Thursday 22 March 2018

Vacancy Announcements - Drafting of PA Management Plans

IMPROVING FOREST AND PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PROJECT

- Vacancy Announcements: 

(1) Lead Protected Area Management Specialist to draft management plans for 6 pilot protected areas 

(2) Junior Protected Area Management Specialist to draft management plans for 6 pilot protected areas 

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 for consultants to apply for a short-term consultancy to work with a team to develop feasible and practical plans for the management of the protected areas.

Please click the links below to see further details of these vacancies:

Applications should be submitted to:

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

Deadline for submission of applications is: Friday 13th April 2018.

Tuesday 20 March 2018

Celebrating the International Day of Forests 2018

March 21st marks the global annual observance of the International Day of Forests.  This year, the theme of the observance is: Forests and Sustainable Cities.

Locally, attention has been paid to the value of forest
cover for the role it plays in maintaining our watersheds, reducing erosion, filtering the air, producing oxygen, creating habitats for our wildlife and in general... sustaining life!

Forest management and propagation come into focus in these two blog articles, prepared by Ms Khadija Bourne of the Forestry Division.  Enjoy reading Championship Trees and Tree Hazard Ratings and remember to keep loving our forests and our TT trees!

#iloveTTtrees 

Thursday 8 March 2018

Views and Reviews at 2018 Lessons Learned Workshop

Two weeks ago, the second annual “Lessons Learned Workshop” was hosted by the Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago project.  

The workshop was attended by a wide range of stakeholders who are involved in the project.  They reviewed approaches being undertaken towards the project’s goal and discussed mechanisms for taking the main gains of this initiative forward in their respective day-to-day operations.  


Learn more about the two day event at this link.

Update on the "Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries of the Caribbean Region" Project

Since the first National Workshop on Advancing the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their Utilization (ABS), at the Hilton, Port of Spain in April, 2016, we have kicked the Regional UNEP-GEF project into high gear. 


Some of the highlights of 2017 include:

1.      Attendance at two (2) Regional Meetings to advance the Protocol:
 - Inception Workshop on Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries of the Caribbean Region and Regional Workshop on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABSCH) Clearing House, July 2016
                      -  Regional Workshop on the ABSCH, and Contract Template Development, November 2017
2.      Participation in a National Inventory of Genetic Material: Perspectives and Prospects
3.    Assessment of current national legislation to determine if a separate ABS legislation is needed, or if the ABS protocol can be enacted with current legislation.
4.    A national workshop on ABS legislation to generate recommendations on the way forward, September 2017
5.     A review of current administration systems for accessing genetic resources in Trinidad and Tobago
6.      Participation in a regional exercise to draft Cabinet Notes for accession to the Protocol

In 2018, the Project aims to:

1.     Complete the national genetic inventory report
2.     Host a national workshop with Indigenous Local Communities on awareness raising of the Protocol
3.  Engage in public awareness elements e.g. signage, newspaper articles, blog, roving caravan, television spots, regional ABS webpage



Image showing Attendees at the Workshop on “Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in Countries of the Caribbean Region-Legal Perspectives”, September 11th, 2017; EPPD, MPD.