WESTERN BUREAU — With participants wearing T-shirts emblazoned “A Fi Wi Environment Tek Care A It”, the Great River Watershed Management Committee (GRWMC) under USAID’s US$6 million Ridge to Reef project on Tuesday opened a conference under the theme “Youth making a Difference in the Environment”.

The two-day seminar was aimed at mobilising the youth in the Great River watershed to address environmental concerns such as:

* poor farming practices,

* improper sewage disposal,

* slash and burn agriculture,

* charcoal burning,

* the littering of rivers and gullies,

* and improper use of pesticides.

The conference focused on enhancing awareness about the environment and making the link between the environment and everyday life. The two-day event also identified opportunities for careers in the environment. Some of these include:

* marine sciences,

* natural resources management,

* solid waste management,

* environmental law, policy and legislation,

* sociology, engineering and agriculture.

During the opening ceremony, various speakers highlighted the importance of preserving the environment and pointed out some of the dangers that were now not just unique to the Great River watershed but to the environment as a whole.

“The youth bring unique perspectives on the environment (and) investing in the youth is another form of sustainable development,” said Elizabeth Emanuel, the keynote speaker.

“We must remember that the earth was not given to us by our ancestors but loaned to us by our children,” she urged.

Meanwhile, it is hoped that the conference will be an annual event.

“The support from the community has been overwhelming,” Leo Douglas, acting chief of party for Ridge to Reef told the Observer after the opening ceremony. “(This) underscores the need to have more public awareness initiatives in rural Jamaica.”

The Ridge to Reef Watershed Project is a five-year initiative between the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

It addresses the degradation of the island’s watersheds.