No.9 November 1993

Jamaican Geographer Newsletter of the Jamaican Geographical Society

ISSN 1017-4753

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This year's AGM, delayed until after the summer, was held on Saturday, September 17th at the Sen ior Common Room, UWl. Larry Neufville chaired the proceedings which followed the normal pattern of a guest speaker, then the business meeting.

Learie Miller's Presidential Address reviewed the Society 's activities for the year, and explained how various factors, such a! the inclement weather and a general election, had disrupted several of the year's planned events. High on the list of priorities for the new year would be efforts to further professionalis the Society and secure a stronger financial base.

Guest speaker was Mervin Eyre, whose talk explored 'The link between computers and geography'. He began by defining GIS and illustrating industrial applications for utilily companies. Potential roles for G IS were in the maintenance of national sovereignty, protection of democratic participation, economic development and land use planning, and improvement of living standards. He felt that the technology could be cost-effective in imp ro ving the management of natural resoures and the quality of life . Specific ap­plications included fields such as planning the location of ballot boxes in relation 10 popula­Lion distribution; facilitati ng land transactions; collecting property taxes and is­suing land ti tles ; and disaster relief and planning, like the 1100dmanagement prob lem at Portmore.

The challenge was to tackle the prob lems of data collection, especially validating ac­curacy and establish ing data monitoring systems, and a basic requirement was a com­prehensive national plan. He concluded by reviewing the present use of GIS in Jamaica.

Mervin Eyre is a representative of ICl Fujitsu, an international corporation presently mark eting GIS in Jamaica. TIle highlight of the morn ing was a demonstration of the hardware and software used in GIS applica­tions. The scope and quality of the products

Geography on the move

After years of casting covetous eyes on the space occupied by its lavishly-equipped dis­tan e-teaching neighbour, the university geography department finally got the green light to move into the rooms vacated by lfWIDITE, in August. At one feIl swoop, the department virtually doubled its space allocation, from 2,160 square feet to 3,672 square feet. The increase bas provided wel­come relief for the cramped conditions whi h the department has hitherto endured in the de la Becbe building.

Part of the extra space will house the department's map collection. There are also plans to establish a physical geography laboratory, and to develop a computer laboratory which will have computer map­ping facilities for research and teaching. Geography presently bas two computers. a 286 and a 386SX, plus a digitiser, and bas been promised several 486 machines through IDB funding.

on display we re qui te breathtaking and brought gasps of delight and approval from an enthralled audience. The consensus was that exposure to sucb technology and skills would be a valuable addi tion to the undergraduate geography teaching at UWl.

Mervin Eyre is son of JGS Life Mem ber Dr Alan Eyre, and his enlightening and engag­ing presentation suggested that the fami ly tradition of erudition is in safe hands.

The business meeting proc eeded with Minutes of the las t AGM , and Matters Aris­ing .The Treasurer repor ted tha t the l GS accounts had a healthy balance of 59.382.57. Th e Membersh ip Secretary reported that mem bership for the year stood at 116 profes­

Geography's first home was the bottom floor of the de la Beche building, which had been officially opened in 1964. The building was named after the famous British geologist, Sir Henry Thomas de la Beche, whose geology map of eastern Jamaica (1827) was the first of its kind in the western hemisphere. From 1967, when geography was first offered as a degree subject at UWl and formed a sub-department of geology, through the 1970 as a fully-fledged depart­ment, geography co-babited with geology in the de la Beche building.

April 1982 was a momentous month in the history of the UWl geography department. The staff moved into office space on the newly completed upper 1100r of the de la Beche building, along ide UWIDITE. Geography finally had a small piece ofcam­pus to call its own. It has taken another 11 years to get any additional physical space.

sional, 6 overseas, 59 student" (a record) 5 institutional and 4 life members. The Publica­tion. Report made reference to plans to seek major sponsorsh ip for the ne wsletter. In the election of officers, Learie Miller was re­e lected President and l arry Neufville as Vice-President (see back page f or flew C OUfI­

ci l). AOB resulted in orne use ful discussion and sug gestions regarding future activities, financial matters, and the newsletter. Also, there was discussion of a proposed trip to Cuba during 1994 (see back page). Member­sh ip fe es re m a in unc hanged , at the bargain-basement level s of $50 per year for profes sional members and $25 for students.

