AS part of the launch activities of the Ridge to Reef Watershed Project at the Retrieve All-Age School in St James, American and Jamaican leaders took part in an old African tradition — of planting a baby’s navel-string under the tree — which according to legend, will secure the baby’s prosperity and strength.

The ceremonial ‘planting,’ which is still popular in parts of rural Jamaica, honoured baby Shanille Lawrence, one of the newest members of the Retrieve community.

The navel string was buried under a Lignum Vitae tree sapling by land and environment minister, Horace Dalley and mission director for the United States Agency for International Development, Mosina Jordan.

Four other trees were also planted during the ceremony by partners of the Ridge to Reef Watershed Project, including the Great River Watershed Management Committee members, USAID employees and students of Retrieve All-Age School.

Members of the Ridge to Reef team hope to revive this ceremony throughout Jamaica because, in addition to its cultural importance, the planting of trees has significant environmental benefits for the island, encouraging reforestation — or ‘greening’ — of Jamaica.

The US$8-m Ridge to Reef Watershed Project, supported and funded jointly by the United States Government through USAID and the Government of Jamaica, is implemented by the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA). The five-year project is designed to facilitate the development of sustainable watershed and natural resource management in two target areas.

The selected watersheds are the Great River Watershed in Western Jamaica which covers parts of St James, Hanover, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland and the Rio Grande Watershed in eastern Jamaica covering Portland and St Thomas.

Associates in Rural Development (ARD), a US-based development consulting firm, is providing technical assistance on the project. The ARD team, led by chief of party, Mark Nolan, has for the past year been working with local organisations to promote sustainable environmental management practices.

The team is also working to identify and support solutions that encourage better compliance and enforcement of existing environmental laws and regulations and to enhance the capacity of Jamaican government agencies and private sector and civil society organisations to implement effective watershed management programs in Jamaica.

Speaking at the launch ceremony of the project at the Sunset Beach Resort last week, Nolan outlined some of the activities being undertaken — from the development of a plant nursery at Montpelier in St James, to the implementation of biological soil conservation techniques, the introduction of disease resistant crops, to the encouragement of orchard crop development. Goat farming and private planting of forest trees are also being promoted.

The Ridge to Reef Watershed Project is also laying emphasis on a range of water and sanitation activities. These include low-cost flush toilet systems, low-cost village sanitation systems, water harvesting, storage and application, garbage audit and recycling and water quality monitoring.

In her remarks at the launch ceremony, Jordan pointed to the interconnectivity between upland, lowland and coastal systems. Noting that human actions have a direct impact on the environment, “More than 160,000 farmers are cultivating small plots on steep slopes that from an environmental standpoint, would be better left alone,” she said.

She noted, however, that “the economic reality is that these slopes are home to a large number of people who depend on the soil for their very livelihoods.”

“Deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices and unplanned housing development in the upland result in a worsening of unstable hillside conditions found much over the island,” Jordan said, adding that the November to December flood rains demonstrated the effects of poor environment management.

“We may not be able to change the weather patterns, but we can manage their impact much better if we see the bigger picture, get organised and begin to implement more sustainable watershed management practices all through the year.”