The climate of Jamaica and the larger Caribbean region has been changing and will continue to change. The already hot and dry conditions have become drier and warmer, exceeding optimal conditions for many species. Sea level rise and increased storm surges have led to beach erosion and mangrove loss, and intense warming events have resulted in coral bleaching, reducing populations of marine wildlife. These impacts are projected to continue, with likely intensification of the trends in some variables. However, without human intervention many ecosystems that are replete with biodiversity, will not be able to adapt quickly to human-induced climate change without human intervention.

Climate change, the focal area within which this project falls, poses serious problems for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Jamaica because of several inherent vulnerabilities, including the small size and uniqueness of most ecosystems on these islands, their location within the path traversed by hurricanes and other tropical cyclones, and reliance on a narrow set of socio-economic activities (e.g. tourism and agriculture) that are very sensitive to climate. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice surveys (KAP) recently conducted have revealed that there are clear knowledge gaps and indifferent attitudes toward climate change, how it should be addressed and by whom. Several studies have indicated that climate change will affect women and children more heavily, and ecosystems on small islands are particularly vulnerable because their size and high endemism (native species found nowhere else in the world) reduce the likelihood of recolonization after major events. However, while the foregoing present challenges, there are also opportunities to be exploited. Further the most recent (third) National Communications of Jamaica to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has emphasized that there is a need to increase awareness and to change attitudes towards and practice (behaviour) relating to climate change with a special (though not exclusive) focus on the involvement of youths etc. This has also been echoed in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of the Paris Agreement which seeks to further strengthen the UNFCCC.

One way to simultaneously address the above is through encouraging young children to conserve biodiversity as a means of adapting to and mitigating climate change by planting gardens of endemic plants in schools. A useful accompaniment to this is the provision of tailored information in an easy to understand format to enhance knowledge, improve decision making and ultimately to advance adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change. Primary level students represent an excellent target population, as they not only represent the future generation, but also can influence their seniors (parents and other relatives) to effect changes, which climate change itself demands. In this regard, this project seeks to bolster the conservation of green spaces in schools, while producing and distributing a comprehensive Knowledge Product on climate change for Primary level students.

The primary objective of this project is to establish green spaces in primary schools to teach students and teachers how conserve endemic and indigenous flora and build resilience against the adverse impacts of climate change. The green spaces will have ?Reading Gardens? in communities that are not fully aware of climate change and conservation. The plants in these gardens will be those that are endemic and indigenous to Jamaica and resilient to likely changes in climate. The initiative will teach students about Jamaica?s native flora, how they can be conserved, and how they influence and are impacted by, climate change. The plants will be selected based on research and expert advice from botanists in the Department of Life Sciences at UWI Mona to ensure that the plants included are not only endemic, but also suited to the climate of the locations of the target schools. An accompanying knowledge product will also be developed to increase the knowledge of climate science in primary school students and to enable both students and teacher to participate in the adaptation to, and mitigation of, climate change at the community level. The key outcomes of the project will be:

? An increased awareness of native and endemic flora and methods of conservation;
? Enhanced understanding of the adverse impacts of climate change on biodiversity and remedial measures;
? The mainstreaming of climate change into the learning curriculum at the primary level.

The Reading Gardens will include eco-friendly gazebos in which students can study and teachers can conduct classes outside of the classroom, as activities in nature are critical to the well-rounded development of young children. They will each also include two automatic weather stations for collection of local climate data. The expected target schools are Randolph Lopez School of Hope (7 Golding Avenue, Kingston 7), St. Peter Claver Primary (33B Waltham Park Rd, Kingston 13), Harbour View Primary School (31A Martello Drive, Harbour View), Franklin Town Primary School (4 Victoria St, Kingston 16), and Constant Spring Primary and Junior High (Cassava Piece Rd, Kingston), Mount Airy Primary School, Mount Airy, Mocho, and Richmond Primary, Richmond District in Northern Clarendon. The rural schools were selected to support UN/GOJ UN Trust Fund on Human Security joint project entitled ? ?Strengthening Human Resilience in Northern Clarendon & West Kingston Project?

A review of existing literature shows that there is a clear need for publication of this kind in the Caribbean and we intend to make the contents unique for the target audience. This knowledge product will equip students to demonstrate awareness of climate change matters, and likely empower them to make more informed decisions about climate change adaptation and mitigation. The project will be undertaken by the Climate Studies Group, Mona, with other partners, including inter alia the UWI Mona School of Education, the Climate Change Division (CCD) of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, (MEGJC) and the Ministry of Education.

Topics covered in the Knowledge Product will be guided by the new National Standards Primary Curriculum of the Ministry of Education, which came into operation in the 2016-2017 school year. In addition, these content areas which are pertinent to the CC theme will be included:
? The science of climate change
? Historical and projected trends in Caribbean climate
? Past and potential future impacts
? Current adaptation and mitigation strategies

Text will be accompanied by interactive exercises, graphics specially developed for the material, and a teaching guide for teachers using the text. This publication will make an original contribution to global knowledge management platforms of the GEF SGP. When students are equipped with CC knowledge, it could lead to enhanced sustainable management and use of environmental and natural resources among themselves and those with whom they interact.