Jamaican Geographer (9) , November 1993- 1

Wait-a-bit

WOOD AND WATER DAY

The JGS and the Natural History Society of Jamaica celebrated Wood and Water Day on Saturday, October 23rd. This year members planted a smaIl number of food trees a t Best Care Lodge, the children' s bome in Treven­nion Road, Kingston.

JBC TV cameras were on hand to record th e event, but unfortunately , the usual generous supply of seedlings were not forthcoming from the Fo restry Department when the JGS representative turned up to col­lect those promised on the day before 'the event. Apparently , the organisation was under instructions that seedlings were no longer available free-of-charge to the general publici presumably no t even for charitable events such as ours.

The low turn-out by members of both societiesprompted some discussion that. per­haps the event in its present form had outlived its usefulness. A possibility nex t year might be to involve private plant nurseries. ­

EVENING TALK

On Thursday, October zsu, Michelle Wint, a JGS member and scientist at the Under­ground Water Authority presented an interest­ing talk on 'Water pollution: a dangerous c onsu m e r ' .The slide p re s e n tat i o n demonstrated a num ber ofdifferent sources of ground water poll u tion in Jamaica, including dunder from sugar fac tories, and condensed milk in the Rio Cobre from the factory at Bog Walk . At the present time, the official ap­proach in deal ing with offending companies bas bee n to seek voluntary co-operation to control the prohlem rather than resorting to legal sanctions.

EMBASSY TALK

O n Wednesday, November 24th, His Excel­lency Senor Ricardo Varges , the Colombian Am bassador to Jamaica gave an illustrated talk on his country. The wide-ranging arid informative presentation covered aspects of the country's history, geography and culture. and facts and figures abou t Colombia' s ex ten­

2-Jamaican Geographer (9J. November 1993

sive natural reserves of oil and coal, the cattle ranches of the Andes, and the cities of Bogota, Medellin and Cal i.

Mr Varges, who was born on the ethnically mixed off-shore island of San Andres in the Caribbean Sea, was formerly a distinguished engineer, and so was able to talk with authority on topics such his country' depend­ence on HEP sources for 80% of its energy, and the problems resulting from the low rain­fall in the Andes associated with the last EI Niflo episode.

He noted similarities with Jamaica; both countries were once the home ofArawaks and -today suffer from similar negative internation­al images because of the drug trade. He touched on the diplomatic efforts to cement relationships between the two countries ­literally - cement is one item of trade between the two countries. Jamaica is as sisting Colombia in the development of its tourist industry.

FIELD TRIP

The rust field trip on the calendar for 1993/94 was on Saturday, November 5th. when 50 people, mainly 6th formers and teachers, par­ticipated in a field trip to a number of locations in St Thomas. the highlight of which was a visit to Serge Island.

The first stop was at Llandewey, to learn about the Yallahs pipeline. There, Peter Clarke. Carib Eng ineering Co., explained some of the details about the pipeline . Work began in 1983 and was completed at the begin­ning of 1986. It carries 100% of the flow of the Negro river, a tributary of the Yallahs, to the Mona reservoir.

The pipeline has a capacity of 22 migd, and the average flow is around 13.5 migd. It has a washout facility to allow water to be re turned to the river, and for clearing the line when choked with sediment.

The second stop was at the coffee factory at May Hall, in Cedar Valley, where the group was shown aro und the operations.

Marlene L eigh writes Serge Island! Milk! Milk! Yes, this was on the lips of everyone when we arrived at Serge Island Dairies about 2.00p m. However, to the disap­

pointment of many the milk remained on the lips. Despite this, the group received a com­prchensive report including a tourofLhe dairy , which was more fulfilling.

Originally Serge Island Dairy Farms was a sugar estate, which went out of production through declining output and competition. In 1987, Serge Island Farms was crea ted, as con­ditions in the area were ideal for cattle raising, and there was a market for the product. Creme, the now-defunct Challenge, and Jamaica Milk Products were supplied with milk until 1987 , when they es tab lished their own processing plant. because of the market­ing problems they were ncountering . In 1993, Serge Island Farms and Dairi es became two separate entities , each with its own management Serge Island farms seUsmilk (0

Serge Island Dairies. Both companies are part of the ICD Group.

