Earth Today | EU, Forestry Department make mangrove restoration moves

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Delegation to Jamaica recently joined forces with the Forestry Department to encourage Jamaicans to play their part in protecting mangroves as threatened natural habitats, while themselves engaging in restoration efforts.

“We can fight climate change with as many projects and programmes with the Government and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) as we want, but what we really need is the involvement of the public,” said EU Ambassador to Jamaica Marianne Van Steen.

She was speaking following a recent mangrove-planting activity along the Palisadoes strip and tour of the Kingston Harbour, done in observation of International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26. The activity was facilitated by the Port Royal Marine Lab of The University of the West Indies (UWI).

“Every single one of us needs to start changing how we live and our relationship with nature, because if we continue to abuse the environment, there will be nothing left for future generations. Each and every one of us must take responsibility by reusing, reducing and recycling … . Although these are small actions, they make a big difference,” the ambassador added.

Outreach officer at the UWI Marine Lab, Chauntelle Green, echoed Van Steen’s sentiments, while recognising that mangroves and swamp forests are among the most vulnerable forest types, as they face threats from both natural disasters and man-made disturbances.

“One of the main reasons for doing restoration projects like these is to add back to mangrove ecosystems, because they provide a multitude of goods and services. In many places, we have lost mangroves to several threats, so by having people come out and participate, it makes the work easier. It also helps with environmental education and raising public awareness about the importance of mangroves to not only our environment, but also to the local economy,” Green shared.

In addition to providing protection from floodings, storm surges and hurricanes, mangrove forests help to reduce the amount of pollution which flows out to sea, thus reducing the negative impacts on coral reefs. They also serve as a breeding ground and habitat for several species of marine life. Mangroves also have a very large potential for natural products with medicinal purposes and, among other things, play a role in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through storage in their roots and branches.

Chief Executive Officer and Conservator of Forests at the Forestry Department, Ainsley Henry, for his part, lauded the EU for its partnership.

“The EU has provided a significant amount of the funding that we have utilised over the last four years, and that has allowed us to do so much to help the environment. This includes a survey of all of the mangroves in the country, and we are currently in the process of finalising a National Mangroves Management Plan. This plan will essentially be a road map to guide us on the next steps to ensure that we have mangroves in the future,” he noted.

Under the EU’s Budget Support Programme, the Forestry Department has been provided with resources to produce the management plan, which will ensure that all environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with the decline and degradation of mangroves are addressed.

The programme forms part of the EU’s national project, ‘Addressing Environmental and Climate Change challenges through Improved Forest Management in Jamaica’, which recognises the importance of forests for Jamaica’s climate change response and sustainable economic development.