A new postage stamp series was released on Friday, November 9 to herald the approaching Christmas season.
This year, the floral design once again accented the stamps, but of the four stamps, three are orchids and the other - 'mountain pride' - is a unique flower.
In his welcome, Vivian Crawford, executive director of the Institute of Jamaica, commended the postal service for highlighting and preserving many facets of Jamaica through the use of themes presented in postage stamps.
Guest speaker at the ceremony held in the lecture hall at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston, Keith Goldson, spoke with passion of the dire need for the entire nation to protect the range of floral species that grow in special or even distinctive environments.
He posited that elements such as soil type, elevation and climatic conditions directly affect the potential for any plant taken from its natural habitat to thrive elsewhere.
Goldson, a Musgrave medallist (among many other honours), indicated his concern about the casual removal of special flowering plants like the orchids presented on the stamps.
He stated that these orchids, by their beauty, "are attractive to people who uproot these (flowers) from areas where they grow best in order to sell them to just any passing motorist without a drop of concern for the survival of the species".
Negative impact
His apprehension is predicated on the reality that, in general, buyers are not trained botanists and are therefore unaware of the negative impact that the mass removal of the plants will have on the country. In his opinion, the constant removal of plants contributes to degrading the longevity of natural flora and of particular concern is the survival of species endemic to this nation.
Preservation
First-day cover of the Christmas stamps. - Contributed
He added, "Jamaica belongs to us: we must protect what we have, or rather, what we have left," and mentioned the necessity for preserving "unspoilt" areas such as the Cockpit Country.
Glennamoe McNabb, deputy postmaster general (administration), outlined the stamp preparation procedure overseen by the Jamaican Stamp Advisory Committee, which she chairs.
The Christmas 2007 series consists of four stamps with the following denominations: $20, $30, $50 and $60. Also available are first-day covers at a cost of $400. The flowers represented on the stamps are: Tolumnia triquetra ($20), Broughtonia negrilensis ($30), Broughtonia sanguinea ($50) and Spathelia sorbifolia 'mountain pride' ($60). These flowers were captured by Jamaican photographer and environmentalist, Denis Valentine.
