Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan for Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinidad and Tobago ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on August 1, 1996, and in accordance with article 6 of this Convention, the present National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for Trinidad and Tobago represents the culmination of the first phase of planning under the CBD. This document provides support to the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT) to plan for the conservation and sustainable use of the country’s biodiversity, within the context of its socio-economic development programmes.
The focus of the Vision for the future of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use for Trinidad and Tobago is to build capacity to manage and conserve biodiversity resources by: i) increasing awareness of biodiversity in all sectors of the society, ii) integrating biodiversity concerns into national policies and planning; iii) encouraging participation of a wide cross-section of the national community in all the processes to accomplish this vision; iv) building up the information base to support the above activities,
The Future of Native Ecosystems with a view to managing the habitat loss and degradation, requires the definition of clear goals for these remaining natural areas. Given the small size of remaining native ecosystems, the goals for these systems should be: i) To reduce the annual rate of habitat conversion to zero percent; ii) To encourage the more efficient use of those areas which have already been converted to human modified landscapes. iii) To ensure that the remaining natural areas are managed in such a manner, that there is minimal loss of biodiversity. iv) To enable the public and local communities specifically, to participate in the management of these native habitats, and to enjoy the benefits of their sustainable use. To achieve these goals, will demand radical changes in the way currently biological resources are managed and the way people are taught about the value of these resources.
Management of species, which are harvested either commercially or recreationally should be based on the following approaches: 1. Exploited species should not be harvested at a rate higher than their estimated maximum sustained yield. 2. Management programmes for exploited species, should allow for annual determination of the size of these species populations, as accurately as is technically feasible. 3. To develop management programmes which actively engage resource users in the collection of data and actual management of these resources. 4. To develop user education programmes to enable fuller participation by these stakeholders in management of these resources.
Pollution control: From the impact of DDT on the environment it has become clear that the chemicals put into the environment can have repercussions which are unforeseen and which last for a long time. Thus, as a strategy to conserve the country’s biological heritage is developed, it is important that the challenges posed by these forms of ecosystem stress are anticipated. In this context, the responsibilities to biodiversity should be to: 1. balance economic and social considerations with biodiversity concerns, when licensing pesticides for use in agriculture. 2. develop stringent protocols for the disposal of toxic chemicals in the environment. 3. develop and enforce pollution regulations associated with industry and agriculture.
Management of genetic diversity in Trinidad and Tobago should be based on the following approaches: 1. Maintenance of genetic viability of the native species in the country through maintenance of viable populations. 2. Allowing adaptive evolutionary processes to proceed. 3. Maintaining opportunities for natural colonization to occur on both islands. 4. Adopt a precautionary approach to augmentation of wild populations and reintroduction of extirpated species.
The following common issues have been identified: 1) Education and awareness: i) Build Education and Awareness Programmes in biodiversity conservation on existing initiatives and fill gaps in formal approaches. ii) Foster greater collaboration between conservation and education agencies and other stakeholders. iii) Promote infusion of Environmental Education (EE) into the Primary and Secondary educational systems. iv) Promote the sensitization of communities to biodiversity concerns through shared planning and management of these resources. 2) Policy, legislation and enforcement: Make legislation and regulations more effective management tools, through harmonization, and by incorporating the use of new technologies and stakeholder involvement. Develop and update legislation for conservation of protected areas, ecosystems and species, consistent with international standards. 3) Research and Information: Prioritize research needs in collaboration with research institutions and the private sector. Research must be applied to the challenges that managers face, and include socio-economic, as well as the environmental and biological information, population levels, the ecology of ecosystems, threats, users and uses of biodiversity. The value of biodiversity to the national economy, well-being and way of life of thousands of citizens must be quantified if biodiversity is to enter the psychic and economic mainstream. 4) cooperation within and between agencies, and with their stakeholders; 5) Participation and consultation of civil society in planning and implementation of public policies and programmes; 6) Capacity of Government institutions and Non-Governmental organizations to manage the country’s biodiversity resources: Establish an adequate means of sharing information, training and experiences amongst agencies and their stakeholders; 7) Valuation and environmental accounting and the use of financial instruments for the conservation of biodiversity; 8) The participation of local communities and stakeholders in setting the research agenda is necessary. 9) Commitment and capacity: Commitment is generally defined as political commitment to biodiversity conservation and interpreted by the relevant agencies in terms of allocation of resources, finances and manpower. The public’s perception of political commitment issues were linked by participants to low political priority and lack of accountability, and continues to be negative, based on the poor performance of the sector, insensitivity of Government agencies to community concerns and the lack of law enforcement.
The text consists of 8 Parts as follows: The Convention on Biological Diversity (1); The NBSAP project (2); The Biodiversity of Trinidad & Tobago (3); Conservation & Management of biodiversity in Trinidad & Tobago (4); The value of biodiversity in T&T (5); Threats to Biodiversity (6); The Strategies and Actions (7); Next steps and future vision (8).