The cattle are mainly Jamaica Hope, a breed developed in Jamaica by Dr Lecky, to tolerate tropical condi tions. Semen are in ­ported from New Zealand to improve Holstei n Cattle. Minor animal problems include mas­titis, an udder infection, which affects the milk.

High grade milk is package-distributed. while low grade milk is sold to the Bog Walk Condensary. Serge Island Daries processing plant also produces Longlife milk and Long Life fruit drinks at ultra high temperatures. The fruit concentrate is purchased from Belize and is processed and packaged for Facey Commodity under the Delite brand.The processing plant employs approximately 250 people, mainly from the surrounding area

Th e society would like to thank the articu­late manager of the small farmer scheme. Mr Jeffrey Rowe. and coUeagues for the con­ducted tour.

The last stage of the trip, to Eastern Banana Estates. had to be cancelled because of the late hour.

Classroom Geography

THE NEW METRIC EDITION 1:50,000 TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

In 1992, the last four sheets of the new Metric Edition I:50.000 topographic maps were publ ished : sheets #2 (Montego Bay) , #3 (Falmouth & Brown 's Town), #6 (Cockpit Country) and #7 (Albert Town & Alexandria) . There arc 20 maps in this new Metric map series compared to 12 sheets in the island-wide overage of the earlier 3rd Edition 1:50,000 series , published in the 1960s and early 1970s. The new Metric Edition is the product of a co llaborative project between the Survey Department (Government of Jamai ca) and the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (Government of the UK) . The maps were compiled by combining data from aerial photographs taken late] 979/earl y 1980, an older 1968 air photo survey, and detail ed field checking before publication of each sheet, The western half of the island was photogrammetrically plotted by staff at the Survey Department The task of drafting individual map sheets was shared between the Survey Departmem and the DOS. Each map was printed in the United Kingdom, but as uock is depleted, reprints are being done at the Survey Department.

REVIEW

A Guide to Field St udies in School-Based Assessment for exe Geography

Marjorie Allen-Vassell & Lorna Fraser, Carib Publishing Ltd, Kingston , 83p, ISBN 966-605-139-9

The General Profiency examination for exe Geography is being revised . From ]994, stu­dents will sit three compulsory papers; Paper I , a multiple choice test; Paper 2. essay ques­tions to test knowledge and understanding; and Paper 3 , a new School-Based Assessment (SBA) component, a field s tudy report designed to test research and field work skills.

Field work, especially in physical geog ­raphy, is traditionally weak in schools, notjust in Jamaica, but elsewhere in the Caribbean, too. The SBA is thus a positive move to

strengthen this area. However, as the authors point OUI, many geography teachers arc ap­prehensive because of the organi sational and supervisional problems it poses. This book, therefore, is designed to help teachers and students prepare for the SBA.

The book i organised into two parts. Part One briefly looks at fieldwork and the SBA in relat ion to cxe geography, and provides some hints and suggestions on selecting a topic and preparing for fieldwork,

Under the theme of Investigating and Recording Data in the Field, Part Two outlines sample studies from geomorphology, climatology,biogeography.agricultural gcog­raphy and industrial geography. The secti ons include material on the aims of each project, data to be collected and data presentation, the usc of simple instruments, field techniques and worksheets , a'> appropria te.

Section 8 (Part 2) discusses the use of questionnaires, including design and field conduct Section 9 bas a useful checklist about project presentation, including layout and il­lustrations.

The authors conclude with a samp le Fie ld Study, entitled 'How arc the major drainage features in the Moneague Basin influenced by natural and man -made factors'!' . Th is well­structured project provides help to teachers and students in organising and writing up their material.

This booklet, written by two of Jamaica' s most experienced and respected geography teachers. both now working at the Ministry of Education, is a useful introduction to field project work. The authors are to be com­mended for their role in getting the SBA off to a good star t by providing an essential first guide for students and teacher '.

Jamaican Geographer (9), November / 993- 3

Campus Geography

NEW LECTURER

Dr Dian Zhang has joined the UWI geog­raphy departm ent, filling the vacancy lefl fol­lowing the retirement of Dr Eyre. He is a specialist in karst and has a strong background in environmental sciences .

