ST THOMAS, Jamaica — The reopening of the newly renovated historic Castleton Botanical Gardens in St Mary marks the first step in the Government’s broader plan to establish a botanical garden in every parish, according to Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green.

He made the announcement while delivering the keynote address during the handover and reopening ceremony for the property on Wednesday (July 1).

The $170‑million project forms part of the multi‑year ‘A Jamaican Path from Hills to Ocean’ initiative, funded by the European Union and the Government of Jamaica.

The programme is designed to strengthen the resilience of Jamaica’s ecosystems and communities against climate change.

Describing the restoration of Castleton as one of the Ministry’s flagship projects, Minister Green noted that the investment underscores the Government’s commitment to preserving green spaces for future generations.

He indicated that the Castleton project forms part of a wider effort by the Ministry to expand and enhance Jamaica’s botanical gardens.

“We are on a mission and we believe that, in every single parish, you should have a botanical garden… you should have a space like Castleton that people can go to relax… to just enjoy nature. We believe that would significantly contribute to the well-being of our country,” the minister said.

The rehabilitation works included the construction of restroom facilities in the upper garden and the repair of gazebos in both the upper and lower gardens, finalised in August 2025.

The project also involved the construction of a gabion basket wall, Reno mattress, and boulder packing along the northeastern embankment adjacent to the Wag Water River, completed in November 2025.

Additional improvements feature the repair of the main walkway in the lower garden and the construction of an access ramp, completed in May 2026, while the installation of 500 metres of perimeter fencing is scheduled for completion this month.

The Gardens have also been retrofitted with a solar energy system, new garden furniture, directional and instructional signage, land husbandry power equipment, small agricultural tools and supplies, and restocked with a diverse collection of native and non‑native plant species.

Green disclosed that Montpelier in St James has already been identified as the next location under the initiative.

“We’re now far advanced in our designs for the Montpelier Botanical Gardens, which will be a significant improvement to our offerings for biodiversity and a nice eco-friendly space in western Jamaica,” the minister added.

Green explained that the long‑term objective goes beyond beautifying the sites, with plans to transform them into sustainable ecotourism attractions.

“The vision is not just to develop these spaces and leave them. [It is to] turn these spaces into ecotourism hubs, where people can come, spend their resources, and they can learn about the diversity that Jamaica has to offer,” he stated.

“But while we push to ensure that we have one per parish, we have to first start with the ones that we already have… [hence our renovating] Castleton and reopening it,” Green added.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that additional work is planned for the Bath Botanical Gardens in St Thomas and the Cinchona Botanical Gardens in St Andrew.

“We have work under way now with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), with TEF (Tourism Enhancement Fund) and with JSIF (Jamaica Social Investment Fund) at the Bath Botanical Gardens… that’s going to completely do a comprehensive renovation for Bath. We’re also working on the road network to get to Cinchona,” he said, describing the site as a location that rivals Castleton in terms of biodiversity.

— JIS