NEWS RELEASE                             March 21, 2003

For immediate release

Environment and the Economy: crucial link for Environmental Confab

The inextricable link between the environment and economic development will be the focus when the Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) hosts the first National Scientific Conference on the Environment, April 9-10 2003, at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

Some 42 papers will be presented by participants from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana, Puerto Rico and the U.S.A. during the two-day meeting. Manufacturing concerns will be given an insight into one manufacturer’s experience with Environmental Management Systems (EMS), which are used to improve efficiencies, quality control and resource management. Manufacturers and other business interests will also be interested in the paper on “Waste as a Resource” which promises information on how to increase competitiveness through effective waste management.

Persons interested in the uses of Jamaican herbs will hear from Jamaican and Barbadian perspectives, while the agricultural sector focus will be on the use of chemicals in farming and improved environmental practices in the Jamaican coffee industry.

The link between tourism, health and the community will also be highlighted and those concerned about nutrition issues will not want to miss the paper linking social and economic factors and under-nutrition in rural villages of Guyana. Indoor and outdoor air pollution and the link to health will be the subject of two papers, and the controversial Kingston Harbour will come in for sustained attention with papers on topics ranging from coral replanting, and dredge monitoring to changes in the water quality over the past twenty years.

There will also be presentations on planning, land use and disaster management as well as climate change. Several donor agencies and public and private sector entities are sponsoring the conference. These include the Canadian-Jamaican ENACT Programme, the Canada/Jamaica Green Fund Project, Alumina Partners of Jamaica, the United States Agency for International Development, the Port Authority of Jamaica, West Indies Home Contractors Ltd., the Urban Development Corporation, the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica and the National Environment and Planning Agency.

The conference is open to all interested persons. For registration contact: Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) at 960-8627 or 968-3173-5, fax: 929-5731, e-mail: jieps@cwjamaica.com or the website: http://www.jiep.org/conference.