ROCK, Trelawny — Not even a sudden, lingering downpour could keep a team from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and its partners from planting mangrove seedlings inside the Winns Morass in Rock, Trelawny, on Monday. There are plans to designate the morass a forest reserve under the Forestry Act to secure its protection for future generations, and sowing the seedlings is part of that broader initiative.

“It’s a symbolic effort today. We planted 70 mangrove seedlings, but this is just a start of the wider long-term effort of the repositioning of the area as a conservation area going forward,” said NEPA Deputy Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for environmental management and sustainability, Anthony McKenzie.

The morass borders Oyster Bay, just outside the seaside town of Falmouth.

“Winns Morass is a mangrove area that we see as being critical in the preservation of the luminescence of the Oyster Bay and the wider Falmouth in general,” McKenzie explained.

He pointed to several threats, such as illegal dumping and illegal settlements, and expressed the hope that the day’s activities will help reverse some of the damage.

Members of the National Environment and Planning Agency and its partners plant mangrove seedlings on Monday inside the Winns Morass in Rock, Trelawny. (Photo: Horace Hines)

“That is the challenge that we face, where people, they don’t see it as a wetland but as a wasteland. They seek to dump and to also encroach with buildings,” he said from under a tent being pelted with raindrops.

“Today’s activity is geared at removing some of those threats and trying to replenish the area, and so we are doing some replanting of mangroves,” McKenzie added.

He announced that a 500-metre section along the road of the property will be fenced to make it obvious that it is a protected area.

The NEPA official said the wetland was among areas affected by Hurricane Melissa, but noted that signs of recovery are already evident.

Members of National Environment and Planning Agency and its partners pose after planting mangrove seedlings on Monday inside the Winns Morass in Rock, Trelawny on Monday. (Photo: Horace Hines)

“The mangrove here, it was impacted significantly, but you can see that they are back in bloom. The leaves are coming back — and that is what we expect — mangroves are supposed to be a plant, and the whole ecosystem should offer natural resilience to the area. And so they have an important function in that regard,” McKenzie said.

He also highlighted other ecological importance of mangroves, noting that they provide coastal protection, support marine life, and help improve water quality.

Monday’s planting of seedlings was a public-private sector partnership and among those McKenzie thanked for their support was National Solid Waste Management Authority, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory at The University of the West Indies, the National Conservation Trust Fund of Jamaica, the National Works Agency, participating schools, Sea the Change Environment Foundation, and Excelerate Energy, which he referred to as “our big partner”.

According to Scott Platz, vice-president of health, safety, security, environment and quality (HSSEQ) at Excelerate Energy, the company was proud to support the initiative through both financial contributions and actively participating in planting mangrove seedlings in the wetlands. He said it underscores Excelerate Energy’s commitment to environmental stewardship, community engagement, and the preservation of critical coastal ecosystems.

“We’re very happy to be part of this activity today. This small step in helping restore the wetlands is key to our support of the island and our continued operations here,” Platz said.