A Planning Grant in support of future possible Biodiversity Conservation project to restore the natural habitat of the jamaica Slider Pond Turtles.

he intent of this project is the rehabilitation of Ramble Pond as a diverse environment of turtles, fish and other pond life and to create a turtle sanctuary for the turtle population, which has existed in the pond since the pond was constructed.
The Trachemys Terrapen/Jamaica Slider turtle is endemic to Jamaica and is considered to be a ?threatened? population. The rehabilitation project will enshrine the importance of turtles to the pond and the community and ensure the propagation of the species. The original name of Ramble Pond was Turtle Pond.
The rehabilitation process involves the removal of excess debris from the road section of the pond, the building of a barrier which will prevent debris from the road getting into the pond, the fencing the pond to avoid access by animals and to provide a safety barrier as during the rainy season the water in the pond rises to less than a foot below the roadway.
Further, the project aims to develop a process for adequate removal of excess water from Ramble Pond to the sinkhole, located about 100 feet away. Presently, the excess water from the pond has made its own path, a trench, via the land surrounding the pond, to the sinkhole. Ramble Pond?s capacity to contain water has decreased over the years because it has not been maintained; therefore, during the rainy season the water flow to the sinkhole is excessive and the soil is carried along. The inside edges of the pond are gradually disintegrating in some areas, the pond is getting larger, and mitigation measures have had to be taken where the water has begun to ?eat? into the surrounding land.
The sinkhole is bordered on one side by a hill. Over the years erosion has taken place on the hill and the material has fallen into the sinkhole, thus causing blockages. As a result the water sits on the land for a period of time before it soaks away and takes with it the soil and debris in its path.
CO-FINANCING NOT REQUIRED