BIOREACH Project

What is BIOREACH?

BIOREACH stands for Biodiversity Conservation and Agroecological Land Restoration in Productive Landscapes of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Planning & Development (MPD) is currently executing the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded BIOREACH project. This project seeks to promote biodiversity conservation, restore degraded lands and improve the livelihoods of rural communities in targeted productive landscapes (agriculture, forestry and other land uses) throughout Trinidad and Tobago. The four (4) year Project will be jointly executed by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) as the GEF implementing agency and the Environmental Policy and Planning Division of the MPD as the Project Directorate.

The main problem that the BIOREACH project seeks to address is the threat to Trinidad and Tobago’s biodiversity and productive landscapes from issues of human encroachment, illegal occupation of land, forest fires, and unsustainable livelihood practices. The biodiversity of Trinidad and Tobago plays an important role in the provision of ecosystem services that support human well-being, such as in the provision of freshwater, flood regulation/erosion control, tourism/ecotourism, recreation, shoreline protection (mangroves, coral reefs and seagrasses), nutrient cycling, pollination, and the provision of food.

 

 

 

 

The depletion of biodiversity and land degradation reduce people’s access to productive landscapes and ecosystem services which has both direct and indirect impacts on livelihoods, health and agriculture production, thereby creating a negative feedback loop.

This project seeks to disrupt the negative cycle with a virtuous one, through restoration of landscapes, effective land use planning and the proliferation of sustainably cultivated, green value chains resulting in increased, resilient and more diverse livelihood opportunities.  In addition to supporting livelihoods and food security, diverse, better integrated production systems will also increase environmental resilience, especially in the context of severe climate events, which small island developing states (SIDS) such as Trinidad and Tobago are especially susceptible.

May be an image of 2 people and tree

The project consist of 4 distinct components, all with their own activities, outputs and anticipated outcomes, as illustrated in the graphic below:

Inception Workshop

In October 2022 Inception Workshops were held in both Trinidad and Tobago to kick off the BIOREACH Project. The objective of the inception workshops was to formally launch the project, present the project components and outputs to stakeholders, propose a work plan and solicit inputs and support during the inception phase. Furthermore, the workshop outlined the monitoring and evaluation plan for the project, as well as the approved reporting safeguards for the gender, economic and social strategies and stakeholder engagement. The target audience included representatives of the State entities with roles and responsibilities aligned to that of Bioreach, executing/implementing partners, co-financing agencies, experts in the relevant fields, civil society and farmer organization representatives.

The Trinidad workshop was held on the 5th October 2022 at Achievors Banquet Hall, San Fernando. A total of 59 entities were invited which included members of the Project Steering Committee (PSC), State officials, NGO’s, Farmer Associations and other interest groups. A total of 48 persons attended (81%) of those invited. The Tobago workshop was held on the 13th October 2022 at the Fairways Restaurant and Golf Lounge, Lowlands.  Invitations were dispatched to 31 entities, inclusive of members of the Technical Steering Committee, the Tobago House of Assembly, conservation-based NGO’s, Farmer Associations and other interest groups. A total of 25 persons attended (80%) of those invited.

Component 2 - Forest and Agricultural Landscape Restoration and Biodiversity Protection through Agro-Ecology

Wildfire Equipment Handover under Integrated Wildfire Management System

Part of the BIOREACH Project seeks to restore degraded forests and establish an integrated wildfire management system for Trinidad and Tobago, actively building and enhancing national capacity through collaborative efforts with key stakeholders. Within the last quarter, over 60 participants were beneficiaries to training carried out on the cusp of the 2024 wildfire season during the period 8th – 16th January 2024. This intensive training targeted professional Officers and Community-Based Organisations with experience in wildfire response inclusive of personnel from the Forestry Division on both islands, the National and Tobago Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programmes, the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project, Protectors of the Environment, Fire Services and Disaster Management Agencies.

Wildfire Equipment Handover Ceremony

The training encompassed the full spectrum of wildfire management strategies, moving beyond traditional prevention and control methods. Recognizing the limitations of existing approaches in addressing recurring “bush,” forest, and wildfires, the programme emphasized the need for an integrated approach that incorporates socio-cultural realities, a deeper understanding of ecological fire responses, and utilizes data and technology.

The training encouraged inter-ministerial collaborative efforts between the GIS Unit and the Forestry Division in undertaking an ambitious activity to develop a spatial database where over 700 manual reports would be digitised onto a cloud-based spatial system. The GIS Unit together with the support of the BIOREACH project also be conducted a training session to roll-out a proposed digital reporting system to Forestry personnel for the mapping and reporting of wildfires in Trinidad and Tobago.

