Squirrel Appreciation Day January 21st 2020

Sciurus granatensis found in Trinidad and Tobago and also found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Venezuela. Sciurus granatensis is found in habitats ranging from tropical forests to croplands. They are terrestrial animals and are found both on the ground and in trees but are more common in trees.

The red-tailed squirrel is a medium-sized tree squirrel with a conspicuous orange-red tail. Fur is short and colour varies. Fur colour is usually reddish brown but some squirrels have darker coloured skin and may be black. Their tail colour is rusty red or orange and some have a black coloured tip. These squirrels have a broad skull with a long rostrum and nasals.

They are solitary animals and are rarely seen in groups, they are social only during breeding seasons. Social behaviour is also exhibited when mothers are with their young. Groups may be observed at feeding aggregations however a large space of several metres is maintained between squirrels.

As diurnal animals most of their activity occurs above ground on trees. These include feeding and travelling. They feed approximately 30 metres above ground. Tree trunks and vines are used to travel throughout the forest. They travel by running along trees and vines and leaping from tree to tree

Their diet includes fruits, hard nuts, twigs, flowers and leaves as well as tree frog eggs. They feed on as many as 58 species of plants. Fruits include mangoes, avocados, bananas, guava and coconut. Insect larvae are also fed on occasionally.

Foraging occurs between sunrise and sunset from approximately 6:30 am to midday. They resume foraging in late afternoon till sunset. They forage by breaking large, decaying tree trunks and vines to reach insect larvae inside. They crack the hard shells of nuts by gnawing through the shell and feed on the inner seed. When fruits are taken from the ground, the squirrel climbs up several metres above the ground to feed.

Sciurus granatensis are generally silent animals. They do have several distinctive calls and communicate vocally. They make short, hoarse notes when frightened or as an alarm of predators. They also have distinct vocal mating calls. These include grunts, chucks and squeals. Visual communication is done by tail gestures. They use their tails as signalling devices to communicate with other squirrels. They do this by tail-flicking. This is also done to ward off predators. They also mark regular routes travelled with urine. This is a method of territory marking as well as to attract mates during breeding season.

The gestation period of Sciurus granatensis lasts less than two months. Females give birth to two or three young. Babies are reared by mothers with no assistance from males.

Meetings of the CBD; Montreal, Canada, November 20th – 29th, 2019

The 11^th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions and the 23^rd Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-23) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held in Montreal, Canada, during the period November 20^th – 29^th, 2019. The Government of Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the meetings by Ms. Candace Amoroso, Biodiversity Specialist of the EPPD.

Ms. Candace Amoroso, Biodiversity Specialist

The meetings addressed a range of issues, with the main item under discussion being the contributions to the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

The Working Group on Article 8(j) focused on the role of indigenous peoples and local communities, and addressed links between nature and culture for the development of the post-2020 framework. The Working Group further conducted its thematic dialogue; addressed recommendations from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; and discussed progress towards Aichi Target 18 (traditional knowledge).

SBSTTA-23 focused on the scientific and technical base for the Post-2020 Framework, gathering ideas on the 2030 mission and relevant targets. It further focused on biodiversity and climate change, technical and scientific cooperation, and sustainable wildlife management, approving relevant recommendations to the Conference of the Parties (COP).

Approximately 600 participants attended the meetings, representing governments, international organisations, academia, and civil society.

Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Officer-in-Charge of the CBD Secretariat meets with delegates from Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

Flood Modelling– FLO 2D Software

Flood Modelling Training Workshop Participants

Under the GCP/TRI/003/GFF Project - Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) facilitated a five (5) day training course on Flood Modelling using the FLO-2D software.  The sessions were hosted at the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT), Drainage Division IN El Socorro.

The FAO partnered with MOWT, as well as the University of the West Indies (U.W.I) to complete the two (2) module training course. The lecturers from the U.W.I. were Dr. Vincent Cooper of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Bheshem Ramlal and Dr. Jason Tambie of the Department of Geomatics and Land Management.

Given the recent frequency of flooding that has been affecting large areas of Trinidad and even Tobago, the aim of the training sessions was to entrust the main stakeholders with the capacity to utilize flood modelling software to assist in possible flood prevention and/or mitigation.

Module 1 of the training was held on October 30-31, 2019 and introduced all participants to the use of the QGIS platform with FLO-2D as a plug-in. Aspects such as rainfall analysis, infiltration and hydrologic analysis were explored within these days.

