$110 Million Allocated to Environmental Project in Negril

A sum of $110.23 million has been allocated for the Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (IWEco) Project.

Objectives of the project include the restoration of historical hydrological and other physical processes in the Negril Great Morass, and enhancement and re-establishment of native vegetation communities to provide habitat to wetland fauna.

Details of the provision are outlined in the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.

The project also aims to eliminate conflicts that degrade ecosystem functions, and to implement institutional arrangements to ensure the long-term sustainability of wetland biological resources.

There have been several physical achievements up to December 2022, with 11 consultancies completed. These include the first knowledge, attitude, practice, and behaviour study conducted; knowledge, attitude, practice and behaviour assessment; theLiDAR, Hydrological and Wetlands Assessments, as well as the West Indian Whistling Duck population assessment.

The management plan for the Negril Environmental Protection Area (EPA); spatial distribution of seagrass beds and corporate social responsibility/public-private partnership strategy was designed.

Three consultancies and one small grant is being executed. Under the small grants programme, a 1,500 sq ft. greenhouse and hydroponics unit was constructed, and 162 farmers have been engaged and exposed to training in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, budgeting and personal financing, integrated pest management, among others.

Anticipated physical targets for 2023 to 2024 are completion of implementation of hydrological solution and construction of interpretive centre. A second knowledge, attitude, practice and behaviour study is to be conducted; revegetation and restoration of the Negril Environmental Protection Area, and development of local institutional capacity. A final evaluation and an audit are to be conducted.

The project is being implemented by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), with funding provided by the Government of Jamaica, and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

The original date for completion of the project was November 2020. This was extended to August 2023.