St Elizabeth PC calls meeting for preservation of Holland Bamboo

In the wake of recent fire destruction to the world-famous Holland Bamboo, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, has called a meeting aimed at putting plans in place to preserve the tourist attraction. 
    
Chairman of the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, Mayor Everton Fisher, told RJR News that the meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, next week, will include a representative from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Social Development Commission, the Fire Department, the St. Elizabeth  Parish Council, and the Ministry of Agriculture.
   
 The primary aim of the meeting, Mayor Fisher said, is to formulate plans for replanting and preserving the bamboo.
    
He said plans will also be drafted for a series of sensitisation meetings targetting residents and farmers in the area. 
    
Mayor Fisher added that members of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF) will be called on to play a more pro-active role in helping to preserve the bamboo.
           
He said they will be tasked with conducting regular patrols and prosecuting persons caught cutting or removing bamboo from the area.
    
Over the years, fire resulting from poor agricultural practices, vandalism, and careless acts, has caused extensive damage to the attraction, which is visited by thousands of tourists annually. 
   
 On Wednesday, fire attributed to poor agriculture practice in land preparation destroyed over 600 meters of the bamboo. 
    
Three weeks before that incident, 150 meters of the bamboo was destroyed by fire.
   
 In the meantime, Mayor Fisher acknowledged the assistance provided by several organizations including the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation in replanting bamboo and returning Holland Bamboo Avenue to its former glory.
    
He noted, however, that if the efforts are to be successful, the participation of vendors and farmers is crucial. 
    
      
Meanwhile, commenting on the fire at Holland Bamboo, the Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, says he is of the view that a policy needs to be put in place for the preservation of important ecological endowments. 
   
    
He says co-ordination among state entities such as the Tourism Enhancement Fund, CHASE, and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, would foster the creation of a pool of resources to ensure that all national treasures are properly preserved.