What is the Nagoya Protocol?

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation (ABS Protocol) is an international agreement which aims at fairly sharing the benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic/biological resources. The exploitation of genetic resources for food, medicine and other natural products is now the basis of many international companies. The ABS Protocol is one policy instrument which can arrest acts of biopiracy in vulnerable countries, as well as providing a platform to efficiently connect foreign researchers and private enterprise, with holders of traditional local knowledge and genetic resources. To date seventy-one countries are Party to the Protocol. However, in the Caribbean, only two countries have signed onto the Protocol. Trinidad and Tobago is not Party to the Protocol.

More information about the Nagoya Protocol is explained in this video. Ways in which the Nagoya Protocol can open doors for Caribbean people can be also be viewed here. 

Renewable Energy Public Lectures by the Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education presents public lectures on renewable energy. These would be held at the University of the West Indies from September 26th to October 6th 2017. Please see the flyers below and the map for more information.

 

Interpretive Trail Design and Maintenance Course ends

The fifth and last module of the Interpretive Trail Design and Maintenance course took place earlier this month, with activities coming to a close in west Trinidad.

Some twenty-five participants put their earlier learning on the course to use, designing a series of trails at the Botanical Gardens, Port of Spain.

Learn more about their experiences in the last module at this link.

National Consultation on Draft Protected Areas System Plan

A meeting of key government and civil society stakeholders was held on Friday 9^th September 2017 in the form of a one-day national consultation on a Draft Protected Areas System Plan.  

The meeting sought to engage stakeholders in discussion of preliminary recommendations for harmonizing existing protected area sites with proposed sites, in order to develop the most feasible network of sites based on the criteria of representation, redundancy, resilience and realism.  The Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Senator the Hon. Clarence Rambharat addressed the consultation, which was held at the PETROTRIN Staff Club, Pointe-à-Pierre.

Dr. Howard Nelson, consultant

The development of the draft Plan was undertaken by       Dr. Howard Nelson, a consultant to the “Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” project.  This project is currently being undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) over the period 2015-2019.

Learn more about the discussions which took place at the consultation at this link.

International Coastal Clean-Up 2017- Hart's Cut

Hart’s Cut, Chaguaramas was the Ministry of Planning and Development’s location for the 2017 International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) event. The activity, which was held on September 16, 2017 was conducted in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL), and at twenty-four (24) other sites across Trinidad and Tobago by other entities.

The ICC is a global data collection exercise with an objective of removing trash and marine debris from beaches and waterways in an effort to help restore the integrity of the marine environment. The data collected is utilised for public awareness and sensitization programmes, mapping trends over the years and policy development. 

The Ministry of Planning and Development, as the Ministry with responsibility for the environment continued to be the largest local monetary sponsor of the event. The combined efforts from the members of staff from the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD), the Communications Department, the Central Statistical Office (CSO), and other divisions of the Ministry, along with the volunteers from the SWMCOL collectively resulted in the removal of 884lbs of garbage from the bay. The most unusual items collected included plastic veneer strips used for interior decorative purposes, an audio headset, an oil filter, a wooden stool, a paint tin, and dental floss.

 Special thanks to all volunteers who generously gave of their time and worked harmoniously towards the achievement of trash free seas, and for embodying the Ministry of Planning and Development’s ICC theme, ‘Environmental Pride is National Pride’.

                                     
             

Message from the Minister of Planning and Development on the occasion of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

Message from the Minister of Planning and Development

on the occasion of

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

September 16, 2017

The message from the Honourable Minister can be accessed via the following link: http://nou-tt.blogspot.com/2017/09/greeting-from-honourable-minister-of.html

Vacancy Announcement: Socioeconomic Assessment exercise

IMPROVING FOREST AND PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PROJECT

- Vacancy Announcement: Conduct an Information Needs Assessment, Propose Survey Methodology and Develop a Work Plan for a Socioeconomic Assessment

Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago (GCP/TRI/003/GFF) is a full scale project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Planning and Development, the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  The project’s overarching objective is to improve the sustainability of protected areas systems in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago Project (GCP/TRI/003/GFF) is issuing this Call to conduct an Information Needs Assessment, Propose Survey Methodology and Develop a Work Plan for a Socioeconomic Assessment in and around six pilot protected areas in Trinidad and Tobago.

Please click the link below to see further details of this call:

Terms of Reference: Vacancy Announcement for Socioeconomic Assessment

Applications should be submitted to:

Mrs. Neila Bobb-Prescott, Chief Technical Advisor at Neila.BobbPrescott@fao.org.

Deadline for submission of applications is: Friday 29th September 2017.

Save The Date: International Coastal Cleanup 2017

 

The International Coastal Clean-up is a global exercise whereby volunteers have been removing marine debris from beaches and inland water bodies for the past thirty years. Trinidad and Tobago has been participating in this initiative since 2002. Join the Ministry of Planning and Development, the major local monetary sponsor at Hart's Cut, Chaguaramas on September 16th 2017 from 7-11 a.m. 

 

Remember environmental pride is national pride!