Director Russell Speech Prescribed Burning Opening

DIRECTOR RUSSELL PROJECT INTRODUCTION SPEECH FOR PRESCRIBED BURNING OPENING CEREMONY

FORESTS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE AND ARE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS THE LUNGS OF THE EARTH, PROVIDING OXYGEN AND ABSORBING CARBON DIOXIDE. FORESTS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, ECOTOURISM, SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION,

MICROCLIMATE

REGULATION

AND

CLIMATE

CHANGE, AGRO-FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT. THE FORESTRY UNIT IS LOCATED IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND HOUSING AND

ITS MANDATE IS TO DEVELOP THE FOREST

RESOURCES OF THE BAHAMAS TO THEIR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL BY APPLYING SOUND, SCIENTIFIC, AND SUSTAINED YIELD FOREST MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS. FORESTRY

UNIT

SOUGHT

ASSISTANCE

CONSEQUENTLY, THE FROM

VARIOUS

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO FULFILL ITS MANDATE SINCE IT IS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRAINED

BY A SMALL STAFF COMPLEMENT.

THUS, IN FEBRUARY 2012, THE

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

APPROVED FUNDING FOR A TWO (2) YEAR TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME

(TCP)

FORESTRY

PROJECT,

TITLED

“FOREST

MANAGEMENT PILOT AND TRAINING IN ABACO”. THE TCP IS MANAGED BY THE FORESTRY UNIT.

TRAINING WORKSHOPS HAVE

BEEN HELD ON NEW PROVIDENCE, ABACO AND ANDROS TO BUILD CAPACITY IN BAHAMIANS.

THES WORKSHOPS HAVE ADDRESSED

AREAS WHERE DEFICIENCIES EXISTED IN THE FORESTRY UNIT SUCH AS

BASIC

FOREST

MANAGEMENT,

GIS,

FOREST

INVENTORY

TECHNIQUES AND NOW, PRESCRIBED BURNING AS OUR CARIBBEAN PINE IS A FIRE DEPENDENT SPECIES. THE TRAINING WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED TO RELEVANT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PRIVATE CITIZENS.

THE BAHAMAS NATIONAL TRUST, DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, THE BAHAMAS ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE

AND

TECHNOLOGY

COMMISSION,

FRIENDS

OF

THE

ENVIRONMENT AND PRIVATE CITIZENS HAVE ALL BENEFITTED FROM THESE TRAINING WORKSHOPS. TODAY, OUR ROYAL BAHAMAS POLICE FORCE WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF BENEFICIARIES. ADDITIONALLY,

THE

PROJECT

HAS

RECEIVED

SOME

PUBLIC

ATTENTION AS IT WAS HIGHLIGHTED ON THE BAHAMAS AT SUNRISE

SHOW AND ALSO ON “THE PLATFORM” WITH WENDAL JONES AND DR. GODFREY ENEAS. SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS ALSO PUBLISHED ARTICLES ABOUT THIS FORESTRY PROJECT ON NEW PROVIDENCE AND ABACO. A TOWN MEETING HELD IN MARSH HARBOUR DURING ONE OF THE TRAINING SESSIONS, EXPOUNDED ON THE ADVANTAGES OF THE TCP AND THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF FORESTS.

ON NUMEROUS

OCASSIONS, I WAS ALSO INVITED TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

OF

FORESTRY

FOR

SMALL

AND

MEDIUM

SIZED

BUSINESSES AT THE GRAND BAHAMA, ABACO AND ANDROS BUSINESS OUTLOOK SEMINARS. THESE ARE PRODUCTIVE FORESTRY YEARS FOR THE COUNTRY. WE ARE FOCUSED ON BECOMING HIGHLY SKILLED AND COMPETENT FORESTERS. WHIILE THIS PRESCRIBED BURNING TRAINING IS THE LAST

TRAINING

WORKSHOP

UNDER

THE

FAO

TCP,

WE ARE

COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUSLY UPGRADING OURSELVES AND WILL SEEK OUT NEW PARTNERSHIPS AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES. OUR PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON FORESTRY WILL ALSO CONTINUE WITH ADDITIONAL TOWN MEETINGS, TELEVISION AND RADIO APPEARANCES AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES. OUR MANDATE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED WITH THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL FOREST PLAN

AND FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS. THIS WILL ALL BE MADE POSSIBLE FROM THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS GAINED FROM THIS FAO TCP. ULTIMATELY, WE HOPE TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE SMALL SCALE FOREST BASED INDUSTRIES TO REDUCE WOOD IMPORTS THEREBY PROVIDING GREEN JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE AND AN ADDITIONAL REVENUE STREAM FOR THE PUBLIC TREASURY. PERHAPS, THE BEST REPORT I CAN GIVE YOU IS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A LEASEE ON ABACO WHO IS PRODUCING WONDERFUL PRODUCTS FROM OUR CARIBBEAN PINE AND PAYING ROYALTIES TO THE PUBLIC TREASURY.

WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE POSITIVE

FEEDBACK FROM THE LOCAL POPULACE FOR OUR SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVES. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY TUNED TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND FORESTRY WEBSITE AS WE WILL BE RELEASING A FORESTRY DOCUMENTARY AT THE CULMINATION OF THIS PROJECT AND FOR OTHER EXCITING NEWS REGARDING THIS REVIVED AND THRIVING INDUSTRY!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.