Green Antilles

North East Sea Turtles, in Tobago, is looking for a Project Coordinator:

North East Sea Turtles (NEST) is looking to hire a Project Coordinator to train, lead and support the group as well as well as to further heighten environmental awareness within the Charlotteville community. The position is for the duration March 1st to December 1st 2012. Suitable applicants should fill the following criteria:

• Experience with managing sea turtle conservation community based groups/projects

• Have experience working with Leatherback, Green and Hawksbill sea turtles

• Be familiar with and have adequate knowledge of current patrolling techniques

• Be able to manage and orchestrate patrols/patrol shifts for the nesting season

• Possess competent computer literacy (Microsoft Word, Excel)

• Competency with report writing and data compilation

• Training and certifications in the field preferable but not necessary

• Must be fit and able to walk and kayak to and from nesting beaches in Man O’ War Bay to surrounding areas

We invite interested parties to send a resume and cover letter. Closing date for review: January 31st 2012.

North East Sea Turtles
Man-O-War-Bay Cottages
Charlotteville
Tobago
W.I
Fax: 1868-660 -4328
Email: northeastseaturtles@gmail.com

See the original vacancy notice on the NEST Facebook page.

As the international shark conservation movement continues to gather steam, the Trinidad Express sheds some light on Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the global shark fin trade and its implications for the country’s shark populations:

For those among us who associate finning solely with Asian countries, think again. Trinidad and Tobago ranks 19th among 87 countries for largest exports of shark fins to Hong Kong, according to a March 2010 report by marine conservation organisation Oceana, titled ‘The International Trade of Shark Fins: endangering shark populations worldwide.’ Back in 2008, this country exported 103,104 kgs of shark fins to Hong Kong – the world’s largest single market for this product. Ironically, four years earlier in November 2004, at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), T&T was one of the co-sponsors of a shark proposal to ban the practice of shark finning, yet to this day, Trinidad and Tobago has no policy on shark finning. Up to 50 Asian longline vessels operate in our waters said Aboud. Among their spoils? Shark fins, which are then hung out to dry.

This country’s links with finning goes back many years. In 1999, a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources titled Sharks: overview of the fisheries in T&T stated that the sharks which were caught in our waters were primarily incidental catch or ‘by-catch’ of the artisinal fishery and industrial longline fishery. But the report also suggested that finning was done at sea. It stated that shark fins represented 19 per cent of landings in 1993, while 23 tonnes of shark fins were recorded in 1992. The document went on to conclude that there had been unsubstantiated reports of large quantities of shark fins landed with very few carcasses. The report noted there was no management regime for shark in T&T and warned that the shark stocks were vulnerable to unrestrained exploitation.

That grim assessment was made more than a decade ago, today, unregulated shark fishing has led to a decline in the number of sharks in the waters off T&T. In March of this year, visting New Zealand marine conservationist and head of the Earthrace Conservation Organisation Pete Bethune said there was no longer a stable supply of shark in our waters and blamed the scores of Taiwanese fishing vessels operating in local waters for this country’s depleted fisheries. With no scientific data collection mechanisms in place, it is difficult to estimate how many sharks still roam our waters. When famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau visited these islands in the 1950′s, he estimated that our waters teemed with 35 species of shark, today, just a small fraction of species remain in our waters, said Aboud.

Read more in the original Express article, Sharks’ future in peril.

Thanks to the Trini Eco Warriors for the heads-up.

[Photo: via stopsharkfinning.net]

In Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Bertram Manhim has been recognised for his work to preserve and enhance the country’s botanical biodiversity:

Prominent environmentalist Bertram Manhin was honoured by the non-governmental organisation Citizens for a Better Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) with an International Year of Forests Award for his contribution towards preserving and enhancing the biodiversity of plants in T&T. The presentation function took place at his La Vega Estate home in Gran Couva, south Trinidad.

