WASTMORELAND, Jamaica – The Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change has reaffirmed Jamaica’s commitment to wetland conservation and climate resilience.

“Wetlands are not simply landscapes that require protection. For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) they are natural infrastructure that supports our economies, protect our communities, sustain biodiversity and contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation,” said Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda.

He was speaking at the Regional High‑Level Closing Event of the project “Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation of Their Ecosystem Service.”

The intergovernmental initiative, organised alongside the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention), brought together Caribbean nations to secure the future of the region’s highly vulnerable coastal ecosystems.

Samuda underscored the importance of wetlands to Jamaica’s environmental and economic future. He described them as “among the most productive and valuable ecosystems on Earth,” noting their role in protecting coastlines, reducing flooding, improving water quality, supporting fisheries, and storing carbon.

Samuda highlighted practical tools developed under the project, for participating countries, including methodologies for assessing wetland health, prioritising conservation investments, andstrengthening monitoring systems.

“Ultimately, our citizens will not judge us by the reports that we are publishing. They will judge us by the restoration that affects our fisheries sector, by the recovery of biodiversity, and by the improvement and increase in coastal resilience. Those will be the true measures of success”, Samuda added.

The minister emphasised that Jamaica’s participation in the regional initiative directly supports the management of the country’s four Ramsar Sites: Black River Lower Morass, Mason River Protected Area Bird Sanctuary, Palisadoes–Port Royal, and Portland Bight Wetlands and Cays, while advancing national priorities in climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, and disaster risk reduction.

The project also supported the integration of coastal wetland conservation into national climate policies, with Jamaica including the role of mangroves in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the first time.

Smauda also pointed to ongoing national initiatives such as the National Mangrove and Swamp Forest Management Plan, the Jamaica Mangroves Plus Project, and the Adopt‑A‑Mangrove Programme, which he said demonstrate Jamaica’s integrated approach to wetland conservation.

The project also contributed to the designation of Ecologically Sensitive Areas and strengthened protected area governance, aligning with Jamaica’s commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the 30×30 target to protect 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030.

As the project concludes, Samuda said Jamaica remains committed to protecting and restoring its wetlands, building on the momentum created by the initiative as part of broader efforts to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Ministers from Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname as well as vice ministers from  the Dominican Republic and Cuba were in attendance at the event.