By Claudia Gardner, Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
PHASE II of the Dolphin Head Bamboo Conversion and Utilisation Project, which is being funded by the Japanese government, is now on the way with the commencement of bamboo prototype (model) development in anticipation of full-scale training in bamboo technology.
Two weeks ago, the Dolphin Head Trust (DHT) and residents of the eastern side of the Dolphin Head mountains staged a bamboo-cutting workday in which several hundreds dry lengths of bamboo were logged for use in the prototype development process. The prototypes currently being constructed at the bamboo facility include bamboo gazebos, Japanese style bamboo fences, trellises and lattices and other outdoor structures.
According to Paula Hurlock, the executive director of the DHT, the prototype development is currently being executed by a Japanese expert in woodwork along with three Jamaicans, who will eventually become trainers for persons who will be recruited to be trained in the craft in early 2004.
"The project is funded by the Japanese Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) in Jamaica and will entail the training of unemployed youths in bamboo conversion and utilisation for craft, furniture, outdoor structures and ultimately cottages," said Ms Hurlock. "A strong bamboo theme will be utilised, as bamboo which is an invasive specie can be found growing extensively throughout the area, especially in sections of Chambers Pen, Burntside, Clifton Askenish and Eaton."
DETAILED TRANSFER OF INFORMATION
Ms. Hurlock further stated that the technical transfer will be carefully done and documents and training manuals produced, to ensure that the expertise is solidly entrenched and that the skills base created will contribute towards the establishment of the bamboo eco-lodge concept which is one of the goals of the DHT.
The Dolphin Head Mountains is a 3000-acre area in Hanover, which is probably the richest centre of biodiversity in the entire West Indies. In a joint study of the area funded by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) between 2000 an d 2001 it was determined that over 576 species of vascular plants of which 163 are endemic to Jamaica and more than 25 endemic solely to Dolphin Head were living across the mountain range. Over 16 species of endemic Jamaican birds are living in the area.
The Dolphin Head Trust was formed in 1997 out of a concern for the environmental integrity of the Dolphin Head Mountains, specifically areas south and west of the Dolphin Head Peak. The DHT opted to take a non-confrontational approach toward conservation, opting for that of creating alternative sustainable livelihoods and a participatory approach for the people living in the buffer communities of the mountains who, now possess a solid stewardship ethic and have such a high stake in the areas resources that they now mobilise to protect the area from depletion.
