Conservationists honoured
FIVE conservationists have been honoured for their service to Jamaica’s environment.
The “Conservation Leaders” Awards were presented recently at a ceremony at the Half Moon Golf, Tennis & Beach Club in Montego Bay, by “The Nature Conservancy” — a 51 year-old international non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to the environmental conservation and protection. President of the Conservancy, Steve McCormick, hosted the ceremony.
The awardees: Marilyn Headley, conservator of forests: Franklin McDonald, CEO of the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA); Jacqueline DaCosta, permanent-secretary in the Ministry of Environment; Selena Tapper, executive director, Environment Foundation of Jamaica and Learie Miller, director, Conservation & Protection Division, NEPA.
The mission of the Nature Conservancy, whose motto is “Saving the Last Great Places”, is “to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive”.
Working closely with communities and business, the Conservancy says it has protected more than 92 million acres of land and water worldwide — 12,621,000 acres in the USA and 80,181,446 acres outside of the USA.