Army chief: Protecting environment part of JDF mandate
Published:Wednesday | February 2, 2022 | 12:06 AM
Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman led members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the Forestry Department in a symbolic tree-planting exercise at the Up Park Camp Cannonball Gate on Monday.
The newly minted chief of defence staff stressed that crucial to the military’s role in protecting Jamaica was the equally important mandate of helping to mitigate against the impact of climate change.
“The protection of Jamaica includes protecting and preserving the environment. As an island state, Jamaica must recognise the interconnectivity between our land mass and our coastal zone which is critical to the sustainability of the Green and Blue Economy.
“These two areas of the environment are vital to our survival, not least of which is the negative impact of climate change on small island developing states such as Jamaica. It is hoped that this small event will be an example to other entities and persons to plant trees as we seek to protect Jamaica, land we love, for future generations.
“As a force, we must be diverse in our service. The protection of the environment falls well within our roles and functions, and it is fitting that the Forestry Department has gifted us with the aptly named Cannonball Tree,” the rear admiral stated.
Launched in October 2019, the National Tree Planting initiative is now in the homestretch of completing its mission of planting three million trees in three years. To date, approximately 900,000 tree seedlings have been planted.
Head of the Forestry Department, Ainsley Henry, told The Gleaner that they are now ramping up their tree-planting efforts through partnerships with various public and corporate bodies.
“We have major partnerships with companies that have come on board with the initiative and at last estimate, we had planted just under a million trees,” said Henry.
“A big part of how we are facilitating the planting of trees is by providing trees free of cost to the public. Every citizen can get up to 10 seedlings by visiting any of our nurseries. These are selected ornamental and timber trees mostly.
A legacy
“We also have the #MyTreeLegacy which is targeted at getting past students to go back to their alma maters to plant trees and leave a legacy for future generations,” he added.
The tree-planting exercise saw Wemyss Gorman and the Forestry Department’s CEO planting seedlings of the cannonball tree and the poui tree in the vicinity of the Cannonball monument at Up Park Camp.
The seedlings were germinated by the Forestry Department specifically to mark the significance of the historic monument erected in honour of the Third West India Regiment for its role in the construction of Arnold Road.
“Every time we plant a tree, it’s a reminder of our commitment to the future generations to take care of our environment. Among the various mandates of the force, environmental protection stands on par with our efforts to keep Jamaica safe in the air, on land, and at sea, as well as in the cyber domain,” said Wemyss Gorman.