Work has begun on the Improving Forest and Protected Area Management (IFPAM) in Trinidad and Tobago Project! The IFPAM Project is a full scale
project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of
Trinidad and Tobago, 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. For a brief overview of the Project, its components and expected outputs, click on the link below:
FAO is currently seeking consultants to develop a methodology to monitor the status of selected wildlife species as identified in the Project Document. Interested candidates can access further details and instructions on the application
process from the link below:
Today, March 3rd, 2015 is Wold
Wildlife Day (WWD)! It is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of wildlife and
raising the awareness of threats to the world’s fauna and flora. March 3rd
was assigned as World Wildlife Day on December 20th, 2013 at the 68th
session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). It was put forward by
the Convention on the Convention on International Trade of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) after its 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP-16)
in Bangkok, Thailand, signifying the day of the adoption of the CITES.
Trinidad and Tobago comprises of a myriad
of ecosystems and this enables it to possess the highest biodiversity level in
the Caribbean. It contains over 420 species of birds, no less than 600
different butterfly species, more than 95 types of mammals, 85 varying
reptiles, 30 amphibians and 54 freshwater fish species. Furthermore, there are
more than 2,100 flowering plants with 2% of these being endemic (native to
Trinidad and Tobago).
In light of the importance of our local
wildlife, the first National Wildlife Policy for Trinidad and Tobago was
approved in December, 2013. The Policy recognises that wild species
contribute significantly to national development, livelihoods and human
well-being. It focuses on issues related to endangerment, and provides guidance
on the management of threatened species. Key policy issues on the management of
game species, wildlife habitat and the engagement of civil society in the
management of wildlife are also addressed.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago will continue to do its part in the preservation and sustainable management of the country's wildlife resources!
On December 19, 2013 Cabinet officially approved the
National Wildlife Policy for Trinidad and Tobago. The document
will provide the policy framework for the sustainable management of the
wildlife resources of the country.
The Draft Wildlife Policy was made available to the public, public consultations
were held throughout Trinidad and Tobago and special meetings were held with
major stakeholders for comments and review. These comments were then collated,
reviewed and used to amend the Draft by the Technical Advisory Committee who
was charged with the role of guiding the development of the policy.
Once final adjustments were made, the Draft
Policy was sent to Cabinet and on December 19, 2013 Cabinet officially adopted the
National Wildlife Policy for Trinidad and Tobago. The Wildlife Policy provides
the necessary guidance to begin to develop the appropriate legislative and
administrative framework for its implementation.
Minister of the Environment and
Water Resources the Hon. Ganga Singh , yesterday announced a 2 year moratorium on
hunting in Trinidad & Tobago with effect from the 2013-2014 hunting season
which is scheduled to commence on October 1, 2013. The moratorium will be
enforced by the Forestry Division of the Ministry of the Environmental and
Water Resources with assistance from the Ministry of National Security. The
Office of Attorney General is currently reviewing the penalties and fines in
the Conservation of Wildlife Act with a view to amending the existing
legislation. The proposed amendments will likely include:
The fine for hunting of any
animal in a Game Sanctuary will be increased from $1000 or 3 months
imprisonment to $100,000 or 12 months imprisonment
The fine for taking a dog into
a game Sanctuary for the purpose of hunting will be raised from $1000 or 3
months imprisonment to $100,000 or 12 months imprisonment
The fine for hunting a
protected animal without a Special Game License from the Chief Game Warden will
be raised from $1000 or 3 months imprisonment to $50,000 for “each animal”
The fine for being found on
state lands under circumstances of hunting any second schedule animal under the
Conservation of Wildlife Act will be raised from $400 or 3 months imprisonment
and disqualification from holding a state game license as the magistrate sees
fit to $50,000 or 12 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a
state game license to as the magistrate sees fit
The fine for carrying into
state lands any gun or weapon or device capable of being used to hunt any
second schedule animal under the Conservation of Wildlife Act has been raised
from $400 or 3 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a state
game license as the magistrate sees fit to $5000 or 6 months imprisonment and
disqualification from holding a state game license to as the magistrate sees
fit
Hunting in the closed season
without a special game license and not under the special conditions to exercise
dogs in lands other than Forest Reserves and Game Sanctuaries will be raised
from $2000 or 6 months imprisonment to $100,000 or 24 months imprisonment.
The full text of the Minister’s
speech can be found on the Ministry's facebook page , or the following document can be viewed at the following link:
Four public consultations on the Draft National Wildlife Policy were held across North, South and Central Trinidad and in Tobago during the period January and February, 2013.
Persons from all facets of society were in attendance including representatives from environmental NGOs, government ministries and agencies, community groups, tertiary education institutions as well as hunters, farmers and other interested members of the public.
At the start of each consultation, opening remarks were given by the chair. In Trinidad, each consultation was chaired byMr. Romano Mc Farlane, Environmental Biologist/Head of Wildlife Section, Forestry Division. While, in Tobago, the session was chaired by Ms. Angela Ramsey, Wildlife Biologist of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Tobago House of Assembly (THA).
Opening remarks were then followed by a brief overview of the main components of the Draft Wildlife Policy. This was presented by either Dr. Flyod Homer, Biodiversity Specialist or Dr. David Persaud, Environmental Manager both from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.
Rich feedback emerged from the participants at each consultation. These discussions centered on the four main objectives of the Draft Wildlife Policy:
Protection of endangered/threatened wildlife species, both resident and migratory
Maintenance of viable populations of native wildlife species
Maximisation of the contribution of wildlife resources to livelihoods
Enhancement of the ecological integrity of wildlife habitat
During and after the consultations, the public were also invited to review and send written comments (via fax, email or post) on the Policy to the Ministry. This period was from January 2nd to March 31st, 2013. These comments and those from the public consultations were collated and then provided to the Wildlife Drafting Committee to analyse and proceed with the revision of the policy.
Once final adjustments are made, the process of laying the Wildlife Policy in Parliament will commence in order to become an official policy document. When the draft policy has been adopted, the drafting of legislation to properly implement the policy will thenfollow.
Snapshots from the National Consultations on the Draft Wildlife Policy
South Trinidad Consultation, South Academy of Performing Arts, San Fernando January 28, 2013
East Trinidad Consultation, Sangre Grande Civic Centre January 30, 2013
North Trinidad Consultation, Centre of Excellence, Macoya February 20, 2013
Tobago Consultation, Works Division, Shaw Park, Tobago
