the hillside canopy for all to see.  Ponapea hosinoi, found in Pohnpei, is a bit shier, though it does make itself accessible in lowland forests and swamps.  Its inflorescences are covered with dark brown scales that don’t really pop out in a dark forest.

Cruising the rock islands, looking for Ponapea palauensis.

Ponapea palauensis, found only in Palau, is a sneaky rascal hiding deep in ravines of jagged limestone islands with nearly inaccessible shorelines.  This species has by far given us the greatest frustration and the greatest thrill of discovery.  Read More…

Stump of Ponapea ledermanniana in newly-cleared farmland

We spent a week traveling around Pohnpei, scouring the forests for palms. A week is not enough time for a thorough census, but we now have an idea of the distribution and abundance of Ponapea palms. After talking with many Pohnpeians across the island, we also have information on where the palms grew in the past.

Both Ponapea species are difficult to find on Pohnpei, and they appear to be in decline. Pohnpei has more people and a greater intensity of farming than we saw on Kosrae, so impacts on the forests are more obvious. Read More…