THE JAMAICA Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) is adopting National Park Week 2022 celebrations locally while putting on show the Blue and John Crow Mountains and the value of partnerships for the sustainable use of natural resources.
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) has collaborated with social media marketing firm ESIROM to induce public appreciation for Jamaica’s only national park, which protects the best of the island’s natural heritage – from majestic forests to diverse wildlife, including the largest butterfly in the western hemisphere, hundreds of flowering plants and birds, as well as waterfalls, and breathtaking views.
During the course of National Park Week, celebrated in the United States between April 16 and 24, ESIROM will sponsor 250 visitors to Holywell Park in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, which is managed by the JCDT.
Some lucky visitors will enter the park for free, enabled to enjoy the hiking trails and some time in nature, as well as the JCDT’s Discovery Centre that provides a window into the offerings of the national park, which spans some 41,198 hectares (101,313 acres) and includes Jamaica’s highest point – the Blue Mountain Peak at 2,256 metres (7,401 feet).
JCDT executive director, Dr Susan Otuokon, has welcomed the partnership with ESIROM, who is a long-time supporter of the entity. Partnerships, she said, are invaluable in conservation work.
“Any kind of partnership is critical. We look forward to opportunities where other people can help us to encourage people to come out and visit. We want to get people outdoors and into the forests,” she told The Gleaner.
“We want people to appreciate the value of the forest, and it is not until you actually experience it, that you can really have that understanding and that love. We want people to appreciate and love and enjoy nature so that they will want to protect it and see the value of maintaining some areas just as they are,” she said.
Also at stake, she said, are the varied ecosystem services provided by the forest – from fresh water to clean air, climate change protection and the mental health benefits that being outdoors provides.
It typically costs $400 for an adult to gain entry to Holywell and $100 for children. Visitors to the island pay US$10 and US$5, respectively.
ESIROM, for their part, said they are keen on distinguishing themselves as more than a corporate sponsor for JCDT.
“We wanted to do more than be a corporate sponsor; we wanted to showcase Holywell as a destination for locals and tourists, by doing National Park Week. This is also the very first time the park will be participating in this global date as well and it opens up the opportunity for those who have never been or even recurring visitors, to see the park and also the new bistro which recently opened,” said company director, Alex Morrissey.
“We are investing in the environment as a core part of our sustainability initiative and will keep expanding how we partner with JCDT in the years to come,” he added.
The partnership with JCDT is the latest in a series of ‘green’ collaborations for the marketing firm. Over the last several years, the company has supported not only the Friends of the Blue Mountain Initiative, but also the Earth Hour Concert and International Coastal Clean-up.
Source: The Gleaner
