REGION: Jamaica
NAME ON THE ASSESSMENT: Assessment of the Economic Impacts of the Hurricane Gilbert on
the resources Marine and Coastal in Jamaica.
Check-List of Questions
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
1. What organizations carried out the assessment? Government and scientific
community
2. Was the assessment a result of an initiative by the body carrying it out? If not, what
body took the initiative that resulted in the assessment? Yes
ORIENTATION
3. What is the context and purpose of the assessment? :The impact of Gilberth
hurricane in Jamaica.
4. Were there explicit objectives for the assessment? If so, what are they? No, but is:To
document the effects of the hurricane on beaches, the quality of the water of the
coasts, reefs of chorale, the bottoms of marine seaweed, bogs, the marine vegetation
of the coast, fisheries and birds in the coasts of Jamaica.
5. What is the relation of the assessment to the cycle of determining the problems,
adopting measures and evaluating progress? Yes, It is wanted to have an evaluation
and registries of the impacts of the hurricane to adopt preventive measures
COVERAGE AND SOURCES
6. What area does the assessment cover? Jamaica.
7. What are the reasons for selecting the area covered? By the impact of The hurricane
Gilbert
8. What period of time does the assessment cover? (It is not specified but this I publish
myself in 1989
9. How often will assessments of this kind be produced? Only these
10. What aspects of the marine ecosystem are covered by the assessment? Coral reef,
sea glass, coast
11. What aspect of human activities and pressures that impact on the marine
environment are covered by the assessment? Ecotourism
12. On what information is the assessment based? Scientific bibliography; Written
presentations: To seven professors of the University of the Indiag Western in Mona,
Jamaica, who develop projects of investigation in different coastal surroundings
requested themselves to them that they registered the observations and excellent
measurements of field, or the information that had received. The information on
investigations made by the personnel of the NRCD of the Ministry of Agriculture and
that is in the archives of that dependency. The NRCD has a set of photographies of the
damages to beaches and the Infrastructure of the coasts, some of which were studied
by the adviser.
13. Where environmental, economic or social data were used, what arrangements were
made for subsequent Access to this data by the public or by experts? Direct
observation, qualitative analysis and bibliographical investigation
14. Where environmental, economic or social data were used, are metadata available on
these data series? Yes
PROCESS
15. How did the assessment control is the quality of the data used in it? (-)
16. Were models of aspects of the marine environment developed and used in the
assessment? No
17. Did the assessment use any form of indicators? No.
Check-List of Questions
18. If the assessment was based (wholly or partly) on traditional knowledge, what
practices were used to control its quality? The report only analyzes superficially the
structures done by the man for the operation and the handling of the marine and
coastal resources, like the defenses of beaches and the fishing coasts (peaks and
breakwater), infrastructures (sheds, warehouses of implements, boats) and the
buildings and the facilities of the tourist or recreational areas. On the damages
suffered by the own primary resources is insisted, as they stipulate the Terms to it of
Reference
19. If the assessment was based (wholly or partly) on expert opinion, what practices
were used to control its quality? (-)
20. Was any particular conceptual framework used to organize the assessment? Yes
21. How were decisions made on which scientific specialisms should be involved, and
how these scientific specialism should be brought in? ecology
22. How was interaction organized during the assessment process between scientific,
economic and social disciplines and policy makers? Technical informer
23. How were non-official stakeholders enabled to participate in the assessment? (-)
24. Did differences of opinion arise over the conclusions of the assessment? If so, how
were these resolved? No
25. Was there a peer review of the assessment during the assessment process, and/or
before the final text was published? Yes
26. Were any specific arrangements made to link the assessment whit other
contemporary international or national process? Yes
27. Were specific efforts made to strengthen institutional, scientific or technical capacity
for the assessment? Yes
COMMUNICATIONS
28. In what form was the output of the assessment presented? Article research (PDF)
29. In which languages is the assessment available? Spanish
30. How were the results of the assessment made public? Identifying the impacts in the
selected areas
CONTENT ON FUTURE ACIONS
31. Did the assessment rank the severity of problems or otherwise identify priorities for
future action? Yes
32. Did the assessment evaluate options for future policy, and their likely outcomes? Yes
33. Did the assessment indicate gaps in the information needed for it? Yes
34. Did the assessment indicate gaps in the scientific understanding of the relevant
processes that need to be addressed in order to improve the assessment? Yes, for
example: A set of criteria accepted generally does not exist to evaluate the impacts of
hurricanes on the natural systems. The information of the archives of the Department
of Conservation of the Natural Resources do not define the criteria to use to assess the
damage, nor the meaning of the used terms, like “severe” and “extensive”. In addition,
the terminology was not standardized between the specialists.
REVIEW
35. Was there a review of the assessment process in order to draw lessons for future
assessment? Yes
Check-List of Questions
EXPERT EVALUATION
36. Is the published assessment easy to understand and accessible to non-specialist
readers? Yes
37. To what extent does assessment give confidence that it provides sound conclusions
that apply to the whole of the area covered? In individual with the purpose of
improving the level and their use, data base of the resources of the damages that
suffered, but also to include/understand better the effects in the long term. It is
suggested for example: the preparation of a precise and detailed inventory of the
marine and coastal resources, a thorough study of the economic aspects of the
resources, the study of the index of recovery of the artisan fishing in places where
damage the infrastructure
38. Does the assessment appear to have been timely in relation to policy development
and the adoption of measures? Yes
39. Are there any particular strengths or weaknesses in the assessment that are relevant
to the Assessment of Assessment? No
40. Does the assessment appear to have been influential in policy making and the
adoption of measures? Yes