The Editor, Sir:

Nature has distributed her bounty in varying quantities among the various countries of the world; Jamaica, no less. Apart from the phenomenon of microclimates ranging from wet and rainy in Portland through to semi-arid in St. Elizabeth, nature also gave us the Cockpit Country. Apart from being the source of water for the Queen of Spain Valley and run-off in St. James and Trelawny, the Cockpit Country holds biological life which is the residue of what was found three hundreds of years gone by.

All over the world, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, man has awakened to the fact that many rare animals and plant life have been lost to us particularly over the last 100 years. We are now aware of the need to conserve and preserve species of animals and birds that are on the verge of extinction. The same should hold true for plants and insect life. All these are interwoven into a network of preserving life for each level of life on the planet.

Destroying the Cockpit Country may be financially viable to the bauxite companies, but what of the disturbed ecology and environment? Can we replace what we never created? Look at the hills in St. Ann that have now been flattened.

I would encourage those of us who love the country and take a long-term view of our topography and ecology to prevail on the Government to think about this matter before ALL IS LOST.

I am, etc.,

MIDDLETON WILSON

middletonwilson@bellsouth.net

Miami, Florida

Go-Jamaica