On November 24th 2015, the Ministry of Planning and Development in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) hosted an Inception Workshop for the Global Environmental Facility Project entitled “Improving Forest and and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” at the Petrotrin Point-a-Pierre staff Club.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN), is implementing a USD 30 million, four-year project on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to conserve globally important biodiversity and ecosystems in Trinidad and Tobago. This project supports the Government’s policy reforms for biodiversity conservation for sustainable management of forestry and protected areas.
The project will establish six pilot protected areas (PA) to model participatory approaches to sustainable natural resource management. Therefore, a key strategy in this project, is guiding the implementation of the project through the constitution and support of Pilot Protected Area Subcommittees comprising of key stakeholders for each of the pilot sites. To date over 30 different governmental institutions and civil society organizations have accepted to serve on these Sub-committees. Over the last four months, these Subcommittees have drafted work plans for their respective pilot sites.
The Inception Workshop served as an opportunity for representatives of the Pilot Protect Area Subcommittees to present on the draft work plans for each pilot protected areas and to solicit feedback and validation from stakeholders present on the proposed actions and mechanisms to achieving the project’s objectives.
