NEPA Engaging Rock Community on Wetlands Tour to Mark International Day for Biodiversity

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will mark International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) with a field trip to the Winns Morass in Falmouth, Trelawny, for students and residents in and around the community of Rock on Tuesday, May 21.

IDB is being observed globally on May 22 under the theme: ‘Be Part of the Plan’, in keeping with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to which Jamaica has been a signatory since 1995.

Senior Public Education and Community Outreach Officer at NEPA, Ava Tomlinson, told JIS News that the decision was taken to observe IDB locally a day earlier, primarily to ensure participation by students and other residents in the wetlands tour.

Students from early childhood, primary and secondary institutions will be invited, and are expected to benefit from interactions with animals living in the wetlands and conservation rescue centre.

“We will have schools such as Smart Start, these are the babies from Rock, aged three to five years old, as well as the Falmouth Infant School. We will have primary school students from the Hague Primary School and secondary students from William Knibb High School and Holland High school. This is a part of the continuation of the public education efforts we have been making in the community of Rock. We have also invited residents to join us on the day,” Ms. Tomlinson said.

She added that the Winns Morass wetlands was chosen for the field trip due to its uniqueness.

“It has very healthy mangrove plants and, most significantly, it contributes to the preservation of the bioluminescence within Oyster Bay. When you touch the water at night and it glistens, this is because it has bioluminescent Phytoplankton which makes the unique area of Glistening Waters in Trelawny a special space,” she said.

Ms. Tomlinson further noted that the area is a critical habitat and nursery for wildlife such as the West Indian Whistling Duck, the Great Blue Heron, and the American crocodile, and serves as a space for commercial fishing.

The tour will be supported by school-focused initiatives such as the National Schools Environment Club Programme (NSECP), National Junior Environment Programme (NJEP) and the National Early Childhood Environmental Education participants in Trelawny.