Jamaicans urged to plant one million trees by 2019
JAMAICANS ARE being encouraged to plant trees to support the ‘Trees for Life’ initiative, aimed at strengthening the island’s diverse flora, and improving its resilience to climate change.
Trees for Life is a campaign being undertaken as part of the Yallahs/Hope (River) Watershed Project with support from the Forestry Department, National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
Communications specialist for the project, Patrice Gilpin, said that the campaign started in October 2016 with a target set for Jamaica to plant one million trees by June 30, 2019.
“Trees provide an abundance of benefits, as they give us clean air, cleaner water, they are homes to our wildlife, they take in carbon dioxide from the environment and let out oxygen, which means we are breathing better air. So, one tree can mean so much, and you would be planting today to benefit generations to come,” Gilpin said.
The whole idea, she added, is that with more trees planted, the more the green coverage of the island will be improved and the more resilient the country will be to the impacts of climate change.
She informed that some 2,860 tree plants will be distributed to schools, communities and farmers in St Thomas through the Yallahs/Hope (River) Watershed Project. These trees may range from coffee, naseberry, mango, soursop, avocado and citrus, to mahogany and jacaranda.
Gilpin noted that the Forestry Department and NEPA have been instrumental in the distribution of trees to persons across the island.