Businesses in the local forestry sector are being encouraged to put sustainable management practices in place ahead of the implementation of a new European Union (EU) measure related to forestry products. The EU’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen, said that the organisation’s 27 member States recently agreed on a course of action, which will limit the importation...

Economic potential for enterprise and employment abounds in the forestry sector, says Conservator of Forests, Ainsley Henry. Mr. Henry, who is also Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Department, was speaking at the inaugural two-day National Forestry Conference, held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, from December 7 to 8. The World Economic Forum published that forest conservation and...

An eBird Mobile Application (App) for bird monitoring has been developed by the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT). The App will track and monitor birds in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP) and buffer zone, which will help to determine the changes and threats to the ecosystem’s health. Some 29 endemic birds in the area are...

Three thousand trees will be planted on lands along Lady Musgrave and East King’s House roads in St. Andrew as the Government ramps up measures to increase the country’s forest cover under the National Tree-Planting initiative. The roadways are among three corridors slated for major road expansion works over the next 12 to 18 months. The other corridor is Arthur...

Pastor Leroy Laing of the Pentecostal Tabernacle on Wildman Street, has a light moment as he demonstrates the use of one of two pitch forks donated to the church by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. At left is Senior Director (Actg.), Agriculture and Land Division in the Ministry, Pamela McKenzie. Occasion the World Soil Day Church Service at the...

The Wildlife Protection Act and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act will be amended to provide stiffer fines and penalties for breaches. “Those who have flouted our laws and polluted with little to no consequences will now see consequences that match the scale of the problem,” said Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation,...

The inaugural staging of the National Forestry Conference is intended to begin the process of bringing improved structure and greater efficiency to the forestry sector, says Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Conservator of Forests, Ainsley Henry. Providing details, Mr. Henry said the conference, to be held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, December 7 and 8, will not...