Inception Workshop for the IFPAM Project in Tobago

On Thursday 3^rd December 2015, the Ministry of Planning and Development and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) hosted the second Inception Workshop for the Global Environment Facility funded project entitled "Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago" at the Works Lecture Room in Shaw Park, Tobago.

Assemblyman Godwin Adams, the Secretary of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment delivered the feature address on behalf of the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).  In his remarks he described how the project compliments the THA’s actions in forest and protected area management and revealed plans for a large scale reforestation project on the island.  Participants at the workshop included representatives from Divisions of the THA and other key stakeholders in forest and protected area management on the island.

Ms. Nevlin Renwick,

Administrator, Agriculture,Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment delivering opening remarks.

Seated at centre is Assemblyman Godwin Adams, Secretary, Agriculture,Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment.  To his left is Mr. William Trim and Mr. Selwyn Davis from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, THA

As with the first Inception workshop in Trinidad, this workshop afforded participants the opportunity to review the draft work plans for each pilot protected area and to input into proposed actions and mechanisms to achieving the project's objectives.  Work plans for all the six pilot protected areas were presented with a more detailed focus on the pilot sites in Tobago, namely the Main Ridge Forest Reserve and the proposed North East Tobago marine protected area.

National Legislative Ammendments in accordance with the Basel Convention

The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, was developed in response to concerns internationally, involving the dramatic rise in the illegal shipment of hazardous waste from developed countries for disposal in developing countries and Eastern Europe. Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the Basel Convention in 1994, and as such the country is obligated to ensure that such waste is managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

The country has experienced ad hoc incidents involving the unauthorised entry of hazardous chemicals and waste into the country. Although these were fortunately detected by the Customs and Excise Division, as they were in contravention with a list of permissible substances on their check system, all the hazardous substances as listed under the Basel Convention are not currently included in that system. Thus, the country remains at risk for future illegal trafficking of hazardous waste.

In response to this issue, the EPPD initiated a series of mechanisms to make amendments to the Import and Export Negative Lists, which would by extension give the force of law nationally to the implementation of the Basel Convention. More specifically, the objective is to establish an Import and Export Licensing System, through the inclusion of those Basel Convention hazardous wastes that are of major concern locally on to the Import and Export Negative Lists respectively.

This will serve two main functions:

•  the restriction of the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes across the country’s borders and;
•  the creation of a regulatory mechanism to monitor and control by way of documentation of the  hazardous waste being transported. 

Consultations have been ongoing with key stakeholders, namely the Customs and Excise Division, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) as the Competent Authority under the Basel Convention and the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Thus far progress has been positive and the key stakeholders have been very active and accommodating. It is anticipated that the final steps on this matter would be implemented in the not too distant future.