His last position was as postdoctoral re­search fellow in the Department of Geography, at the University of Manchester. Prior 10 that, his was engaged in work at the Department of Geo-Ocean Sciences at Nanj­ing Un iversity, on Environmental Impact Assessment in Tibet.

His qualificatons in lude a B.Sc in hydrogeology from Guizhou Technological Institute, an M.Sc in geochemistry from Southwest China Normal University, and a Ph.D from University of Manchester in physi­cal geography and environmental science, awarded for research on Tibetan landforms and environmental change. He ha been awarded a number of prizes for his work, and is co-author of several books on karst geomor­phology and water resources . and has published in international and Chinese jour­nals.

His extensive research experience in­cludes work in his native China, Tibet. the French and Swis Alps, and the United Kingdom. He has expertise in laboratory tech­niques such as laser granulometer, sedigraph equipment and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in computer modelling for hydrology and hydrochemistry, and field methods like water tracing techniques and shallow well drilling.

Dr Zhang is 39, is married with two children. His hobbies are swimming, table tennis, and ca ving ; he supports Manchester United.

STAFF NEWS

B alfour Spence continues to Jill in for Dr Bai ley, who is seconded to ISER to direct the Health Re search Programme; Wilma continues to teach her final year option in advanced biogeograph y in the department. The POSI vacated by Jeremy Collymore , ill physical planning, has not been filled by the University .

-t-Jamaican Geographer (9). No vember 1993

FIRST CLASS HONOURS SOME PROGRESS

Congratulations to Trinidadian Judy Rocke, awarded a firs t class honours degree in geog­raphy, last ach ieved 17 years ago by Mervyn Williams. Congratulations also to Bahamian Endal Adderley, also awarded a first class dfgree. Endal , majored in history, but also took geography in years I and 2, and did some final year geography courses.

MACMILLAN PRIZES

Tbis book prize is awarded annually for the best undergraduate research dissertation. Recent winners are: 1990 Yvette Ali Accessibility and gender in health: two communities in Trinidad

1991 Ravidya Maharo] Fluvial geomorphol­ogy and surface hydrology in an unplanned urban settlement: Kintyre, St Andrew

1992 Fatima Patel lmpact of potential development on the geomorphological processes of the east coast of Scotland Dis­trict, Barbados

1993 John Hanley Disaster Management in Nevis

UWIIIAF FELLOWSHIPS

Althea Johnson has begun an M.Phil under the supervision of Dr David Barker. The re­search is being partly funded in its first year by an Inter-American Foundation Develop­ment Studies Fellowship. The research focus ­ses on traditional systems of resource manage­ment amongst rural communities located in the lower Black River Morass. This area, soon to be a National Park, is under incrcas­ing environmental stress through depletion of the mangroves, and is being drawn into eco tourism.

Tb is is the third consecutive year that a geography postgraduate has received this IAF fellowship, to support their field work. Pre­vious recip ien ts were Paulette Meikle (1992), who is in the final stages of completion of an M. Phil on yam production and marketing, and Vileitha Davies (1993), in the second year of M .Phil research on agricultureand sustainable developm ent at Millbank in the Rio Grande valley, Portland.

Geography has aquired additional space to help relieve its cramped conditions, as a result ofUWJDITE vacating the upperfloor of the de la Beebe building. This will allow the department to establish a proper map library, provide more space for its comput­ing equipmeru, and set up the first-ever physical geography laboratory at UWL This represents significant progress. BIl1in terms of research and teaching equipment, laboratory space, and computer mapping facilities, Geography at UWI still compares unfavourably with geography departments elsewhere. (including some in Common­wealth universities in developing countries),

The Geography Department, like Geol­ogy, has long suffered from inadequate resources andpoorphysicalplant. The UWI is strapped for cash, especially for funding new building con. truction: But compared to other departments in the Faculty ofNoiural Sciences, whose physical presences are spread over several buildings and numerous laboratories, Geography and Geology have historically been relegated to the role of poor twin cousins. Understaffed and under­resourced. they share a single, small building that, somewhat ironically. suffered structural damage in the January 1993 earthquake, and do nor have a single, pur­pose-built, lecture theatre between them.

