Focus Placed on Mason River Environment Park for Labour Day

The Government has spent $8 million to improve the Mason River Environmental and Research Park in Clarendon.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, today (May 23) led a group of government officials, stakeholders and scores of other volunteers to undertake improvement works at the facility, which was selected as this year’s Labour Day National Project.

In 2022, the area was designated a Protected National Heritage Area under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act and a Protected National Heritage Site under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act.

It gained recognition as a wetland of international significance, becoming Jamaica’s fourth Ramsar Site, under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Addressing the ceremony, prior to participating in the Labour Day activities, Dr. Holness said the Government understands that preservation requires investment not just intention.

“Just for today, we have already spent $8 million in protecting and preserving. We have renovated the researcher’s cottage. We have installed modern sanitary facilities. We have repaired and upgraded the caretaker’s cottage, [and] we are developing the recreational infrastructure around the pond,” he said.

He further informed that lands have been reserved for local farmers.

“We have reserved 45 acres out of the 202 acres for local farmers. I gather that 10 farmers are already working the land, probably there will be more, and this is because we understand the great balancing act between ecological protection, with preserving community livelihood,” he said.

Dr. Holness noted that Mason River is Jamaica’s only inland bog, a rare ecological phenomenon found nowhere else in the island.

“It’s not just beautiful; it’s biologically invaluable. It’s what we describe as a natural asset, [and] it is home to over 400 plant species, including rare orchids, endemic mosses and carnivorous plants. [It is also] a haven for migratory and endemic birds, a designated protected area, co-managed by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Institute of Jamaica, an educational field station used by scientists, students and conservationists and it is a national ecological gem, quietly serving critical functions,” he pointed out.

He said the area is a critical filter for much of the country’s water supply, “and so you have a great duty to protect this environmental asset”.

“It is a great store of carbon, and this is very useful for us as we seek to reduce our carbon footprint and meet our global goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases, he stated.

During his visit, Dr. Holness planted a tree, assisted in repairing and repainting the caretaker’s cottage as well as installing a perimeter fence.

Other speakers at the function were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang; Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange; Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.; Mayor of May Pen, Councillor Joel Williams; Member of Parliament, Northern Clarendon, Delroy Sibblies; and Opposition Spokesperson on Sport, Wavell Hinds, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding.