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

 

 

CONABIO Training to build capacity for a NBIS for Trinidad and Tobago

In pursuit of setting up a National Biodiversity Information System (NBIS), The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources received technical assistance from the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) from Mexico, a permanent interdepartmental commission created in 1992. Among the main functions of CONABIO is the implementation and operation of the National Information System on Biodiversity (NISB) for Mexico.

Discussions initiated since April, 2012 with the Director of CONABIO at an Inter-governmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) meeting in Panama resulted in CONABIO indicating its willingness to share information with Trinidad and Tobago on their experience in setting up the biodiversity information coordination and management system.

As a follow-up to this interaction, a training session for building capacity for a NBIS in support of the Biodiversity Clearing House of Trinidad and Tobago by technical staff from CONABIO took place on 11 - 15th November, 2013 at the Public Education Centre, WASA, St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago.  

Key elements of the session included; sensitising relevant stakeholders on the development of the NBIS, identification of data sources in Trinidad and Tobago and training participants in the use and manipulation of the CONABIO’S NBIS (referred to as BIOTICA) for the collating and management of local biodiversity data and information.

Stakeholders involved in training included; representatives from the EPPD; Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), National Herbarium,  CABI, University of the West Indies (UWI) Zoology Museum and Life Sciences Department, Ministry of Food  Production’s Research, Horticulture and Fisheries Divisions and the Department of Agriculture, Marine Affairs and the   Environment of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).