A physically larger department will be welcomed by profe sional geographers and Society members, not only in Jamaica. but in the wider Caribbean, since the Mona geography department is the only one in the UWI system . However, the department needsfurther help and additional resources to upg rad e its teaching and research capabilities. Unfortunately. the apparent freezing ofthe physical planning lectureship by the University, in afield which has given a valuable impetus 10 the careers ofscores ofUWl geography graduates througho ut the Caribbean region, is a bad omen.

Editor

i

Campus Geography

Caribbean Geography: a decade of regional publications David Barker.

Cliribbbeall Geography. the journal which is a forum for the dissemination of geographical research and other material about the region,

ten years old. The current issue, Volume 4 Numher 2 (see back page), is the 14th to be published.

A grand total of 70 major articles on the geography of the Caribbean region have ap­peared in the pages of CG since it W11.~ first published in 1983. Table 1 classifies these articles according to territory covered. Nearly all th English-speaking territories in the region have had at least one major article foc ussed on them: the exceptions being G uyana and Montserrat. The Jamaican coverage b11." been is disproportionately high, inspire of editorial efforts to balance the geographical spread of articles. Th e large number of articles on Jamaica probahly ac­curately refl ects the country' s popularity as a base for in ternational geographical research. Coverage of other territories has included the Dominican Republic, Cuba. Puerto Rico and Curacao and Martinique.

U the same 70 articles are classified by topic , agricultural geography emerges top of the list; on average, one article per i. sue. This probabl y reflects the strong agrarian base of the region as well as the popularity of the research tield . Second on this list is urban geography, followed by political geography, migration and resource management. Exclud­ing the latter, only 7 other articles have featured physical geography topics despite editorial efforts to encourage more (natural hazards 3 ; h i llslo pe processe s 2; karst landforms I; soils I).

In 1991, a new section entitled Geography ill the Caribbea n Classro om was added to the journal. It is aimed at school teac hers and 6th form students. Mike Morrissey, one of CG's founding editors looks after this section. So far it has included resource material on individual territories, and educational commentaries on examination performances and tests of geographical ability . The editors would like to encourage geography teachers and educationalists to become more actively in­

volved in this section, and to submit-material for consideration.

Book reviews also are a regular feature of CG, and in 1991 David Miller joined the team as its book review editor. More people are needed to help review books , too.

Table 1: Number oftimes each territory IUlS

featured ill CG articles, /983-93

Jamaica 24

Pan Caribbean 10

Barbados 5

Trin idad 4

Belize 3

Eastern Carihbean 3

The Bahamas 2

Grenada 2

St Vincent 2

Dominican Republic 2

St Lucia I

Dominica 1

St Kitt'i-NevisIUS VI 1

Antigua 1

Barbuda 1

Turks & Caicos 1

Cayman Islands 1

US Virgin Is ands 1

Puerto Rico I

Cuba 1

Anguilla 1

St Lucia/M artinique 1

Curacao 1

Note: 771ese 70 articles are inclusive of vol 5 # 2, /993

The journal operates a peer review system to help the editors decide whether an article sho uld be published. After submission, an ar­ticle is read by the editors, then sent to referees, for their comments . These are peo ple

with a specific expertise in a branch of geog­raphy, or with specialized knowledge of a particular territory. They recommend whether an article should be accepted, rejected, or modified before publication. CG's referees have been drawn not just from Jarnaicaand the rest of the arib bean , but also from univer­sities outside the region .

Using referees helps maintain a journal 's scholarly standards and international credibility. A few tatistics illustrate how this system b11." worked. For example, up to the end of 1992, 105 major articles had been sub­milled to CG, of which 58 were eventually published. Based on referees ' comments, 21 of these articles needed major revisions before publication. Sometimes more than one referee is used: to date. 110 separate referees ' report" have been received, [rom 75 different people. Nearly a third of these referees were based in universities outs ide the region.

CG is sold at uie UWI bookshop. at inter­national and regional conferences, and at hook fairs . However. !.helifeb lood of any journal is the subscription list. SUbscriptions, which are renewable annually, are the barometer of a journal's international circulation and appeal. CG presently has 153 subscribers, of whom 73% arc institutions. Significantly, 47% ofall subscriptions originate in north America and the UK (nearly all arc university libraries). Another 17% of subscriptions are from Carib­bean libraries outside of Jarnaica.