Module 2 was held over the period of November 19-21, 2019 and delved deeper into the manipulation of the software including the generation of inflow hydrographs, using Mapper Pro (for visual representation of flood extent and Flood hazard mapping) as well as the effects of 1D channel routing, hydraulic structures, embankments and consequential outflow conditions. The last day of training saw all participants performing group assignments portraying the use of the software from conceptualization to presentation of the models generated and analysis of the results. 

The Ministry of Planning and Development was represented by Mr. Julius Smith and Ms. Tushara Maharaj.

Mr. Julius Smith (Environmental Biologist, EPPD, MPD) delivering a presentation during the workshop

Inter-American Development Bank Policy Cycle Training

Several staff members of the EPPD, in addition to other divisions of the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD), attended the second cohort of a four-day introductory training workshop hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on the Policy Cycle.

This engaging series of presentations were delivered by several international consultants and IDB representatives including Ms. Flavia Galvani, Lodewijk Smets, Jose Larios, Mikhail Miklyaev and Jose Martinez. The four (4) day agenda (December 9th—12th 2019) focused on-

· public policy cycle,

· policy instruments,

· policy formulation and analysis,

· implementation and delivery mechanisms,

· sector plans and

· management of the public investment cycle. 

More technical components included cost-benefit analysis, monitoring, indicators and theory of change sessions. Members of staff from divisions of MPD were able to supplement these presentations and provide a snapshot of current events and procedures regarding local policy decisions as well as challenges encountered in the policy making process. Apart from the dissemination of information on the policy process, the workshop facilitated the opportunity to bridge the gap between divisions and even other ministries that were present, identify weaknesses and missing links to enable inter-division and even inter-ministry collaboration to further streamline the policy formulating process for production of the most efficient and effective policy tools.

(L-R) Ms. Candace Leung Woo-Gabriel (Research Analyst), Ms. Danielle Sookram (Research Analyst), Mr. Kevin Bhajan (Environmental Policy Analyst) and Ms. Tushara Maharaj (Environmental Engineering Specialist) all of the EPPD, MPD. 

European Capacity Building Initiative- Regional Workshop

ECBI Workshop Participants 2019 (Tobago)

European Capacity Building Initiative’s (ECBI) First Regional Workshop for the Caribbean on climate change negotiation took place on October 30th and 31st 2019 at the Magdalena Grand Beach and Golf Resort in Lowlands, Tobago. Chaired by the Director of the  ECBI, Dr. Benito Müller, participants were exposed to a number of essential presentations and sessions on climate change efforts. Sir Carlos Fuller, International and Regional Liaison Officer of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center and a senior negotiator for Belize started the workshop with a session on the science of climate change. Sir Fuller also presented on “Loss and Damage Due to Climate Change”, which was particularly relevant as it is an item on the agenda for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC).

Following Sir Fuller, Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh, Head of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) Unit at the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD) and lead Climate Change Negotiator for Trinidad and Tobago presented on the politics of climate change and gave a synopsis of the geopolitics of climate change and the history of various MEAs and challenges of dealing with climate change on the international forefront. 

Some of the key points to note during Mr. Kumarsingh’s presentation were:

• Geopolitics- each country has the right to development and right to its resources
• Energy drives economies but recently it has been seen that you can realize economic growth without a concomitant rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Richer countries of the North have greater historical responsibility due to their level of emissions
• This is unfortunate as there is a great disparity between the developed and developing countries, and it is the developing countries of the South that are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change
• There is no international police and countries cannot be forced to act, given the principle of sovereignty, so therefore all actions are solely based on political will.
• It is of the interest of politicians and governments to address climate change as it has been leading to socioeconomic destruction

Ms. Rueanna Haynes of Trinidad and Tobago presented on Transparency under the Paris Agreement which was then followed by Dr. Müller’s final segment on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement for a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms for international cooperation when implementing the NDCs. These presentations were integral to the mock negotiation sessions as the information provided was key to making the most informed decisions. Participants were given various countries, mostly from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), and were engaged in a highly realistic negotiation session which was chaired by Mr. Kumarsingh. To lend even more realism, Mr. Kumarsingh was carded to be the actual chair for the particular item of the mock session’s agenda in COP25. The sessions were as close to the COP negotiations that novices would have been able to experience as there were debates with senior negotiators on real topics.

Snapshot of participants during workshop activity

ECBI Participants pose with their Certificate of Completion