THE TRUST FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
#23 Mc Inroy Street, Curepe, Trinidad & Tobago

www.sustrust.org

 

 

ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERIOD AUGUST 2005 – DECEMBER 2006

Wise Use of Natural Resources

People and the Northern Range Project – Trinidad & Tobago

We continued our participation as co-sponsors in the implementation of the project entitled ‘People and the Northern Range’, led by The Cropper Foundation. The Northern Range assessment was one of 33 sub-global assessments undertaken as part of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA).  The MA is a global initiative intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of scientific knowledge concerning the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and options available to enhance the conservation of ecosystems and their contributions to meeting human needs.

The Northern Range assessment attempts to present a holistic understanding of the ways in which natural, institutional and human forces are impacting on the Northern Range and its capacity to continue to provide these services indefinitely. It describes the precise ways, direct and indirect in which these services contribute to the well-being of the society. It also explores the ways in which the society might respond to the conditions and trends which are found in the ecosystem, to minimize negative impacts on its capacity and functioning as a natural system while the society makes use of what it offers to enhance its well-being.

The final report was completed in early 2006 and used as the basis of the Environmental Management Authority’s State of the Environment Report 2004. Electronic copies of the report are available at www.ema.co.tt (select Technical Resources then State of Environment Reports)

Caribbean Conservation Association - Barbados

We prepared a briefing note on “Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity
And opportunities for addressing these concerns under the Convention on Biological Diversity Programme of Work on Protected Areas” for the Executive Director of the Caribbean Conservation Association. This input was required for a workshop in September 2005, in which we were unable to participate.

Environmental Management Authority – Trinidad & Tobago

SUSTRUST was also contracted by the EMA in September 2005 to undertake the preparation of the Third National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  Review of relevant documentation, discussions with key departments and agencies, as well as a national consultation in Trinidad and in Tobago, were key elements of the process employed. The report was completed and submitted to the EMA in January 2006

Based on a public request to all interested parties, we prepared and submitted to the EMA in September 2006, comments on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed ALUTRINT aluminum smelting plant and comments on the Terms of Reference for the EIA of the proposed ALCOA smelter.

We also provided extensive comments to the EMA in February 2006, following our review of the draft National Action Programme to Combat Land Degradation in Trinidad and Tobago.

Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment –Trinidad & Tobago

Comments were provided following a review of the draft Trinidad and Tobago Sustainable Land Management Project developed under the LDC-SIDS Umbrella Project. Essentially, most of the background information on the causes of land degradation was treated rather superficially and did not identify the root cause and drivers of land degradation. The process for implementation was also deficient and the range of activities proposed in the Outputs and Activities were not likely to be completed within the 3-year project period given the existing institutional realities.

Awareness Building

We prepared a “Basic Guide On National Obligations For Senior Decision Makers In the Caribbean – Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Desertification”. This document was written in simple language to fill a gap that was identified in the insular Caribbean. An audio-visual presentation on this document was held in Nevis and in St Kitts in November 2005. The senior decision makers who participated indicated that they now better understood the requirements of these conventions and what resources should be made available to ensure the discharge of national obligations under these conventions. A copy of this document is available from our website: http://www.sustrust.org/documents.html then see under policy and plans.

Environmental Governance

Matura National Park Stakeholders Management Committee – Trinidad & Tobago

The Caribbean Forest Conservation Association in the capacity of the Acting Chairman of the Matura National Park Stakeholders Management Committee requested a review of the Terms of Reference for the Committee in August 2005. We provided detailed comments including a process for a stakeholders analysis and the development of an action plan.

Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources - Anguilla

The Ministry of Infrastructure Communications Utilities Housing Agriculture and Fisheries (MICUHAF), Government of Anguilla organized a workshop to determine the range of activities that the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (DFMR) should undertake as its core programme of work. The Trust For Sustainable Livelihoods was asked to serve as facilitator of the workshop and to prepare the workshop report. The workshop was held on 17th August, 2005 at the Teachers Resource Centre in the Valley. A facilitator from assisted in the conduct of the workshop.

The consensus of the workshop was that Fisheries Management and Coastal Resource Management should be the core programme areas of the DFMR. Fisheries Development was considered as an area that should be led by the private sector, with the DFMR providing a technical role. Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Management should be the responsibility of the Anguilla National Trust or some other entity.  MPAs need to be managed like a business to maximize on revenue capture and to maintain the quality of the visitor experience and minimize the negative impacts of visitor use.

