On March 3, Jamaica will join the international community in observing World Wildlife Day, an annual observance held under the auspices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The 2026 theme, ‘Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage and Livelihood’, underscores the vital connection between biodiversity and human well-being.
It highlights how plants serve not only as sources of medicine and economic activity but also as repositories of cultural memory and traditional knowledge.
For this year’s observance, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), is partnering with the University of the West Indies, Mona, to place special focus on the pimento plant, more popularly known as allspice.
The plant is deeply woven into Jamaica’s history, cuisine and economy.
Indigenous to the island, it has long been prized for its distinctive flavour and aromatic qualities.
Yet, like many endemic species, it faces mounting threats, chief among them being habitat loss driven by climate pressures, land-use change and other environmental challenges.
Speaking from a policy perspective, Coordinator of Flora at NEPA, Samantha Grant, said protecting plants such as pimento begins with strong conservation measures on the ground.
“At the National Environment and Planning Agency, our role is to safeguard Jamaica’s flora through habitat protection, regulation, research and public education.
We support plant conservation by regulating the activities that impact our native and threatened plants.
Our work is guided, as well, by many national policies and international commitments, including the Convention on Biological Diversity,” she explained.
Grant emphasised that these frameworks ensure conservation efforts are science-based,....
