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JAMAICA: NEPA Safeguarding Future of Endemic Species

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#Kingston, October 26, 2018 – Jamaica – The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is safeguarding the future of Jamaica’s endemic species through agreements with foreign researchers.  Between 2016 and 2017, NEPA experienced a 55 per cent increase in the number of applications for Wildlife Research Permission.

Senior Manager for the Conservation and Protection Subdivision at NEPA, Yvette Strong, tells JIS News that while more local tertiary institutions are applying for research permission, most of the applications NEPA receives are from overseas researchers, and Jamaica stands to gain from both groups.

“The researchers provide us with an interim and a final report on their fieldwork, and then they provide us with copies of their publications.  They are also mandated to send copies of these to the Fisheries Division and the Forestry Department, if the research was done in a special fishery conservation area or a forest reserve,” Ms. Strong notes.

Jamaica benefits not just from the findings of the research but also through the mandatory agreements surrounding research of Jamaica’s wildlife, such as the Breeding Loan Agreement.

This agreement is entered into between NEPA and researchers who take live specimen out of the island. It states that all offspring of specimen taken outside of the country for research in foreign institutions will be the property of Jamaica.

“We regard those animals (both offspring and parent stock) in foreign institutions as offshore satellite population, so that if there is a disaster or anything goes wrong here in Jamaica, we can call upon those institutions to send us breeding stock,” Ms. Strong explains.

The Jamaican Iguana and varieties of hummingbirds are among the animals that remain the property of Jamaica in foreign countries.

“We only have a Jamaican Iguana population in Hellshire Hills [but the animal can also be found] at the Fort Worth and San Diego zoos, among others in the United States,” she reveals.

The iguanas are kept as part of the zoos’ support for species conservation. Both Jamaican Iguanas and hummingbirds, including the Doctor Bird, which is indigenous to Jamaica, have been successfully bred in captivity in the United States of America.

NEPA invites all local and international researchers interested in studying the country’s biodiversity to contact the Development Assistance Centre and Application Secretariat at the agency at 876-906-8354 and 876-929-9148, or through its website, www.nepa.gov.jm.

 

Release: JIS

By: Charnele Henry

Photo Caption: 

Header: The Jamaican Iguana is bred and raised in captivity to safeguard the species.

Insert: Senior Manager, Conservation and Protection Subdivision at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Yvette Strong.

 

 

 

 

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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