Further to this, the Project has equipped the Forestry Division and the Department of Natural Resources and Forestry with approximately TT$275,000 worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), firefighting tools, and communication equipment. This tangible support underscores our commitment to bolstering their efforts during the 2024 fire season and beyond.

Looking ahead, the BIOREACH Project is poised to embark on its next phase: forest restoration. By collaborating closely with the Forestry Division, we aim to rehabilitate degraded slopes, reintroduce native species, and foster ecological recovery. Moreover, we are developing a Community Forestry and Forest Fire Training Programme to empower local communities in combating agricultural fires and fostering sustainable land management practices.

 

‘Citizen Science’ Training Program

The BIOREACH project in collaboration with the University of the West Indies – Department of Life Sciences (UWI-DLS) embarked on a ‘Citizen Science’ Training program during the period April to September 2024. This activity supports the Output 2.2.1 – Biodiversity data collected in corridors between Protected Areas through a citizen science approach. This is aimed at collecting scientific data under the project and to further build sensitivity with communities about the value of biodiversity. During this period Forms’ 3 and 4 students of the Biche and Mason Hall Secondary Schools were trained on the fundamentals on biodiversity and usage of the iNaturalist application for data collection and uploading to this global, crowdsourced species identification community. The training was also extended to the community members of Mason Hall during a 1-week programmed held at Corbin Local Wildlife Park in Tobago from 7-11 July 2024. The program supported by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has realized over 200 beneficiaries in both Trinidad and Tobago.

Students of the Mason Hall Secondary School, UWI – DLS team and BIOREACH Technical Advisor at Gilpin Trace, Main Ridge

To mark the culmination of the Citizen Science Training, a series of events were held in Tobago from 20th – 22nd September 2024 which included a field visit to Gilpin Trace, Main Ridge for the students of the Mason Hall Secondary School. Furthermore, a ‘Night Walk’ and a ‘Biodiversity Day’ Fair was hosted at Corbin Local Wildlife Park (CLWP) in Mason Hall, Tobago for members of the public. This weekend of activities was facilitated by experts from UWI and local tour guides at CLWP.  Here participants were able to learn more about their local biodiversity and how they can play a role in protection and conservation of these species. A similar event was held in Trinidad for the students of Biche Secondary School on 30th September 2024 which included participants from neighbouring primary schools Cushe Government Primary School, Biche Presbyterian School and Biche RC Primary School.

Students of Biche Secondary School at Biodiversity Day event

The events were supported by various environmental NGOs and agencies such as the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club, Trinidad and Tobago Bird Observatory, EMA – Public Education Unit, Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development and the University of the West, El Socorro Wildlife Conservation Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries – Forestry Division, Ministry of Planning and Development – Environmental Policy and Planning Division. Participants were engaged in guided tours and other educational activities to reinforce the learnings of the programme.

Training for Forestry Officers on the rehabilitation of degraded forests.

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) through the project ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Agroecological Land Restoration in Productive Landscapes of Trinidad and Tobago’ (BIOREACH) conducted a training exercise through which twenty-five Forest Officers, and other employees of the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, benefitted from training on the rehabilitation of degraded forests.

The training was facilitated by Dr. Claus-Martin Eckelmann, Regional Forestry Officer with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO-UN). The chosen delivery method utilized was the ‘Train the Trainer’ method, where the overarching framework of these sessions allowed for these expert personnel to share their insights into how they can effectively rehabilitate overharvested forested areas in Trinidad. These sessions comprised of both theoretical and practical exercises, in which participants received hands-on training to enhance their role in managing these Blocks, in tree identification and the management of the Future Crop Trees.

Dr. Claus-Martin Eckelmann – Lead Technical Officer under the BIOREACH Project conducts training with Forestry personnel.

 

The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of the Forestry Division towards rehabilitating forests previously managed under the Open Range Block System. In this widely used system, individual licensed loggers were allowed to select and harvest a specified volume or number of trees anywhere in a defined range. The selected trees are inspected and approved for felling by Forest Officers, who consider the minimum girth limits and availability of replacement trees within a specified distance, forest structure, wildlife, and soil considerations. However, over time with a lack of supervision and enforcement, overharvesting occurred in some areas which led to depletion of the forest resources.

The Forestry Division has since largely discontinued the system and is now seeking to restore these Blocks. With these new practices being enacted, local forests can now flourish under the areas of soil conservation, increased climate control protection, water source protection, air quality, and biodiversity conservation. This training allows for the development of greater transparency and accountability to decision-making processes on contentious issues such as land tenure and land-use management, encompassing the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.