IN A bid to ensure the restoration and preservation of a natural habitat, Bouygues Travaux Publics Jamaican Branch, contractors of Highway 2000, have started a mangrove farm in the vicinity of the causeway. The mangroves grown will replace those lost in clearing of the site for the construction of the highway.
"Mangrove areas play a significant role protecting the shoreline. Mangroves also help prevent erosion by stabilising sediment with their roots while maintaining water quality and clarity, and filtering pollutants," said Trevor Jackson, general manager of TransJamaican Highway Limited. Mr. Jackson explained that the decision to establish the mangrove farm was arrived at after extensive consultations with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which granted the permission to clear the site for the highway.
Approximately 15cm of the ripe seedlings of mangroves are directly planted by hand into the soil which is prepared and levelled throughout the platform of a minimum four inches above high tide water level. This process serves to accelerate the growth of the mangroves. Highway 2000 has contracted an environmental consultant to conduct environmental audits of the project. Among other things, the consultant seeks to ensure that the mangroves are properly formed, and assesses their growth and development.
CITED FOR RESTORATION
"Several mangrove areas in the vicinity of the construction of Highway 2000 have been cited for restoration. These include the bay side along the causeway (between Fort Augusta Drive and causeway), as well as the area between the Waterford canal and the Skeet Club. The planting process is expected to be completed before the end of the year. However, the monitoring process continues throughout the construction period leading to when the highway is open to traffic," explained Omar Spence, Bouygues Travaux Publics' quality, safety and environmental manager.
The mangrove farm is closely monitored by NEPA to ensure compliance with the directives in the environmental permit issued to Highway 2000. "It is early days yet, but NEPA is happy that the Highway 2000 project team has taken the step to first experiment and see what is the best method of replanting the mangroves and they have seemingly found a niche," said Wilson Kelly, NEPA's manager for Integrated Watershed and Coastal Zone Management.