CG is now published by UWIPA, who took over from Carlong (Longman Jamaica) in 1991. The journal appears in March and September each year, and is typeset using desktop publishing me thods and printed on camp us. From 1993, the new university press (The Press, UWI) is handling subscriptions. JGS members are reminded that they, and other Caribhean subscribers, can obtain dis­counts as large as 50% on curren t subscription rate s, and on the purchase of any of the 13 back issues. Contact the editor or The Press , UWI, for de tails.

Jamaican Geographer (9 ), No ember 1993-5

I

The Cockpits

Rehabilitation of mined-out bauxite lands Larry Neufville

Impacts of mining

Reserves of commercial bauxite in Jamaica are estimated at 2 billion tons. of which some " 1.75 billion tons can be economically mined under present conditions and technology (Jamaica Country Environmental Profile, 1987) . Bauxite is mined by the open pit

ethod using a variety ofearth moving equip­ent, Presently, some 65~ of the bauxite tined L processed into alumina, and then

ex ported for smelting and relining into aluminium. The other 35% is shipped as tlried raw ore.

Bauxite has a number ofpositive and nega­tive impacts on the environment. Habitat destruction i. a major negative physical im­pact which affects not only the topography of the land, bu t flora and fauna , through devegetauon and the removal of top soil. Other impacts include air pollution, noise pol­ution, visual intrusion, ground water

pollution, and surface disturbances including roadway . Positive impacu include improved roads and infrastructure, improved public utilities, and socio-economic impacts such ali

improved social amenities, employment op­portunities and increased levels of economic activity.

In Jamaica, bauxite mining dis turbs ap­proximately 63ha of land annually. Prior to mining. the land is cleared of all vegetation and roughly 30cms of topsoil arc removed. The subsoil (bauxite) is then mined until the underl ying limes tone is exposed. using a com­bination of earth moving machines. the excavation results in irregularly shaped pits. of varying depths, with side lope. ranging from gentle to vertical . Rehabilitation of these mined-out areas is absolutely -i tal ,

The term rehabilitation encapsulates both the processes of reclamation and res ­toration, and represents the stage where land, crops and man are harmonised . Reclamation is defined as all activities necessary to reshape and resoil a mined area and associated non-mined marginal lands. Res toration is defined to include all ac­tivities necessary to produce a crop on the

6-Jamaican Geographer (9), November 1993

land after it has been reclaimed (Morgan, 1981).

Legal requirements

T he rehabilitation ofmined-out bauxite lands is required by law in Jamaica Currently. there are four multinational mining companie hold mining leases , three of which also operate alumina processing plants (Alcan having two plants) .

The Mining Regulations of 1947 set out the requirements of mandatory rehabilitation. Section (53), paragraph (1) stales that as soon as may be practicable after mining operations are concluded, the lessee at a mining opera­tion shall restore every acre f land mined in that sector as far as is practicable, to the level of agricultural or pastoral productivity or

BAUXITE QUIZ I. What is the origin of the word

'bauxite'?

2. Between which dates did Jamaica enjoy a position as the world's leading bauxite producer?

3. Which country"is currently the largest producer of bauxite?

4. When did the export of bauxite and alumina begin in Jamaica?

5. What is the name of the mdu trial process by which bauxite is converted to alumina?

6. What is the percentage reduction by volume when processing Jamaican bauxite into alumina, and then into aluminium?

7. Approximately how many people are employed in the bauxiteJalumina in­dustry in Jamaica?

8. Which metal give Jamaican bauxite its reddish-brown colour?

9. In which year was the bau. ite levy introduced'!

10. Name the three ports from which alumina is exported.

utilisation for afforestati n purposes. of such acre which existed prior to the commence­ment of mining. In sub-paragraph (c) speciiic instructions are given: that as soon as possible after minin g operations have been concluded in a particular sector, the lessee should utilize, remove, clear or dispose of all spoil , debris and rubble in such a manner as to effect a smooth grading and prevent the creation of unsightly mounds and dumps on the ector; and replace the topsoil remo ved therefrom.

Further, after rehabilitation and restora­tion of land. the lessee must apply to the Commissioner of Mines for a certificate that the requirements of sub-paragraph (c) ofpara­graph (1) of regulation (53) have been complied with. Only when the Commis ioner is atisfied that the les ec bas complied is a certificategranted.The lessee is liable to a fme of US $4.500 per acre of land which is not certified.

