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Three deserving institutions, the Forestry
Department, the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) and
the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust received funds totaling more than
$4.6 million from the Board of the Natural Resources Conservation
Authority (NRCA) on Wednesday, May 10.
Board Chairman, James Rawle, oversaw the
disbursement of funds totaling $4,649,447.20 to the “worthwhile and
outstanding efforts” of the three bodies. The short handing-over
ceremony took place at the offices of the National Environment and
Planning Agency (NEPA), which is mandated to carry out the work of the
NRCA.
Marilyn Headley,
Conservator of Forests receives a cheque
of $2 million from Mr. Errol Ziadie, vice-chair, NRCA board
at the Offices of NEPA, 10 Caledonia Avenue,
Kingston 5 on Wednesday May 10.
The Authority is vested with the responsibility
of administering the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act, the
Beach Control, the Wild Life Protection and the Watersheds Protection
Acts.
The donations represented the Board’s continuing
commitment to environmental protection, Mr. Rawle said. Deputy
Chairman, Errol Ziadie, who made the presentations on behalf of the
Authority, noted that each recipient “had done work the NRCA was proud
to support”.
Carolyn Hayle (centre) Vice-chair
of the JCDT
accepts a cheque for $1,132.044 from Mr. Errol Ziadie,
vice-chair, NRCA Board at the Offices of NEPA, 10 Caledonia
Avenue, Kingston 5, on Wednesday May 10.
Conservator of Forests, Miss Marilyn Headley, who
accepted the first half of a $4 million commitment to the Forestry
Department’s tree-planting and re-forestation project, thanked the
NRCA for its continued support. This is the second time that the
Forestry project has received NRCA Board funding. In 2004, the NRCA
donated $4 million toward the programme.
The Trust which manages the Montego Bay Marine
Park on behalf of NEPA was presented with two cheques totaling
$1,517,403.22 which will be used in the management of the Marine
Park. In accepting the cheques, Mr. Donovan Gooden, noted that the
money which represented the second payment to the Park had gone a far
way in “revitalising” its work in the community. Last year the Park
had closed its offices because of insufficient funding.
The JCDT, the organisation which runs the Blue
and John Crow Mountain National Park received the first payment of a
$4 million dollar donation which is to be used to aid in its operational and management costs. The Trust which
operates the Park on behalf of the Authority was presented with a
payment of $1,132,044.
Mr. Donovan Gooden, accepts a
cheque for $1,085,028.22
on behalf of the Montego Bay Marine Park Trust from
Mr. Errol Ziadie, vice-chair, NRCA Board at the Offices of NEPA,
10 Caledonia Avenue, Kingston 5, on Wednesday May 10.
Earlier this year, the Board of the NRCA
committed to the allocation of $4,829,008 million to the Negril Coral
Reef Preservation Society (NCRPS) and in December 2005, the NRCA
presented 25% of beach licencing fees collected between 2000 and 2005
valuing $1.56 million to the NCRPS. At that time, Mr. Rawle noted
that the Authority hoped to provide greater financial support to the
Society.
The Montego Bay Marine Park, The Jamaica
Conservation and Development Trust and the Negril Coral Reef
Preservation Society collectively manage three of Jamaica’s nine (9)
protected areas which have been designated under the NRCA Act.
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