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Jamaica celebrates World Wetlands Day

On 2 February 2018, Jamaica will join the international community in observing World Wetlands  Day  (WWD).  The  Urban  Development  Corporation  (UDC)  will  host  the  national celebration at its Johnson Hill Office in Hellshire, St. Catherine under the theme ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’. 

 The event will run from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and aims to educate over 200 students and educators  from  primary,  secondary  and  tertiary  schools  and  the  general  public  across  St. Catherine,  Clarendon  and  Kingston  and  St.  Andrew,  on  the  importance  of  wetlands  and  their environmental  value  to  Jamaica’s  cities.    Participants  will  be  actively  engaged  with  various activities  including  but  not  limited  to  wetland  tours,  exhibits,  wetland  Olympics,  debate competition and other educational games.  

World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually to mark the adoption of the Convention of Wetlands signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. Jamaica became a Party to the Ramsar Convention in 1998. 

Hellshire  Hills  which  forms  a  part  of  the  Portland  Bight  Protected  Area  is  the  largest undisturbed dry limestone forest in the Western Hemisphere and a popular area for nature lovers. The area is managed by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).  
 
The NRC is the local representative for the international inter-governmental body of the Convention on Wetlands, the Ramsar Committee/Convention. 

Jamaica  has  several  wetlands  of  which  four  have  been  designated  Ramsar  Sites (Wetlands of International Importance), under the Ramsar Convention. The four sites are: Black River  Lower  Morass  Ramsar  Site,  The  Portland  Bight  Wetlands  and  Cays  Ramsar  Site,  The Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area and Ramsar Site and the Mason River Protected Area, Bird Sanctuary and Ramsar Site.   

The  UDC  is  actively  engaged  where  mandated  in  the  deliberate  balancing  and conservation  of Jamaica’s  natural  resources,  including  wetlands,  coastal  and marine  areas  and ecosystems as a means of ensuring sustainable development and the best quality of life for the citizens of Jamaica in tandem with its development mandate.  

Other members of the National Ramsar Committee include the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM), Water Resources Authority (WRA), the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT) and the Forestry Department. 

For further information, please contact  
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department 
Urban Development Corporation 
12 Ocean Boulevard 
Kingston, Jamaica 
Tel: (876) 656-8031 Email cr@udcja.com  
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