KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Forestry Department is moving to declare the iconic Constant Spring Golf Club in St Andrew a Forest Management Area.

Minister with responsibility for the Environment, Matthew Samuda, said the declaration “will preserve for generations this important green space”. He was speaking on Tuesday during his maiden presentation in the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.

He also shared that the Government, through the National Environment and Planning Agency, will this year complete the declaration of the Canoe Valley (along the border of Clarendon and Manchester); Montpelier, St James; Long Mountain, St Andrew; and Bengal, St Ann as protected areas (PA) under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act.

“The PA designation will ensure that Jamaica’s natural resources and biodiversity are preserved for future generations,” Samuda said.

Meanwhile, he said Jamaica’s efforts at forest restoration have been bolstered with the procurement of a tree relocator which is now in the country.

“This is critical as we seek to balance our development agenda with maintaining forest cover,” Samuda said.

In this regard, he has given instructions for another three million trees to be planted over the next five years. This is in addition to the three million trees that were planted as part of the National Tree Planting Initiative of 2019. The minister told the House that the target has been achieved and the trees have had a survivability rate in excess of 80 per cent.