Caribbean News
Volunteers Plant 300 Trees at Dunn’s River Watershed for World Earth Day
Montego Bay, Jamaica, April 23, 2025 – In a dynamic show of environmental stewardship, more than 50 volunteers converged at the Dunn’s River Watershed in Bogue Estate, St. Ann, to plant 300 trees in celebration of World Earth Day on Tuesday (April 22).
The initiative, jointly spearheaded by the Sandals Foundation, Forestry Department and Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), highlighted the vital importance of conservation in safeguarding the island’s natural environment and bolstering its tourism industry.
The volunteers, including 35 team members from Sandals and Beaches Resorts and 20 JFB firefighters, planted Blue Mahoe, Jamaica’s national tree, Cedar and Bitter Damsel seedlings.
These trees were chosen for their adaptability and significance to the local ecosystem. Forest Manager at the Forestry Department’s Northwestern Region Office, Ian Wallace, told JIS News that the exercise not only honoured the environment, but also emphasised the critical role of conservation within Jamaica’s forest reserves.
“Earth Day reminds us of what the environment gives to us and why we must protect it. Bogue II is a 455-hectare forest reserve, used exclusively for conservation and education. Activities like these help to maintain the forest’s pristine condition while engaging the public in environmental stewardship,” he said.
Mr. Wallace warned against the illegal removal of trees, emphasising the potential long-term damage to tourism, water security and biodiversity.
“It is important for us to be mindful that whatever happens here in a negative way will impact the coastline very shortly. So it is important for us to understand that negative activities inland will affect the tourism product,” he underscored.
The event also highlighted the importance of corporate involvement in environmental preservation.
General Manager for Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Gary Holgate, said the tree-planting initiative, which began in 2017 under the leadership of the Sandals Foundation, has grown steadily over the years.
He shared that since the programme’s inception, more than 3,000 trees have been planted in the forest reserve, underscoring the organisation’s long-term commitment to environmental sustainability.
“Even during COVID-19 lockdowns, we continued planting. Today (Tuesday), 35 of our team members joined the effort, many on their day off,” Mr. Holgate added.
Noting that the undertaking is “the genesis of real change”, the General Manager maintained that “every company should be part of this movement to ensure future generations inherit a healthy environment”. For her part, JFB Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Area Two, Julian Davis-Buckle, said the event aligns with the Fire Brigade’s broader environmental protection goals.
“For us as firefighters, we believe that conservation of our environment is very important. It helps us as firefighters, because we are approaching the bushfire season and we understand, when these trees are burned and not replaced, the detriment it can have on our environment,” she noted.
Firefighter, Brittania Walker, described the event as a meaningful first for her.
“I planted three trees, and it’s my first time doing so; it felt great to contribute in such a tangible way,” she shared.
Earth Day, which has been celebrated on April 22 each year since 1970, serves to promote environmental protection and awareness.
The year’s observance was held under the theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet’.
CONTACT: NICKIETA STERLING
Photo Captions:
Header: Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Assistant Commissioner in charge of Area Two, Julian Davis-Buckle (left), and Secretary at the JFB Area Two office, Racquel Reid (centre), assist 10-year-old Shanoya Buckle with planting a tree during the Sandals Foundation’s Earth Day initiative at the Dunn’s River Watershed, Bogue Estate, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on April 22.
1st insert: Regional Public Relations Manager for Sandals Ocho Rios, Lyndsay Isaacs (left), along with (from second left) General Manager, Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Gary Holgate; Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) Assistant Commissioner in charge of Area Two, Julian Davis-Buckle, and Forest Manager at the Forestry Department’s North West Regional Office, Ian Wallace, plant a tree during the Sandals Foundation’s Earth Day initiative at the Dunn’s River Watershed, Bogue Estate, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on Tuesday (April 22).
2nd insert: Forest Manager at the Forestry Department’s North West Regional Office, Ian Wallace (right), interacts with (from left) General Manager at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Gary Holgate, and Regional Public Relations Manager for Sandals Ocho Rios, Lyndsay Isaacs, during the Sandals Foundation’s Earth Day initiative at the Dunn’s River Watershed, Bogue Estate, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on April 22.
Photos by Nickieta Sterling
Imagine an Atlantic Bridge connecting the Caribbean Region to the African Continent
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — When CARICOM leaders convened with African counterparts and Afreximbank officials in Ethiopia, the outcomes were savory and exactly what many Caribbean people want to see materialise as the islands become uniquely reconnected to the African continent.
At the Second CARICOM-Africa Summit, held at the African Union headquarters, leaders moved beyond symbolic language to agree on a draft communiqué that, if finalized, would anchor this partnership in practical action. While not yet officially published by the AU or CARICOM, the document points to an agenda that blends history with urgent twenty-first century priorities.
The draft outlines commitments to improve air and sea transport links, including the pursuit of a multilateral air services agreement to break down the barriers that still keep the Caribbean and Africa physically apart. It also calls for visa facilitation and simplified entry regimes, making it easier for citizens of both regions to travel, study, and work across the Atlantic.
Equally significant are pledges to advance double taxation treaties that could remove one of the most stubborn obstacles to investment.
With Afreximbank’s Caribbean headquarters already established in Barbados and the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) gaining momentum, leaders now want to lock in the financial and legal frameworks that will drive new business.
Reparatory justice also featured prominently, with the draft communiqué sharpening a joint call for coordinated advocacy. CARICOM’s long-standing Reparations Commission is expected to work more closely with African institutions to demand global recognition and redress for the shared traumas of slavery and colonial exploitation.
CARICOM’s incoming chair, Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew of St. Kitts and Nevis, captured the spirit of the gathering when he urged that the Atlantic Slave Trade be reimagined as an “Atlantic Bridge — a bridge of hope, a bridge of advancement, a bridge that will ensure our people take their rightful place in this world.”
For Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the meeting was a “homecoming,” but also a reminder that concrete steps like the Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC) and improved transportation links are needed to transform rhetoric into results.
For citizens back home, wrestling with inflation and economic uncertainty, the Addis outcomes — transport, visas, investment, health, and reparations — are precisely the kinds of measures that can validate leaders’ journeys and rekindle faith in South-South cooperation. What was once only rhetoric now hints at the beams of an Atlantic Bridge, connecting the Caribbean and Africa in ways that could finally turn history’s tragedy into tomorrow’s advantage.
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