Catch & Release - GOJ/GEF/IDB Yallahs Hope Project July - September 2017 | Page 13

Fighting Forest Fires in our Watersheds

Community Forest Fire Management Training

While it will be difficult to persuade farmers to stop “slash and burn” as a method to prepare farmlands for planting, farmers were open to learning the climate-smart alternatives - composting and mulching.

The forest fire prevention and management trainings were led by the Forestry Department with support from the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). Farmers can now act as first responders in the event of a fire.

It will take years for many to fully recover from the 2015 fires, but with this training, they are now better equipped to prevent and respond to future flames.