Samuda: Wetlands Anchor Jamaica's Economic Resilience and Climate Security

Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, has stressed that wetlands play a direct role in advancing Jamaica's economic fortunes. Addressing the regional high-level closing session for the project 'Wise Use of Caribbean Wetlands for Climate Change Mitigation and Conservation of Their Ecosystem Service' at the Princess Grand Resort in Hanover on July 7, he said wetland protection belongs at the core of national planning rather than on the fringe of environmental debate.

"Wetlands are not peripheral environmental issues. They are central to economic resilience, to food security, to climate adaptation, and increasingly they are central to national security," Mr. Samuda said.

He described how these habitats weaken storm surges, limit flood damage, cleanse water through natural processes, support commercial fisheries, shelter diverse species, and hold vast carbon stocks — positioning them among the most powerful nature-based answers to climate pressure.

"Wetlands reduce storm surge, wetlands reduce flooding, they filter water naturally, they sustain fisheries, they provide habitat for biodiversity, and they store extraordinary amounts of carbon, making them among the world's most effective natural climate solutions," the Minister said.

Referring to Jamaica's encounter with Hurricane Melissa last October, Mr. Samuda said wetlands "save lives" and "protect communities, livelihoods, and infrastructure, and increasingly they protect our national economy".

The Minister mapped how the country's conservation framework has shifted over time, making clear that listing protected areas is an early milestone, not an end in itself. "Effective conservation requires science, monitoring, legislation, and partnerships, and most importantly, it requires political will. This regional project has strengthened precisely those foundations," he said, referencing tools to evaluate ecosystem services and climate vulnerability, stronger monitoring systems, and prioritised spending that reinforce regional teamwork and climate policy.

Mr. Samuda also flagged measurable policy progress tied to Jamaica's wider national programme. "We are advancing our national ecosystems restoration plan," he said, pointing to the designation of ecologically sensitive areas, tighter governance of protected zones, and the use of blue carbon science in international planning.

He argued that mangrove recovery efforts must grow substantially. "We continue to expand restoration efforts across mangrove systems through initiatives involving government, academia, civil society and, indeed, the private sector. These are not isolated projects. One such example is the North Coast Mangrove Project," he noted.

Money, he added, is still the biggest hurdle, and he welcomed a help desk highlighted by Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary-General of the Convention on Wetlands, as a channel for member states dealing with funding shortfalls and capacity gaps.

Passing new laws presents its own delays. "The legislative agenda is not a single-issue agenda, and we as Ministers… have to compete for time within our Attorney General's office and legal reform departments," the Minister said.

Still, Mr. Samuda pressed Caribbean governments to work as one. "No Caribbean country possesses unlimited technical capacity. No island can independently solve every conservation challenge but together we create something much stronger," he said.