A Focus on the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve

Dr. Aidan Farrell, Plant Biologist of the Department of Life Sciences, UWI St. Augustine, recently wrote an article for the Newsday newspaper about the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve.  

This site is one of the pilot protected areas under the “Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” project.  

Dr. Farrell is a member of the Tobago Pilot Protected Area Subcommittee and his article, also uploaded to the Wild Tobago blog, can be viewed at this link.

GEF SGP Knowledge Fair

The Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) Knowledge Fair was a two-day event held at the UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business on May 28-29, 2015. 

The SGP is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and  implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). GEF SGP provides financial and technical support for projects that conserve and restore the environment while enhancing people’s well-being and livelihoods. 

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, represented by Mr. Javed Lakhan (Environmental Policy Analyst) sits on the  National Steering Committee (NSC) of the GEF SGP. The NSC comprises voluntary representatives from local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government, academia, UNDP and occasionally co-funding donors, indigenous peoples' organisations, the private sector and the media. 

As a member of the NSC, along with contributing in part to its WED activities,  the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) participated in the GEF SGP UNDP Knowledge Fair, 2015. At the Fair, the Ministry’s booth   highlighted some of the works of the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) specifically the work of the National Ozone Unit.

 

Ms. Krysten Harris (Associate Professional, NOU), speaking to attendees about ozone layer depletion at the Knowledge Fair

Ms. Neera Singh (Ozone Assistant, NOU) speaking to a student of Palo Seco Secondary School about the ozone layer

Building Capacity for Biodiversity Management - GIS Training Workshop

After the conclusion of the CONABIO workshop in November, 2013 on biodiversity information management, the need for building the capacity of the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) in the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) was identified. GIS will be an important tool for managing and reporting on data related to hunting, forestry, protected areas and biodiversity.

As a result, the expertise of  Dr. Bheshem Ramlal, Head of the Department of  the Geomatics Engineering and Land Management at the University of the West Indies (UWI) was enlisted to conduct a training with technical staff of the EPPD. Dr. Bheshem Ramlal has many years of experience designing and developing GIS solutions for government ministries and agencies, international organisations and private sector companies.

The GIS Training Workshop was held at the Department of Geomatics, Engineering and Land Management at the  University of the West Indies (UWI), one day a week over a four (4) week period (June 5th, 11th, 26th, July 16 and 17th, 2014) from 8: 3:0 a.m.- 4 p.m.  Participants in the GIS training included officers from the Environmental Policy and  Planning  Division (EPPD) specifically; Ms. Candace  Amoroso, Mr. Julius Smith, Dr. Floyd Homer, Dr. David Persaud,  Mr. Javed Lakhan,  Ms. Anastasia Gordon, Ms. Candace Leung Woo - Gabriel  and Ms. Leolean Calix-Francis. 

Two (2) officers from the Forestry Division's Mapping Unit; Ms Sheila Elcock and Mr. Rakesh Baijoo as well as Ms. Karisa Koping from the Caribbean Forest Conservation Association (CFCA) also attended the GIS Training Workshop.

Group photo of the participants and facilitators of the GIS Workshop

 

 

National Biodiversity Targets and Indicators Workshop

On April 30^th, 2014, the Multilateral Environmental Agreement Unit (MEAU) of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) held a Workshop with an initial set of key stakeholders with the aim of refining draft National Biodiversity Targets and Indicators.

This Workshop emanated from the decisions of the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP-10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), where the updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the 2011-2020 period was adopted. This Strategic Plan which included 20 targets termed Aichi Biodiversity Targets are to be revised and adapted into national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

View of participants and Ms. Amoroso (MEAU) giving a presentation on the CBD and the Strategic Plan 2010-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The Draft National Biodiversity Targets and Indicators were initially developed within the MEAU. Their achievement would greatly contribute to the country in accomplishing the three (3) objectives of the Convention:

1. the conservation of biological diversity,
2.  the sustainable use of its components, and
3. the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

In attendance were representatives from the Ministry of Food Production, the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the University of the West Indies (UWI), Forestry Division, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Dr. Homer (MEAU) giving a presentation on biodiversity indicators.

An additional Workshop is in the process of being planned for June 2014. The draft National Biodiversity Targets and Indicators coming out of the initial Workshop held on April 30th, 2014 will be further discussed and refined by the MEA Focal Point Network before they are submitted to Cabinet for approval as the National Biodiversity Targets and Indicators of the country. 

Presentations from the National Biodiversity Targets Workshop: 

• Introduction to the CBD and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
• Introduction to the development of Biodiversity Indicators

Meeting of the English Speaking Caribbean and Haiti Ozone Officers

The United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP ROLAC) along with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis hosted the Meeting of the English Speaking Caribbean Ozone Officers held during the period March 18-21, 2013 in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Dr. Marissa Gowrie; the National Ozone Officer and Ms. Neera Singh, Ozone Assistant both from the National Ozone Unit (NOU); Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. Representatives from the UNEP OzonAction ROLAC and Paris Office, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and national stakeholders from St. Kitts and Nevis were also present.

The meeting focused on:

• Major decisions coming of the 24th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and the Compliance Status of the Montreal Protocol in the Caribbean Network 
• Major issues addressed in the 23rd Meeting of the Open Ended Working Group of the Montreal Protocol
• Recent decisions of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund Secretariat and the implications for the Caribbean Region
• Certifications and licensing systems  for technicians (case study on a system set up by the Belize Ozone Unit)
• Graduate level course on the Management of Ozone Depleting Substances in progress to be implemented at the University of the West Indies and its benefits to the Caribbean region
• Implementation of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) Phase Out Management Plans (HPMPs)

This forum provided a distinct opportunity for the English Speaking Caribbean and Haitian Ozone Officers to share and learn from each others' experiences.
 

2 day Seminar on Hydrocarbon Sensitization

In keeping with T&T's commitment to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS) as mandated by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, a Hydrocholorfluorocarbon (HCFC) Phase Out Workshop was recently conducted with stakeholders of the air conditioning and refrigeration industry.  

The Workshop was held by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the United Nations Environment Programme - Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP-ROLAC) during the period September 27-28, 2012.

UWI's Professor Gurmohan Kochhar addressing the participants of the Seminar

The workshop concentrated on many aspects of the refrigeration and air condition industry and the foam sector. It also marked an opportunity for senior decision makers to gain a wider view on how business practices can be changed to improve companies’ green business performance, including energy efficiency, climate and ozone impacts.

Facilitators were:

1. Professor Gurmohan Kochhar - Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UWI St. Augustine 
2. Mr Alvin Daniel - Engineering and Refrigeration Consultant
3. Dr. Marissa Gowrie - Deputy Environmental Manager and National Ozone Officer, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources

Dr Gowrie, National Ozone Officer giving the participants an introduction to the Montreal Protocol