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: In recent years, there have been numerousreports of species of invasive predatory flatworms(Geoplanidae) across several islands of the Caribbean.Terrestrial planarians and their cocoons are believed tobe dispersed to new territories mainly through planttrades; the worms/cocoons may be accidentallytransmitted in the soil of potted plants or within thefoliage. The exotic terrestrial flatworm, Bipaliumkewense, was first reported in Jamaica in 1897 [1]. Later,the suspected sightings of Platydemus manokwari andBipalium vagum [2] were documented, in 2019 and 2020,respectively. Terrestrial flatworms were collected as partof a wider study of the epidemiology and transmission ofzoonotic parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, inJamaica.
Forensic Crime Scene Investigators (FCSIs) are forensic practitioners who are key components to the investigative process within a legal framework. In fact, the criminal justice system considers the scientific evaluation and forensic evidence collection to be the most significant aspect of any criminal investigation and court cases. Despite this, limited literature exists on the psychological effects experienced by FCSIs from processing gruesome crime scenes on a regular basis.
A major challenge facing farmers in Portland, Jamaica is dry weather, especially during the optimal growing season from April through August. During this five-month period Portland suffered from severe dry spells during the years 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020. A second challenge is the damage to crops and land as well as loss of livestock due to tropical storms or hurricanes and the associated flooding. Portland farmers have suffered losses due to an active hurricane season numerous times and most recently in the years 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2020.
The goal of harnessing our biodiversity to bring health and wealth to the people living in the Caribbean Region got a boost recently courtesy of a 2016 IUCN project entitled ‘Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries of the Caribbean Region’ that had five components. This project was commissioned by eight governments (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago) with GEF funding, had UNEP as its Implementing Agency and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the Executing Agency.
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