…

Prof Gary Garcia, a senior lecturer in animal production at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, as well as a dedicated agricultural researcher, told the gathering that many university students, secondary and primary school pupils have visited the La Vega Estate. “Before I came to La Vega I knew a lot about it because my wildlife students did case studies on the estate as an agro eco-tourism resort,” said Dr Garcia. “Clearly Manhin has put his money where his mouth is and his efforts where his desires are by actually creating a prototype botanic garden.” Prof Garcia said La Vega Estate was one of the best places of its kind in the Caribbean. He said the estate was well supplied and supported with both undergraduate and postgraduate scientific support.

“La Vega Estate is a biological gold mine. “Any intelligent academic in plant science, crop production, ornamental horticulture and food production control should try to get to use La Vega as a living laboratory,” Prof Garcia said. “Despite the indiscriminate exploitation of nature by some people, there are a handful of those like Bert Manhin who are relentlessly working to reverse the damaging effects of human activities on the environment,” said CBTT’s chairman Harrack Balramsingh, who presented Manhin with the award.

…

After buying La Vega in 1983, Manhin’s quest for tropical fruits and ornamental plants continued in earnest. He collected dongs from Taiwan and planted 200 carambola trees. By the process of elimination and aided by Robert Barnum and two other fruit experts from the Rare Fruit Council of America, he selected three trees from which worthwhile grafts were made. In 1985 Manhin secured two seeds of the dwarf pommecythere from a nursery in Thailand. The dwarf pommecythere trees in T&T, Grenada, and indeed the Caribbean have been traced back to these two seeds. Among the many fruit trees he imported were peewah, camu camu, sweet passion fruit and amazon grape.

Manhin also introduced the dwarf white frangipani to T&T in 1990. The yellow leaf duranta was introduced in 1993 which proved to be exceedingly popular. In the early nineties he also introduced almost twenty different varieties of bougainvilleas including the Thai white, lavender splash and Thai gold. There are many more fruit trees in his collection and several of them hold the promise to produce excellent fruits. On an almost daily basis Manhin researches new tropical trees, ornamental plants and exotic fruits worldwide.

Get more information in the full article from the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

[Photo: via guardian.co.tt]

A celebration of the natural history of Trinidad and Tobago and winner of the Environmental Management Authority Greenleaf Award, welcome to “Wild T&T”, the story of the amazing willdlife of the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

For the making of Wild T & T, appreciation and credit goes fully to eco-tours operator Stephen Broadbridge and documentary filmmaker Alex de Verteuil who combined their respective talents to produce this forty five minute overview of the Caribbean’s two most richly endowed islands in terms of their flora and fauna.

Copyright – Pearl & Dean (Caribbean) Ltd.
Caribbean Discovery Tours Ltd.
Production 2005.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development is seeking to obtain more civil society support for environmental projects, with the rationale that local funding means that projects will be better placed to address local needs and priorities:

If everybody in the Caribbean gave one US dollar instead of relying on external methods of financing for projects, the region would be able to fund its own projects. That was the view of executive director of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network, Reginald Burke, as he delivered remarks at the pre-launch of the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development’s (CNIRD) Your Change for the Environment Project.

The event was held yesterday at the Courtyard Marriott, Port-of-Spain. The project intends to get civil society involved in funding environmental projects through donations at airport kiosks and donation boxes with CNIRD’s corporate sponsor, Ritual’s Coffee House. Burke described the entire project as a method of innovative financing. He added: “When we receive funding from the international community sometimes it guides us in different directions.

“If we really look at it we will be going east one week, west the next, then north and south and end up nowhere,” said Burke.

…

Deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Housing Antony Ramnarine also delivered remarks at the event.…He noted Government’s $2.3 billion Green Fund which allowed members of civil society to get involved in environmental projects.

“It is not only up to Government, civil society has to be part of the agenda,” he added.

