KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s capacity to conserve and restore its coral reefs is being bolstered under the six-year CoralCarib project.

To be implemented through funding from Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), CoralCarib is targeted at four Caribbean countries where 60 per cent of the region’s reefs are found.

In addition to Jamaica, the others are Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The project will include interventions to restore, protect and build the sustainability and resilience of coral reefs to current and future climate impacts.

The Caribbean has 10 per cent of the world’s coral reefs, and the objective is to safeguard and create healthier and more resilient ecosystems that will contribute significantly to increased biodiversity, economic prosperity and food security in the four targeted countries.

CoralCarib will be locally implemented through the Alligator Head Foundation and spearheaded by The Nature Conservancy and IKI.

At the official launch at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, welcomed the support to preserve the island’s coral reefs.

He said that the project will bolster regulatory measures being put in place by the Government to protect the underwater ecosystem, which has been ranked poor by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) due to factors stemming from climate change, overexploitation of marine resources, coastal pollution and extensive coastal modification projects, among others.

“Recently, we would have launched our climate change policy framework and it has been approved and tabled in Parliament. Implementation of the policy framework will begin in earnest,” he indicated, noting that Jamaica’s National Oceans and Coastal Zone Management Policy is also being developed as well as an Action Plan for Coral and Reefs.

German Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Jan Hendrik van Thiel, in his address, said that CoralCarib is one of nine ongoing projects in Jamaica through support from his government.

“In projects where Jamaica took part, we have invested US$109 million,” he indicated.

He encouraged stakeholders in countries and regions most affected by climate change, to “put forward project proposals to enter dialogue with us” for assistance.

CoralCarib will introduce groundbreaking and new scientific approaches, including an assessment and implementation plan for threat reduction.

The project will also improve local capacity to carry out sustainable livelihood activities for reef-dependent communities, assess and share the value of coral reef ecosystem services, and enhance enabling conditions through policy and resource mobilisation.

Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Division, Dr Rob Brumbaugh, said that the project will “double down” on “high resolution [and] scientific data to [identify] specific areas across the Caribbean where reefs have the best chance [of survival]”.

Interventions under the project will also expand on the in-water and land-based efforts of the Alligator Head Foundation.

“What will be new to Jamaica is that we will get into sexual reproduction of coral, which is something that has never been successfully done [in Jamaica],” said Research Programme Manager, Denise Henry.

“We want to also share with the local coral restoration practitioners here and to help improve their activities at the level that they’re at,” she further pointed out, noting that this includes retrofitting several fishing boats in the Portland area and working with community members to start entrepreneurship endeavours.

– JIS