NEWS RELEASE                                       JANUARY 23, 2003

For immediate release

Jamaica Celebrates World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2003

On Sunday, February 2, 2003, Jamaica joins the international community in celebrating World Wetlands Day. A number of activities are scheduled to mark the day, which is the first global event in a year of activities in recognition of the International Year of Fresh Water. Under the theme "No Wetlands, No Water" NEPA, in collaboration with a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will mount exhibitions and conduct boat tours of some of Jamaica’s wetlands. Natural history tours of mangroves will also be carried out during the period.

NEPA will host a boat tour of the mangrove areas in the Palisadoes/ Port Royal Protected Area in Kingston, on Wednesday, February 5, 2003. The tour is aimed at primary schools. Exhibitions will also be mounted at the Port Royal and Black River libraries during the week. The Palisadoes/ Port Royal area was declared a Protected Area under the Natural Resources and Conservation Act (NRCA) on September 18, 1998.

In Southern Jamaica, students of the Black River Primary and High Schools will be treated to all day educational boat tours of the Lower Black River Morass on Monday, February 3 courtesy of the St. Elizabeth Environmental Protection Association (SEEPA). Tours start from the Black River Dock at 10:00 a.m. Students will be required to identify the flora and fauna in the area and to prepare a report, the findings of which will be discussed at a special meeting of SEEPA on Tuesday, March 11, 2003.

On Saturday and Sunday, February 1 and 2, some organizations will work together to increase awareness of wetlands usage in Western Jamaica. The USAID/ Ridge to Reef Watershed Project, in association with the Montego Bay Marine Park, the Great River Watershed Management Committee and Bird Life Jamaica, will stage a tour of the Bogue Lagoon fish sanctuary. Head of the Centre for Marine Sciences, Dr. George Warner of the University of the West Indies, Mona, will make presentations on mangroves and their importance during the boat ride. Boaters will also be afforded an opportunity to view roosting water-bird colonies. The tour starts at 4:00 p.m.

On Sunday, World Wetlands Day, participants will embark on a natural history trip into the Montego Estuary and Howard Cooke Boulevard mangroves and wetlands. The Howard Cooke Boulevard mangroves were recently acquired by the Marine Park under a thirty year lease with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC). The trip starts at 7:00 a.m.

Ridge to Reef Watershed Project (R2RW) is a joint initiative of the government of Jamaica through the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the government of the United States through its Agency for International Development (USAID). R2RW is a five-year project which seeks to enhance sustainable watershed management in the Rio Grande and Great River Watershed Management Projects in eastern and western Jamaica, respectively. The Project is currently in its third year of operation.

World Wetlands Day (WWD) is aimed at increasing awareness and preserving the use of the world’s wetlands which are the main sources of freshwater, globally. WWD, February 2 marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in the Iranian City of Ramsar. WWD was first celebrated in 1997.