KINGSTON, Jamaica – Businesses in the local forestry sector are being encouraged to put sustainable management practices in place ahead of the implementation of a new European Union (EU) measure related to forestry products.

The EU’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen, said that the organisation’s 27 member States recently agreed on a course of action, which will limit the importation of goods that result from unsustainable forest management.

She said that although the measure has not yet entered into force, it is expected to be adopted soon with a transitional period to follow.

“We are not doing this as a protectionist measure. We are doing this because we have only one planet and we very much want forestry to be managed sustainably around the world,” she pointed out.

Ambassador Van Steen, who was speaking at the National Forestry Conference held earlier this month, said that the action by the EU will provide opportunity for players in the local forestry sector.

“We [the EU] have 450 million consumers who would be very interested in forestry-related products. With all the efforts undertaken in this country to ensure that the forestry business is sustainable – and you are not supposed to pay any tariffs to export goods to the EU – all of that is important to take into account for all who are interested in the forestry business and in potentially exporting forestry-related goods,” she pointed out.

She commended Jamaica for not only presenting “more ambitious” nationally determined contributions towards the fight against climate change, but also for being one of the first Caribbean countries to sign on to the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 Target.

“This means that Jamaica, as well as the European Union, is committed to protecting 30 per cent of the planet’s ocean and land resources by 2030,” she noted.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda, thanked the EU, which is the country’s largest donor partner, for “prioritising the issue of forests in Jamaica and giving us significant funding support in this regard”.

The National Forestry Conference was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston under the theme ‘Forestry as Business: Unlocking the Economic Potential of Jamaica’s Forests’.