World Frog Day 2020 

World Frog Day is celebrated by many throughout the globe. The day is observed to raise awareness about frogs: amphibians found on land and water both. They are predators and play a crucial role in maintaining the environment during its lifetime. The World Frog Day has been celebrated since the year 2009. Scientists aver that in the recent years, frog species are under threat. Extinction is looming large over their populations due to many reasons such as deforestation.

Poisonous frog- Mannophryne trinitatis

The World Frog Day is an awareness day to save these creatures from extinction and give afford them a safe environment to thrive and survive. It has been perceived as well as synchronized by several organizations across the globe. The World Frog Day is the biggest and most significant day of amphibian education as well as conservation action across the world. On this World Frog Day, there is a need to encourage appreciation as well as celebration of these amphibians by people across the world and from all walks of life.

BUFONIDAE (Toads)- Rhinella marina

Very few people among the public are aware that frogs are disappearing. In fact, efforts aimed at amphibian conservation won’t be successful if the public is uninformed. The goal must be to make the crisis of amphibian extinction, particularly the frogs, common knowledge. The World Frog Day is the best that we can do to make this a reality! The World Frog Day can help educate communities about the importance as well as significance of amphibians.

In Trinidad and Tobago amphibians are only represented by the order Anura (frogs and toads). There are 35 species from 12 families currently recorded here. Of these several are endemic and some have quite restricted distributions. The most commonly encountered anuran is the cane toad or crapaud and one of the rarest is the endangered Golden Tree Frog only found on the highest mountains in the Northern Range.

Trinidad and Tobago's National Biodiversity website provides a detailed listing of frogs present in our islands. For more information, the website can be accessed using the following link- http://www.biodiversity.gov.tt/home/trinidad-a-tobago-biodiversity/fauna-checklist/vertebrates/amphibians.html

WORLD WILDLIFE DAY 2020

MARCH 3, 2020

The incalculable value of wildlife

The animals and plants that live in the wild have an intrinsic value and contribute to the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic aspects of human well-being and to sustainable development.

World Wildlife Day is an opportunity to celebrate the many beautiful and varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that their conservation provides to people. At the same time, the Day reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime and human-induced reduction of species, which have wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts. Given these various negative effects, Sustainable Development Goal 15 focuses on halting biodiversity loss.

Sustaining all life on Earth

The theme of World Wildlife Day 2020, “Sustaining all life on Earth”, encompasses all wild animal and plant species as a component of biodiversity, as well as the livelihoods of people, especially those who live closest to the nature. This aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 12, 14 and 15, and their wide-ranging commitments on alleviating poverty, ensuring sustainable use of resources, and on conserving life both on land and below water to halt biodiversity loss.

Earth is home to countless species of fauna and flora – too many to even attempt counting. Historically, we have depended on the constant interplay and inter linkages between all elements of the biosphere for all our needs: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the materials we need for all purposes. However, unsustainable human activities and over exploitation of the species and natural resources are imperiling the world’s biodiversity. Nearly a quarter of all species are presently at risk of going extinct in the coming decades.

The year 2020, known as “biodiversity super year,” will host several major global events that place biodiversity at the forefront. It provides a unique opportunity to deliver transformative progress for the conservation and sustainable use of the species of wild animals and plants.

Get involved

Share what you've learned with your friends and family.

Spread the word, especially to children and youth. They are the future leaders of wildlife conservation and they deserve a future where we humans live in harmony with wildlife that share the planet with us. 

Remember to use the hashtags #WorldWildlifeDay #WWD2020 #SustainingAllLife #Biodiversity2020 #SustainableUse

                                                                                                                                                    Source:  https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-wildlife-day

World Wetlands Day - "Celebrating My Caroni"

Under the theme "Celebrating My Caroni", the Caroni Swamp Subcommittee of the Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago project shared the observance of this year's World Wetlands Day.  The actual date of the observance being 2nd February annually, the Subcommittee staged two major activities with target audiences of artists/photographers and Primary  School students, which were all held at the Caroni Swamp, one of our more well-known wetland sites.

On Sunday 2nd February 2020 - 02.02.2020 - some thirteen artists and photographers accepted the invitation to embark on a guided tour of the Caroni Swamp, assisted by Ravi Kalpoo of Kalpoo tours, and local naturalists.  After a short briefing at the Visitor Centre, the group explored the various channels of the swamp with instructions to capture "what stands out and inspires", including the "awesomeness", "the good, the bad, the ugly" and "the value and challenges" of the Swamp. 

On Thursday 6th February 2020, it was the turn of seventy-one (71) Standard Three students of four schools from communities which surround the Caroni Swamp to explore "The World of Wetlands".  In four rotations, students undertook: (i) an interpretive walk of the wetland at the Visitor Centre; (ii) a virtual tour of the Caroni Swamp's flora, fauna and associated livelihoods via a PowerPoint presentation; (iii) a hands-on activity on food chains and food webs of the Caroni Swamp; and (iv) an exploration of biodiversity of swamps and introduction to plants found at the Caroni Swamp.

It was then the turn of artists and photographers again on Friday 7th February 2020, to regroup at the swamp for "an evening corn soup lime" to close the celebration of "My Caroni" by reviewing all the pieces captured through the lens of the photographer and the brushstokes and hands of the artists.  With brief comments delivered by the Project  Coordination Unit, a representative of the National Parks Section of the Forestry Division, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, the oohs and aahs echoed through the cool evening breeze of the Caroni Visitor Centre, as the beautiful pieces were revealed.

Both audiences were greatly appreciative of the activities and recommended that these be repeated regularly to build awareness and appreciation for protected areas, while sharing accurate information about the sites.  It is hoped that these recommendations meet fertile ground, as the mantra often repeated at the event was "another occasion, a different location", to enhance local knowledge of these sites.