• Two-year initiative will plant 40,000 native and agroforestry trees across 223 hectares in Cockpit Country, one of Jamaica's most biodiverse regions

• Project combines forest restoration with ecotourism development, creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities and impacting over 1,700 locals

• Project is launched as part of TUI Care Foundation’s Forest February, which emphasises the global importance of reforestation

To address these challenges, the TUI Care Foundation has launched TUI Forest Jamaica in partnership with the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA). The two-year initiative implements a sustainable alternative livelihood model that stems forest degradation whilst creating economic opportunities for local communities.

The project will plant 32,000 native trees in forest reserve areas where gaps occur due to agricultural conversion. Working with Local Forest Management Committees, STEA will mobilise local residents to participate in restoration activities, creating educational and recreational sites for conservation awareness programmes whilst opening possibilities for ecotourism expansion. Additionally, 8,000 agroforestry trees will be planted for ecotourism activities. This approach increases the attractiveness of the eco-tourism site, reduces land erosion, and offers incentives for private landowner participation in forest restoration. The agroforestry component will provide the community with access to commercially available food whilst enhancing farm-to-table experiences for visitors.

A seedling nursery will be established to supply new plants, with community members employed to manage the facility. The project will train 25 women and men as tour guides and hosts, emphasising the significance of conserving local biodiversity. Facilities including restrooms, a visitor centre, and an outdoor kitchen will be refurbished, whilst trails will be reopened to accommodate visitors. The recreation area will host farm-to-table experiences featuring local cuisine, with storyboards and educational signage providing ecological information.

The project will directly benefit more than 1,700 people through targeted awareness campaigns and involvement in restoration and conservation activities, with 53 jobs being created for the local community. Enhancement of eco-tourism opportunities and infrastructure improvements will enable over 2,000 tourists and schoolchildren to participate in nature-based tourism experiences. An adopt-a-tree programme creates meaningful ways for visitors to financially support the community's conservation efforts, whilst income generated through replanting and tour guiding serves as the primary incentive to sustain benefits beyond implementation.

The TUI Care Foundation's ‘Forest February’ is a month of activities dedicated to reforestation. Through a series of project launches and educational activities, it emphasises the importance of community-managed reforestation solutions and sustainable agro-forestry tourism practices to safeguard forest ecosystems for local communities and generations to come.