Anguilla National Trust

We were requested by the Anguilla National Trust (ANT) to assist in the planning for the preparation of their Strategic Plan in September 2005.  We recommended that the best way of getting the right inputs for their strategic plan was to encourage broader participation from the membership and key ANT stakeholders, through a one-day workshop to determine the key elements for the Strategic Plan. The draft agenda for the workshop was also proposed.

Training

Managing Protected Areas in Times of Change: Threats, Opportunities, Leadership in the Eastern Caribbean was a 4-day workshop developed by SUSTRUST with assistance from IUCN/US, WCPA Caribbean and the US National Parks Service. The workshop was held in Anguilla in November 2006 and was hosted by the Government of Anguilla. Senior decision makers responsible for marine and terrestrial protected areas from seven OECS countries participated. The objectives were:

1. To help participants better understand the role of governance in effective protected areas management
2. To improve participants understanding of the various aspects of leadership in protected areas management.
3. To enhance leadership in ongoing of protected area management and identify ways to support and promote this process.
4. To better integrate the Principles of Good Governance and explore the recognition of different governance types of protected areas.
5. To identify information resources that will be necessary to empower stakeholders to engage in charting the future of protected areas management in times of increased social, economic, and environmental change, and particularly climate change.

 

The final workshop report has been prepared as well as a report on the opportunities and gaps in capacity building for protected areas management. These will be finalized and uploaded to our website. All of the workshop presentations are available on our website: http://www.sustrust.org/ select the link on the homepage “Leadership in Protected Areas Governance Workshop”. 

 

Participation in Meetings/Workshops

Sustrust was appointed in April 2005 to the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the GEF Small Grants Programme, coordinated by UNDP. David Shim our Programme Coordinator, represents us on the NSC. The NSC meets occasionally, about once every month to review project submissions, disbursements, and overall programme guidance.

We have been involved in the Sustainable Development Network (SDN), coordinated through the Cropper Foundation. The purpose of this Network is to create a mechanism through which civic society would seek to influence the process for planning for sustainable development and its implementation in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as to contribute to the approach and content of particular development proposals.  The goal of the Network is to achieve an approach to planning for the economic, environmental and social development of Trinidad and Tobago, that is holistic, inter-sectoral, inter-disciplinary, participatory and inclusive of a wide range of citizen interests.

The SDN is currently collaborating with the Revenue Watch Institute to develop a project, to open ways for sector related information to be widely available and for civil society to develop capacities to access such information. The draft project proposal is entitled: Strengthening Civil Society Capacities in the Extractive Industries Sector in T&T.

We contributed to or attended several national and international meetings and workshops. Below are a few of the key activities in which we participated:

• IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Steering Committee Meeting, Australia. Sponsored by the IUCN.
• IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Steering Committee Meeting, Austria. Sponsored by the IUCN.
• Caribbean Conservation Association Trinidad members meeting  - Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad.
• Consultation on participatory forest management in Trinidad, organized by CANARI.
• Annual General Meeting of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean, Trinidad.
• Consultation on Measuring the Success and Feasibility of Participatory Management of Protected Areas, Environmental Management Authority, Trinidad.
• Citizen Ideas Market workshop to finalise input to Citizens Policy Guidelines for Good Governance, organized by the Sustainable Development Network, Trinidad.
• Meeting of the Toco Fishing Association to discuss opportunities to address existing needs.
• GEF Caribbean Regional Consultation on the new GEF Resource Allocation Framework, Barbados. Sponsored by GEF/UNDP.
• Stakeholder consultation on the Eastern Extension of the Highway (Wallerfield to Manzanilla).
• National Stakeholders Workshop on Mitigating Threats to Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean, organized by CABI and the EMA, Trinidad.
• International Stakeholders Planning Workshop on Mitigating Threats to Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean, organized by CABI and the EMA, Trinidad.
• UNESCO/WHC Sub-Regional Conference on "Outstanding Universal Value, Authenticity & Integrity in a Caribbean Context", Barbados. Sponsored by UNESCO
• UNESCO/WHC Regional Training Workshop for the Caribbean on Marine World Heritage, St Lucia. Sponsored by UNESCO.
• UNESCO/WHC National Workshop on the World Heritage Convention and the National Tentative List, Trinidad.
• Integrated Water Resources Management Workshop organized by the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean, Trinidad.