KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Foundation is a key partner in the protection of the environment through the planting of trees and replenishing of wetlands.

The organisation has been participating in the Forestry Department’s ‘Adopt-A-Hillside’ initiative since its inception in 2010, planting approximately 7,000 trees on six hectares of hillside, to date.

JPS Foundation also sponsored the Forestry Department’s recently concluded National School Tree-Planting competition, which invited institutions to plant seedlings at suitable locations on their grounds or surrounding areas.

The foundation has made a commitment to protecting wetlands in Jamaica, partnering with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) on its ‘Adopt-A-Mangrove’, which was launched on February 2 in recognition of World Wetlands Day.

JPS Foundation and its parent organisation, JPS Company Limited, have adopted the mangrove plot located along the Palisadoes tombolo within the Palisadoes Protected Area and the Ramsar site in Port Royal.

The company will also be providing the $7-funding support for the programme over a five-year period.

Speaking at a recent ceremony held at NEPA’s headquarters in Kingston, where a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding was signed, the foundation’s deputy chairman, Ramsay McDonald said, “It is important for us to take multiple approaches [to] protect the environment.

“This Adopt-A-Mangrove programme, initiated by NEPA, is perfectly aligned to our goals, and we are excited about what we will achieve in this area of environmental protection.”

McDonald took the opportunity to congratulate NEPA on this “wonderful programme” and its unwavering efforts to protect the country’s natural ecosystems.

“The JPS Foundation looks forward to a long and fruitful partnership as, together, we serve Jamaica land we love,” the deputy chairman said.

-JIS