Dean Peart – Minister of Land and Environment
THIRTY-THREE YEARS after the signing of the convention on wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on February 2, 1971, the world continues to celebrate the rich diversity of wetlands as a source of income and places that are abundant in culture and traditions.
To many, wetlands are smelly swamps to be dumped up and converted into legitimate sites of development or be used as garbage dumps. The celebration of world wetlands day 2005, however, gives us the opportunity to share our vast knowledge about the value of wetlands as a source of income and food and as one of nature?s storehouses of biological diversity. It is important that we value wetlands appropriately and take the requisite steps to protect their value, not just for our benefit but also for posterity, as the economic and cultural importance cannot be overemphasised.
The Jamaican Government is dedicated to the protection of wetlands as part of its commitment to the sustainable use of our natural resources. To this end, the Black River lower morass was, in 1998, added to the Ramsar convention's list of wetlands of international importance. There are about 22 wetlands in Jamaica
The black river morass, like many other wetlands in Jamaica, has been terribly mistreated; some of the mangroves have been destroyed while the health and safety of some of the animals that depend on them to survive have been compromised.
Fortunately, Jamaica and 112 other countries are party to an international treaty that actively seeks to conserve and promote wiser and more appropriate uses of
wetlands.
The Ramsar convention is an international agreement among governments who are committed to the sustainable use, conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of wetlands. Since signing the convention, Jamaica has continued to fulfil its obligations under the agreement through numerous public education initiatives including erecting signs in 2002 to inform visitors to Black River of the significance of the lower morass areas.
Additionally, the government of Jamaica through the efforts of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and with the assistance of the International Development and Research Centre, started a relatively successful pilot mangrove replanting programme in the Rae Town fishing village, in Kingston.
Hurricane Ivan, however, caused some damage to the two kilometres of mangroves that had been planted, but the project proved that we can successfully replant mangroves in areas that have been depleted. The project will serve as a model for the rehabilitation and management of mangroves in other areas.
Government, through NEPA, will this year, begin work on the Caribbean Regional Environment Programme (CREP). This programme will include, among other things, making an assessment of the Negril Morass to determine threats and to develop strategies for proper management of this wetland.
This is only the beginning. There is much more work to be done to ensure that people see wetlands as important resources which can and do contribute to the Gross National Product (GNP) of Jamaica.
In Black River, tour guides, fishermen, shrimp catchers and sellers as well as crafts people all across Jamaica, are well aware of the importance of wetlands to their day-to-day existence. The university of the West Indies (UWI), at Mona tells us that there is medicinal value in the plants and animals found in wetlands. Only recently, a new species of edible oyster was found in the wetlands in Jamaica and new species of plants and animals are being discovered "almost everyday". This shows that, well managed, wetlands can become very valuable sources of income not just to the world but also to us right here in Jamaica.
On World Wetlands Day, Wednesday, February 2, I invite you to visit the wetlands nearest your home. Do not dump dead animals and garbage there. Rather, endeavour to protect this important resource, which teems with life of varying kinds.
Try to discover what links the wetlands to you. It could be the wetland that recharges the aquifer that provides the water you drink at home or use to water your gardens or your farms. It could be the area that absorbs the excess rainfall so your home is not flooded by every shower of rain; or it could be the place that provides the fish or shrimp you love to eat.
However, you look at it, wetlands are extremely important to the health and safety of our nation's future. They are a rich source of biological diversity and an even richer source of economic opportunities. Let us endeavour to protect and value these precious resources accordingly.