Surface area affected

The bauxite soil of Jarnaica cover ap­proximately l60,OOOha, or 14~ of the total area of the country. After only forty years of mining, 3.3% of the total area of bauxitic soils have already been disturbed. Since mining began in Jamaica in 1952 , some 1,515 ore bodies have been mined. disturbing ap­proximately 5,359 .16ha. of land, of which 2,261 ha. have been mined-out. Thus, the are ' mined for an average orebody is 1.7ha The area presently being mined is around 253ha

The total area rehabilitated and certified incc 1952 is 2,954.59ha. representing 62% of

the mined-out area; 55% of the area disturbed for mining has been rehabilitated. The area currently in the process of rehabilitation i 867ha

Because of the techniques used in rehabilitating mined-out pits, the total surface area of land in places where open cast pits have been rehabilitated has increased by 30% compared to the original surface area dis­turbed by mining (a sw U factor of 1.3). In other words. rehabilitation actually increases the surface area of the land.

The Cockpits

Guidelines

R ecenUy, guidelines have been adopted by the Lan d Rehabilitation Certification Com­m ittee which are meant to ens ure th at a reasonable level of sustainable productivity is maintained, and to address the negative en­vironmental impacts and aesthetic impact'; of mi ning. (l ) S tri pp ing shou ld not be less Ulan

30cms 02ins) deep.

(2 ) Topsoil shall be spread on non com­pac ted or ripped up material.

(3) Restored lands shall have a minimum of 30cms (12in s) of so il depth (top­soil).

(4) Where slopes exceed 15 degrees.. sui table forms of soil conservation shall be implemented.

(5) Vertical faces 'hal l not exceed 3 metres (IOft) except: (a) where there is a propert y bo undary , (b) wbere Ute materi al is excessively bard. In such cases adequate protection shall be in place to ensure Utesafety ofpeople an d livestock.

(6) Where stones are strewn on the surface of the restored land they should be coll ected and safe ly stockpiled .

(7) Reclamation procedure shall ensure that no fixed boulders or large s tones are left jutting ou t of the recl aimed area.

( ~) Where possible, the use of leve l land for tree crops should be avoided.

Situation #2A

em I ' RIPI' BLE LIM ESTONE

-

SURI'A REClAMAT10 .

-RE. MIt'lIN<;.... -GRO NO LEVE~E~ _ -- - ­- -

E ITER

Mined-out pit description: Area bordering pit consists of ripp able lim estone with slopes steeper thaan 25degreees

Approach: Reshape the 'rimming '. In this technique the floor level is selected from the side of the mined-out pit. A bulldozer is used to cut and lill . The material used for the CUI is used to till the piL The reshaped pit equals the original pit area and has side wal ls which may be up to 90 degrees . A ramp at 25 degrees maximum slope is provided down to the pit floor and undulations of the pit floor are restricted to 15 degrees maximum.

Source: G.W. Morgan & A. U. Stephens: Reclamation/restoration techniques and practices at A/can Jamaica Limited'

(9) Four categ ories of crops can be u ed for restoration: (a) field crops peanuts, red peas, pumpkin, potatoes, yam, com, cassava . (b tree crops citrus, avocado, ackee, pimento. (c) forest trees pinus Caribbea , Mahoe, Cas­suarina and acacia interplanted. (d) grass Pangola, African Star.

(10) Where su itable crops are u ed for restoration on lopes other than those in the range 0-5 degrees, strict erosion control measures should be in place; cg strip cropping. tone barrier etc.

(11) Wbere su itabl e tree crops are used for restoration, these should preferably be placed on sloping lands al so using strict soil conservations measures .

( 12) Where fores t tree, are used for res­toration , these should preferabl y be confined to steeper slopes on marginal land.

(13) Where gras s is u. ed, surfaces should be fully covered and other conserva­tion measures put in place where nece ssary.

(14) Where possible, fruit trees or othe r economic trees must be planted.

References

Jamaica Country Environmental Profile ( /987) Mill. ofAg. and NRCD (Gal'. of Jamaica) and Ralph Field Associates Inc.

Morgan, G.W. (/ 981) Reclamation/restoration on Bauxite-Mind lands at Alcan Jamaica Company.

