What is the Clearing-House Mechanism of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity?

The Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) is an international network that gathers and distributes information on biological diversity in support of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).The network comprises national information sharing and exchange programmes established in CBD member-countries.The Jamaica CHM, a department of the Natural History Museum of Jamaica at the Institute of Jamaica, serves as the Jamaica’s biodiversity information network.

BIODIVERSITY POLICY, LEGISLATION, PERMITS AND LICENCES

Effective conservation of our biological resources is dependent on acquiring relevant information, sound conservation policies and enforcing legislation and regulations.

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Draft Strategy and Action Plan For Invasive Alien Species in the Caribbean Region 2011-2015

JAMAICA BIOSAFETY CLEARING-HOUSE

Biosafety is a term used to describe efforts to reduce and eliminate the potential risks resulting from biotechnology and its products.Click here for more on what’s happening in Jamaica.

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

2011 – International Year of Forests

Events Catalogue

Reports on Meetings/Conferences/Workshops

BIODIVERSITY ASSESSMENTS

A number of research projects and ongoing monitoring programmes have been conducted or are established in order to provide the scientific community, conservation planners and managers with data and information on the status of biodiversity in Jamaica.

National Ecological Gap Assessment Report NEGAR

Sundew (Drosera capillaris)

With the exception of some forest reserves, the Mason River Protected Area is one of Jamaica’s oldest terrestrial reserves. In 1962, Institute of Jamaica  botanist  (George Proctor) contributed to international recognition of a rare Jamaican ecosystem when he described the vegetation of the Mason River area to a meeting of the Linnaean Society of London¹. The description was based on field data collected since 1956 by Prof. A.D. Skelding and Dr. R. Loveless of the University College of the West Indies, and George Proctor. By 1962, a growing collection of dried plant specimens from the Mason River area had been established at the Institute of Jamaica herbarium. The Sundew (Drosera capillaris) was one of the first plants to be described and a first record at the time for Jamaica. It is a native insect-eating plant found at this protected area.

 

When land encompassing the Mason River ecosystem was put on sale, the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) initiated discussions on protecting the land. In 1963, the Jamaica National Trust Commission, (now the Jamaica National Heritage Trust), bought the Mason River property. However, the scientific arm of the Institute of Jamaica, (now the Natural History Museum of Jamaica), was asked to be the active manager of the property. The museum has been instrumental in researching and conserving the Mason River biodiversity for over fifty years.

¹ Proctor, G.  1970.  Mason River Field Station.  Jamaica Journal Quarterly of the Institute of Jamaica Vol. 4 (2): 29-33