Hellshire Hills

Hellshire Hills
Hills
Location	Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Part of	Portland Bight Protected Area
Geology	Dry limestone hills
Designation	Important Bird Area (IBA)

Hellshire Hills is a region of dry limestone hills in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, which forms part of the Portland Bight Protected Area. ^[1]

Environment

The region supports one of the largest remaining areas of dry limestone forest in the Caribbean. ^[2] A 1970 survey of the forest noted 271 species of plants in the forest of which 53 are only found in Jamaica. ^[3]

The forest is home to threatened Jamaican endemic animals, including the Jamaican iguana and the blue-tailed galliwasp. ^{[4] [5] [6]} The area has also been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of many Jamaican bird species. ^[7]

See also

• Jamaican dry forests

References

1. Tole, Lise (2002-04-01). "Habitat loss and anthropogenic disturbance in Jamaica's Hellshire Hills area". Biodiversity & Conservation. 11 (4): 575–598. doi:10.1023/A:1015593032374. ISSN   1572-9710.
2. "Saving Goat Islands, Jamaica – National Geographic Society Newsroom". blog.nationalgeographic.org. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
3. "Hellshire Hills - A diverse community". Jamaica Gleaner. 10 September 2010.
4. Wilson, Byron S.; Veen, Rick van; Lewis, Delano S. (2011-01-01). "Conservation implications of small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) predation in a hotspot within a hotspot: the Hellshire Hills, Jamaica". Biological Invasions. 13 (1): 25–33. doi:10.1007/s10530-010-9781-0. ISSN   1573-1464.
5. "Senator concerned about destruction of Hellshire Hills". Jamaica Observer. 20 January 2013.
6. "Field Activities, Hellshire Hills – 2008". International Iguana Foundation.
7. "Hellshire Hills". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-12.

17°54′N76°57′W / 17.900°N 76.950°W / 17.900; -76.950