Jamaica’s Dolphin Head Forest Reserve in Kingsvale, Hanover, received the silverware designating it one of the best examples of forest management throughout the Commonwealth a little over a week ago.

The 1,167-hectare reserve is about 10 km from the capital, Lucea, and stretches across six forest estates — Quasheba Mountain, Raglan Mountain, Geneva Mountain, Bath Mountain, Baulk Pen, and George’s Plain Mountain. It is recorded to have a higher density of local endemic plant species and rare or threatened plants per unit area than anywhere else in the island, according to the Forestry Department.

With the dedication, Dolphin Head is one of 24 forest reserves in as many countries — five of which are in the Caribbean — that are part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC).

On the occasion of the dedication on Saturday, July 8, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz accepted that Jamaica is walking a fine line between economic development and environmental preservation, but expressed hope that the QCC partnership will provide the necessary call to action to all citizens to prevent further loss of forest cover and biodiversity.

In a speech delivered by CEO & Conservator of Forests Marilyn Headley, Vaz stated that the island’s forests face competing and often conflicting demands which are not likely to diminish in the future, when even more people will be sharing the island and its limited resources. He therefore urged the public to be the eyes and ears of the forests to ensure that activities in these areas are carried out sustainably.

“The key is to use our forests sustainably. If we do so and also manage them for both economic and social benefits, the contribution of the forest sector to our Gross Domestic Product could increase tremendously. The Government cannot do it alone, and we need the input of the citizens as we work to address our challenges and promote our sustainable development goals,” he said.

Vaz further stated that there is real value in preserving our natural heritage, including our forest reserves.

“It was this recognition that prompted the Government of Jamaica to start declaring forest reserves from as far back as the 1950s. Our forests provide a wide range of goods and services that create opportunities for development and for improving the well-being of all Jamaicans. For instance, now that the Dolphin Head Forest Reserve has a Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy designation, I see even greater value in eco-tourism in this area which is one of the global growth areas in tourism,” he noted.

For her part, the conservator of forests was also optimistic that the QCC dedication will help raise awareness within Jamaica of the value of forests and the importance of saving them for future generations.

The QCC is a network of forest conservation initiatives across the 52-member Commonwealth which was designed to highlight the best examples of sustainable forest management.

Dolphin Head Forest Reserve fits the bill.

Historically part of lands owned by slave masters, the reserve currently managed by the Forestry Department with support from the Dolphin Head Local Forest Management Committee. Since it was founded, in 2009, the committee has secured grant funding to reforest 16 hectares of denuded and degraded forest lands and has also established an apiary in the area, which serves as a thriving honey business for its members.

To be considered for the QCC, “projects should have the endorsement of the relevant government and forestry or conservation authority, contain clear objectives that include sustainable forest conservation, and encourage, where possible, the participation of local people in the management of the project”, according to the QCC website.

Also, and perhaps most importantly, the secretariat stipulates that as QCC is a flagship programme in The Queen’s name, “it is important that the proposed projects are free of political controversy and unlikely to attract adverse publicity”.

QCC was conceived by UK MP Frank Field and was launched by The Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in 2015. The Government of Jamaica nominated the Dolphin Head Forest Reserve in August 2016.