WAIT-A-BIT, Trelawny - Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton has backed a call, mainly from environmentalists, for the protection of the Cockpit Country.

"We as a Government realise that the area must be protected because any disturbance as it can have a deleterious impact on the every day life of our citizens," the agriculture minister said.

Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton (second left) is being assisted by Marilyn Headley, conservator of forests to cut the ribbon to officially declare open the US$700,000-Cockpit Country Discovery Centre at Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny last Friday. Ken Lyvers, acting director of sustainable development, USAID, shares in the moment. (Photo: Mark Cummings)

He said mining in the area, for example, has the potential to disrupt the island's food security.

"This, as many farmers on the southern plains of the island, including St Elizabeth, use the inflows from the Back River - one of the rivers that originate within the Cockpit Country - as a source of irrigation," Tufton said.

Additionally, he said, the island's tourism industry could also be adversely impacted by activities in the area.

"The northern coast is rife with tourism related activities, among then rafting. The Martha Brae (river) has become synonymous with rafting, but if we interfere with the Cockpit Country we run the risk of eliminating this popular attraction and activity, as the head of the Martha Brae is located in the Cockpit Country," he added.

The agriculture minister was speaking last Friday at the opening of the US$700,000-Cockpit Country Discovery Centre, located in Wait-A-Bit, Trelawny.

A collaborative effort between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Forestry Department, the centre showcases the biodiversity, trees and plants, insects and other life unique to the Cockpit Country.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under its Parks in Peril programme, the facility also houses the regional office for the Forestry Department, and the TNC.

The Cockpit Country is said to be an outstanding centre of Jamaica's natural and cultural heritage, as well as a repository of many endemic and native plants and animals.

"This island within an island is home to 27 of Jamaica's 28 endemic birds species and contains important medicinal plants," Tufton told the gathering at the brief ceremony.

He said the Cockpit forests include the largest remaining block of moist to wet limestone forest in Jamaica, adding that two settlements of the indigenous Maroon groups reside in the area.

"What we have here.is a national and international treasure. A treasure that must be protected, at all costs from the factors which threatens its very existence. These include bauxite mining, deforestation and hunting," said Tufton.

Executive Class

Gardens with Gravel

Necessary Luxury