|
PROMOTING PRIVATE
INVESTMENT IN FOREST DEVELOPMENT
Kingston March 13, 2006
A National Seminar on Prospects for
Plantation Forestry with particular reference to the
potential for private sector investments in forestry
development will take place on Wednesday, March 15,
2006
at the Courtleigh Hotel, New Kingston, starting at
10.00am.
The
gathering of industry stakeholders will among other
things
assess available lands and potential
interest of private investors in exploring
possibilities for pursuing plantation forestry
projects. The Forestry Department estimates there
are some 67,000 hectares of private lands with a
potential for reforestation, and another 60,000
hectares of underutilized properties, much of it
privately owned, which could be used for forest
development. It is widely believed that Teak and
other fine hardwoods such as Mahogany and Cedar
would be highly productive on these deeper soils
resulting in faster growth and better yields of
quality timber.
Organised under the auspices of The
Forest Conservancy with support from the National
Forest Programme Facility of the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation, FAO, the seminar will
review the prospects for private forestry
development, explore options for investment
instruments and identify some of the critical
follow-up action which must be taken in ensuring
sustainable management of the island’s forestry
resources. The seminar will be addressed by the
UNDP Resident Representative, Mr Carlos Espinola and
the FAO Representative Dr Dunstan Campbell. A
keynote presentation on the economic aspects of
private forestry will be delivered by the FAO
Regional Forestry Officer Mr Claus Eckelmann.
The Forest Conservancy was
established in 2003 to promote and implement
activities designed to manage Jamaica’s forest
resources in the interest of sustainable development
and has embarked upon a programme of
promoting private investment in timber production.
It is currently preparing a database of tree growers
and land owners interested in investing in forest
plantations
|
