The Upper Region of the Rio Minho Watershed in Clarendon, which includes the Bull Head Forest Reserve is faced with the major issue of severe degradation of the land and water resources. This watershed has been listed as one of four management units in Jamaica that is regarded as severely degraded and has become progressively worse in the last decade. The upper Rio Minho Watershed communities have a population of over 69,000 (six clusters) around the Bull Head Forest Reserve residents that are predisposed to the effects of land degradation and poor water resource management. The main causes of this chronic degradation of the watershed lies mainly in the high levels of deforestation in the upper watershed, coupled with poor unsustainable farming practices include slash and burn and over cultivation on hillsides, cultivation on slopes without soil conservation measures and increased use of agrochemicals. The lack of adequate livelihood options, especially for youths, has also exacerbated the overexploitation of ecosystem services.
Additionally, climatic changes of unpredictable, shorter and heavier rainfall events along with longer periods of drought have also made conditions worse. The main impacts of this problem include sharp rates of soil erosion/loss, reduction in the quantity and quality of water, increased siltation of rivers and streams, increased incidences of flooding. The degradation also leads to reduced productivity and agricultural yields, which is of major concern to the mostly low-income families who largely depend on agriculture for their survival. The Northern Rio Minho Local Forest Management Committee as well as the Forestry Department has attempted to address this issue mainly through reforestation programmes and has achieved measured success, however more similar and broadened interventions are needed to address the issue. The low level of knowledge among farmers regarding good agricultural and natural resource management best practices further exacerbates the problem.

If this degradation continues at the current rate, the forest cover may be removed to intolerable levels with irreversible consequences on ecosystem services. Residents who occupy the watershed depend heavily on it for life and livelihoods (agriculture and activities), thus compromising their ability to comfortably live, work, raise their families and do their business. These environmental challenges in such a significant watershed will also compromise the nation?s quest to achieving the sustainable development goals and the country?s Vision 2030 development agenda. The project seeks to counter the degradation in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed and implement community led activities to achieve increased sustainable management, conservation and possible restoration of ecosystem services in that area.

The primary objective of the project is to counter the degradation in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed and implement a community led programme to achieve the results of increased sustainable management, conservation and possible restoration of ecosystem services in that area. The key expected results are:
? Improved knowledge and capacity of local farmers and residents to implement conservation agriculture and other natural resource management best practices are also major expected results
? Improved natural resource-based alternate livelihoods such as agroforestry and apiculture to incentivise the adoption of best practices.
? Improved monitoring/management system with the implementation of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) that the group will use as the main means of assessing, tracking and monitoring the effectiveness of the intervention.

This Project will contribute significantly to the GEF-SGP?s focus area of addressing ?Land Degradation and Sustainable Forest Management: Climate Smart Innovative Agro-Ecology? through increased forest coverage to improve carbon sequestration as well as the establishment and/or reinforcement of riparian buffers and other land stabilization measures to improve adaptation to climate change. The improved livelihoods focus of the project while preserving the natural resources will contribute to both the prosperity of the local economy as well as the sustainable management of the ecosystem, as outlined in Goals 3 and 4 of the National Development Plan.