Larry Neufville works at the Mines & Quarries Division . Earlier this year he par­ticipated in Mining- Tech '93, a short course held at CENTEK, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden . The 25 par­ticipants were drawn from 19 countries. This article is taken from his course paper ntitled 'The impact of mining on ocwpa­

tional safety and health a nd the environment' for which he won a prize for the best project.

Jama ican Geog rapher (9). November 1993-7

Look Behind

CARIBBEAN GEOGRAPHY

1993 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2

TIlL issue will be available shortly. It con ­lain the following article :

David Barker An analysis of the progress of Caribbean Geography, 1983-93

Jeremy Holland Global proce s, local change: adjustment in urban Jamaica

Barbara Welch Challenging economic ir­elevancc: the role of banana growers'

associations in SI Lucia and Martinique

Dennis Conway Rethinking the consequen­ces of remittances for eastern Caribbean Development

Geography in the Caribbean Classroom

John Connelly Anguilla: tile touri 't trajec­tory in an i land microstate

CG appears in March and September every year.1GS members can get a 50% discount all current issues and back is ues. U you do not have a complete set of 13 back issues yet, contact Dr David Barker, Geography Dept, UWl.

QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Bauxite was first extensively mined at

the village ofJes Baux, in the Provence area of southern France.

2.1957-1970

3. Australia

4. Reynolds began exporting bauxite from Ocho Rios in 1952 . Alcan began ex­porting alumina from Port Esquivel in 1953.

5. The Bayer Process.

6. Approximalely 2.5 tonnes bauxite 10 I tonne alumina, and 1.95 tonne. or alumina to produce I tonne f aluminium.

7. About 5,000.

8. [ron, not aluminium.

9. 1974.

10. Port Esquivel, Rocky Point and Port Kaiser.

8-Jamaican Geographer (9), November 1993

CUBA TRIP

The Council i planning a trip to Cuba around July/August 1994, in conjunction with Cuban geographers, Numbers will be limited, and probably determined by the availability of seats on a charter flight. Payment in advance will secure a place. The cost is likely to be the equivalent of about US$450 for a full week, inclusive of air fares, hotel , meals, field trips and transport, Contact Claudia James or Janet Hyde for further information.

NEWS OF MEMBERS

C ongratulation, 10 form er l GS Council member Karen Sinclair, who recently married Neils Batjes, form erly at me Ministry of Agricult.ure, and now an overseas member. Karen continues at Pial for the present, hut plans to join her husband in Holland.

Learie Miller has left the Ministry of To urism to work at me NRCA as a Deputy Director . We wish him well in this challeng­ing and influential job.

Omar Davies, formerly at me PIOJ. has been elected an MP and is the new Min ister of Finance. A longstanding JGS member, Omar is also a UW1 geography gradua te, with a Ph. D from the geography department a t Northwestern Univer ity, under tile super­vision of tile distinguished mathematical geographer Professor Michael Dacey . We wish him well 100 .

Barbadian Lennox Wilshire, second year UWI geography student, was awarded the bat­ting prize for scoring most centuries in tile 1993 l unior Cup cricket season.

THE NEW JGS COUNCIL

President Learie Miller

Vice-President Larry Neufville

Secre tary Donna Simon

Treasurer Vernon Mulchansingh

Membership Secretary David Mille r

Newsletter Editor David Barker

Council Members

Cla udia J ames

Day-Dawn Simon

J anet Hyde

Balfour Spence

Althea J ohson

Doreen Prendergast

Hopeton Peterson

Marva Allen

Karl Watts

ITEMS FOR NEWSLETTER

We need your contribution to keep the newslet ter alive. Commentaries on topical geographical, environmental or planning is­sues arc welcome. News about school ac­tivities, geographical clubs and associations, and teaching idea! are of educatio nal interest. Or what about news of friends who studied geog raphy with you at UWI, or new. of former colleagues? Send them, and oilier items of interest. enlightenment or entertain­ment to the editor.

Jamaican Geographer

ISSN 1017-4753

Editor:

Address:

David Barker

Department of Geography. The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, King. ton 7, phone 927-2129

Typesetting:

Printing:

PMLMLtd

University Printery, The University or the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston 7