Earth Today | Students treated to tour of Refuge Cay for World Wetlands Dayands Day

Students from two primary schools recently benefited from a tour of Refuge Cay, in observation of World Wetlands Day 2019, thanks to Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) which sponsored them.

The tour was facilitated by the University of the West Indies (UWI) Port Royal Marine and Biodiversity Lab and included 46 students and four teachers from the Tavares Gardens and Dupont primary schools, in addition to two volunteers from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).

The excursion, which took place on February 1, served to enlighten students on the importance of mangroves and the ill effects that improper waste disposal can have on mangroves and marine life.

Outreach officer Chauntelle Green and lab technician Demario Scarlett shared their wealth of knowledge with the students during a 40-minute boat ride through the Kingston Harbour, as well as a walkthrough of the UWI Port Royal Marine and Biodiversity Lab.

The students were exposed to the different ecosystems that operate within the Refuge Cay mangroves, which serve as a roosting ground for migrant and resident birds, as well as a fish nursery.

“This was truly an excellent learning experience, not only for the students, but also for me. For instance, I wasn’t aware that the mangroves served as a nursery for fish and served as a habitat for many other animals,” said Lorraine Foster, one of the teachers from Tavares Gardens Primary who accompanied the students.

“We are very grateful for this experience and the children will be talking about it for a long time,” she added.

In 2018, KFTL sponsored a major clean-up of Refuge Cay, which saw the removal of more than 8,000 bags of garbage and barriers installed to prevent further pile-up of waste on the cay. Mangrove seedlings were replanted following the clean-up.

World Wetlands Day, celebrated on February 2, had as its theme this year ‘Wetlands and Climate Change’.