Coastal Capital: Jamaica

This executive summary by the World Resources Institute (WRI) quantifies the economic value of coral reefs in Jamaica, focusing on their role in supporting tourism, fisheries, and shoreline protection. The document warns that reef degradation due to local pressures and climate change threatens significant economic losses, particularly through increased beach erosion and reduced fish stocks, and advocates for improved coastal and fisheries management.

• Coral reef degradation is a primary driver of beach erosion in Jamaica's major tourist hubs, which threatens critical tourism revenue. In a 10-year projection, further reef degradation could increase erosion rates by more than 50% in Montego Bay, 70% in Ocho Rios, and over 100% in Negril compared to current rates.
• The economic impact of beach erosion due to reef degradation is substantial. While current erosion rates are estimated to cause an annual loss in value of US$19 million, further reef degradation could increase this annual loss to US$33 million. This represents an additional US$13.5 million annual loss, which could reduce tourist visitation by 9,000 to 18,000 people per year, costing the Jamaican economy between US$11 million and US$23 million annually.
• Reef-associated fisheries are vital for livelihoods, supporting 15,000 to 20,000 active fishermen and contributing to the livelihoods of over 100,000 people (nearly 5% of the population). Between 2001 and 2005, gross revenues from reef-related fish averaged US$33.1 million annually, with an additional US$1.2 million from subsistence catches, totaling approximately 0.3% of Jamaica's annual GDP.
• Jamaica's nearshore fisheries are severely overfished, leading to a reliance on imports for most fish consumed on the island. A study of the north coast between 1968 and 2001 showed a 13% decline in catch volume and a 17.3% decline in value; scaled nationally, the failure to manage fisheries is estimated to have cost Jamaica US$1.6 billion in lost revenues from 1975 to 2000 (excluding the Pedro Bank).
• Coral reefs protect approximately 60% of Jamaica's shoreline by reducing wave energy by more than 75%. Modeling shows that severe reef degradation would significantly increase water levels at the shoreline during storm events. For example, at Discovery Bay, the difference in water level between current and degraded reef scenarios is 0.8m for a 1-year storm and 0.6m for a 25-year storm.
• Severe reef degradation poses a direct threat to infrastructure on the north coast. In a modeled 25-year storm event near Discovery Bay, areas between 1.4 and 2.0 meters in elevation—which are currently protected—would be inundated if the reef degrades, affecting over 100 structures, including two hotels, a church, and an airfield.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Coastal Capital: Jamaica. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/coastal_capital_jamaica_summary_0.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Coastal Capital: Jamaica. n.d. http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/coastal_capital_jamaica_summary_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Coastal Capital: Jamaica |url=http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/coastal_capital_jamaica_summary_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcoastal, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Coastal Capital: Jamaica}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {http://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/coastal_capital_jamaica_summary_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }