The Bogue 2 Forest Reserve was gazetted on April 8, 2016, as a forest reserve comprising 455.41 hectares. The forest reserve sits above the world-famous Dunn’s River Falls and Park and is where the Dunn’s River that cascades down the more than 600ft falls begins. The forest reserve is also the source of two additional rivers: the Cave and Bogue Rivers. The rivers within this forest reserve have white sand due to the high amounts of limestone that exist within the area.

The Bogue 2 Forest Reserve’s property was formerly a slave plantation owned by Sir Harold Mitchell. There is a slave burial ground on the property and remnants of the slave church and school.

In the early 1950s, Reynolds Bauxite Company bought the property which they used for mining. Its  operations in the area ended in the 1980s, and the company gave up ownership in the late 1980s. The Jamaica Bauxite Mines then managed the property.  After it gave up ownership, the property was assigned to the Forestry Department for management.

The Agency conducted extensive reforestation within the area, planting several species, including Jamaican Mahogany, Honduran Mahogany, Spanish Elm and Cedar.  This has contributed to the rich biodiversity found in the reserve, which has a variety of flora and faunal species. The forest reserve has been selected to be the pilot site for the Adopt-a-Trail Programme. The programme’s objective is to facilitate greater access to hiking, cycling, walking and nature relaxation for Jamaicans and visitors alike.

The programme will facilitate the establishment of a Forest Trail Network/ System. Trails will be developed using appropriate design and development standards based on applicable international and national best practices, desired uses and determined trail and infrastructure categories. To improve the Agency’s monitoring of the forest reserve, sections of it are being fenced with funding provided under a one-year project valued at EURO $100,000 ($24 million), which is being funded with the support of the European Union and the ACP Group of States through the BIOPAMA Programme.

The project, Establishment of Mobile Emergency Rapid Response Team and Utilisation of Technological Solutions to Support Enforcement and Monitoring in Forest Protected Areas seeks to build capacity within the Agency to enhance forest enforcement and governance and facilitate capacity building of the Agency’s enforcement team.