Read the full article from the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

In celebration of its 45th anniversary the Point-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust is re-printing a guide to plant remedies of Trinidad and Tobago:

To celebrate the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust’s 45th anniversary this year, the Trust, supported by Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd has reprinted a much in demand book entitled Medicinal Plants of Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean. Various medicines of natural origin, especially those obtained from plants, have been in use by different cultures in our country, for many years.

The leaves, roots and bark of many shrubs, plants and trees, gave valuable service to both the native peoples of the Caribbean and the early settlers. Through the years many important medicinal facts about the usage of these local herbs and plants have been lost and, there has been a great lack of documentation.

Throughout the world prescriptions from plants alone have an estimated market value of about US$5billion annually, and 80 major pharmaceutical components are obtained from plants. The publication addresses the need for a level of awareness of the value of our medicinal plants, and gives a working knowledge of our plants, trees and the functional and fascinating uses, which are an important part of our heritage.

Source.

Previously on Green Antilles: Trinidad and Tobago’s Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust celebrates its 45th anniversary.

[Image: via guardian.co.tt]

7min documentary entered into the first Environmental Management Authority Film Festival in Trinidad & Tobago in 2011.

A Kirk Budhooram Film
Music by Andre Woodvine

2011 was the International Year of Forests.

A tip of the hat to the Trini Eco Warriors for the link.

Previously on Green Antilles: Audio post: Panel Discussion on Trinidad and Tobago’s Forests and Forests – Nature at your service.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago will received US$80 million to help mainstream climate change adaptation and mitigation:

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a US$80 million loan to help Trinidad and Tobago incorporate the consideration of the impact of climate change into national policies and institutions.

“The program will strengthen and modernize the regulatory, institutional and policy framework to develop and promote instruments to assess and reduce vulnerability and risks associated with climate change,” said IDB team leader Gerard Alleng. “Mitigation and adaptation measures will be key in an island state highly vulnerable to the impact of global climate change.”

The impacts from climate change in this and other Caribbean states are expected to stem from rising temperatures, reduced precipitation and sea level rise. For Trinidad and Tobago, these conditions will affect the biophysical and socio-economic situation in areas such as agriculture, human health and settlements, coastal zones and water resources.

“This initiative will also promote carbon markets and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” added Claudia Perazza, the other IDB team leader. “This financing is the first of a program of two policy-based loans to support the Government of Trinidad and Tobago design and implement a reform process to follow a low-carbon development path.”

As an oil and gas producer, the government of Trinidad and Tobago recognizes the potential to engage in significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions as part of its response to climate change. The government identified the financial requirements to adequately address these climate change issues and the importance of developing the policy framework to transition to a low carbon development path. Special focus will be placed on improving the country’s ability to adapt to climate change and to strengthening the institutions responsible for the management of climate change related issues.

Source: the Inter-American Development Bank.

Panel Discussion on Trinidad and Tobago’s Forests for World Environment Day 2011, part 1
Panel Discussion on Trinidad & Tobago’s Forests for World Environment Day 2011, part 2

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY is observed every year on June 5th. This year’s theme is “Forests: Nature At Your Service”. As part of its observance of this special day on the international calendar, TALK CITY 91.1 FM hosted a Panel Discussion looking at the challenges and opportunities facing Trinidad & Tobago, with regard to using our national forests, even as we seek to protect and preserve them for future generations.

TALK CITY’s Jessie-May Ventour spoke with Deputy Conservator of Forests, KENNY SINGH; KYLE DE LIMA of Trini Eco Warriors; and STEVEN GREENLEAF, Director of Greenleaf Sustainability Consulting Ltd.

[Original broadcast dates: Friday 3 June at 8 p.m.; on Sunday 5 June at 9 p.m.,, on TALK CITY 91.1 FM and talkcity91fm.com]

Listen to the remainder of the panel discussion on YouTube: part 3, part 4, and part 5.

Previously on Green Antilles: Forests — Nature at your service and International Year of Forests PSA.