Preservation of Endemic Plant Species through the Promotion of Cacoon Castle Herbs and Spices Products
Cacoon Castle is one of the areas in the parish of Hanover that was once renowned for its wide range of plant species including valuable herbs of medicinal and pharmaceutical value.
Over the past thirty years however, due to large scale commercial agriculture such as yam production and the once flourishing cattle trade, as well as settlement expansion there has been marked reduction and loss of many of these plant species arising from land degradation. The local herbs have been an important part of the biodiversity and therefore, in addition to helping to maintain the ecosystem, they would occasionally be harvested from the wild and sold on the local market, contributing to the livelihoods of residents. Currently this activity is one of the income streams that has been significantly reduced and contributes to the level of economic hardship being experienced generally.
Because the community lost much of the economic activities that were taking place in the 1970?s the
vulnerable groups the poor, women, youth, elderly and the disabled has suffered tremendously to
sustain their livelihood. As a result there has been over exploitation of natural resources resulting in:
? Loss in diversification of agricultural production
? Habitat loss of plants species
? Degradation of the natural environment
? Fragmentation of the natural habitat
? Rural urban drift
? Climate Change Effects
? Deforestation
The area is located in a forest reserve in the Great River Watershed. The flora of the area is threatened
because of overexploitation and in addition to deforestation, for agricultural activities, slash and burn
and grazing of cattle. Studies will be conducted to provide empirical data on the endangered and
endemic species in the area.
The primary objective of this project would be to restore restore/maintain the biodiversity of the area by increasing the population of medicinal plants and herbs and build the capacity of the community for better management of the natural resources. This will contribute to the diversification of agricultural production and reduce unemployment. The aesthetics would be enhanced, providing a much healthier environment for the children, the elderly and a better environment to raise families. The rate of deforestation would be significantly reduced as farmers would be introduced to more environmentally friendly technologies. This level of intervention will also ensure the sustainable use and preservation of natural resources which will ultimately be a sustainable source of income generation/livelihood opportunities for the local community. Expected results are to see protection of the environment and maintaining biodiversity. Reduce overexploitation of the natural herbs and spices growing in the area
Over the past thirty years however, due to large scale commercial agriculture such as yam production and the once flourishing cattle trade, as well as settlement expansion there has been marked reduction and loss of many of these plant species arising from land degradation. The local herbs have been an important part of the biodiversity and therefore, in addition to helping to maintain the ecosystem, they would occasionally be harvested from the wild and sold on the local market, contributing to the livelihoods of residents. Currently this activity is one of the income streams that has been significantly reduced and contributes to the level of economic hardship being experienced generally.
Because the community lost much of the economic activities that were taking place in the 1970?s the
vulnerable groups the poor, women, youth, elderly and the disabled has suffered tremendously to
sustain their livelihood. As a result there has been over exploitation of natural resources resulting in:
? Loss in diversification of agricultural production
? Habitat loss of plants species
? Degradation of the natural environment
? Fragmentation of the natural habitat
? Rural urban drift
? Climate Change Effects
? Deforestation
The area is located in a forest reserve in the Great River Watershed. The flora of the area is threatened
because of overexploitation and in addition to deforestation, for agricultural activities, slash and burn
and grazing of cattle. Studies will be conducted to provide empirical data on the endangered and
endemic species in the area.
The primary objective of this project would be to restore restore/maintain the biodiversity of the area by increasing the population of medicinal plants and herbs and build the capacity of the community for better management of the natural resources. This will contribute to the diversification of agricultural production and reduce unemployment. The aesthetics would be enhanced, providing a much healthier environment for the children, the elderly and a better environment to raise families. The rate of deforestation would be significantly reduced as farmers would be introduced to more environmentally friendly technologies. This level of intervention will also ensure the sustainable use and preservation of natural resources which will ultimately be a sustainable source of income generation/livelihood opportunities for the local community. Expected results are to see protection of the environment and maintaining biodiversity. Reduce overexploitation of the natural herbs and spices growing in the area
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Project Snapshot
Grantee:
Cacoon Castle Farmers Group
Country:
Jamaica
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Grant Amount:
US$ 5,000.00
Co-Financing Cash:
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 5,000.00
Project Number:
JAM/SGP/OP5/2/CORE/BD/13/11
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
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Project Characteristics and Results
Gender Focus
The sensitization of community members and an integrated approach to social and environmental factors on lives and livelihoods will lead to more developed, organised communities supporting sustainable livelihoods for themselves, their families and communities. Women and youth involvement has been designed and aimed at building the capacity of the people most affected in the community to effect change necessary for community development. The action in all aspects will take into specific account the gendered realities of rural life which women form some 52% of household heads across the community and make up the majority of the poor. The Cacoon Castle Production and Marketing Organization which is the implementing Agency has demonstrated their commitment to gender mainstreaming over the years as 50% of the group are female and females make up a large percentage of the management structure which is involved the decision making process and the day to day activities of the group.
Notable Community Participation
This information will serve as a basis for assessing and understanding community participation and ownership.
Stakeholder consultation meetings will be held with the community members who will be driven by Community Facilitator, RADA, SDC, JAS, LOCAL Community leaders from all organizations that operate within the community to ensure that the community buys into the programme. An implementation committee will be formed with representatives from government agencies and the executive of the group. The Project Manager will work closely with the implementation Committee that the project is carefully managed, monitored and constantly evaluated. This group has gained some amount of experience in Project Management, Project monitoring and evaluation. Under the Ridge to Reef Watershed Project This has put the community in good stead in terms of the experience, knowledge, skills and lessons learnt in project management implementation and monitoring
SGP Country office contact
Ms Hyacinth Y Douglas
Phone:
(876) 978-2390-9 ext. 2030
Email:
Ms. Faradaine Forbes-Edwards
Email:
Address
1-3 Lady Musgrave Road
Kingston 5, LA and the Caribbean
Kingston 5, LA and the Caribbean
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