Trinidad and Tobago - Overview

Remark:

Please note that this country profile has been prepared by the Secretariat on the basis of information provided in the NBSAP and national reports, but has not been reviewed by the Party concerned.

Status and Trends of Biodiversity

Overview

Trinidad and Tobago are the two main islands of an archipelagic state situated at the southern end of the chain of Caribbean islands known as the Windward Islands. Being an island state Trinidad and Tobago has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) comprising roughly 75,000 km2, approximately 15 times the land area. Because of its recent separation from the South American mainland, the biota and terrestrial habitats of Trinidad reflect the ecology of equatorial South America unlike the other Windward Islands, which have ecosystems dominated by island endemic species... More »

National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan

Major features of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Trinidad and Tobago has identified 23 priority strategies and associated actions to be executed in a three-year period. Nine of these strategies fall within the Education and Awareness category, with other categories being Legislation and Enforcement, Capacity, Information and Research, and Policy and Commitment. Extensive public consultations were carried out in the process of creating the NBSAP, which helped identify the key biodiversity-related issues the country needs to address in addition to providing solutions to these issues... More »

Implementation of the Convention

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target

Initiatives that are being implemented to conserve biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago include the National Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme. This 10-year programme started in 2004 and aims to replant 33,030 acres of forest, including 11,000 acres of forest in watersheds to allow for watershed development and the recharging of aquifers... More »

Initiatives in Protected Areas

The Environmental Management Authority has developed an Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Species and Biodiversity Work Plan. This plan outlines a work programme for the period of 2004-2007 and one of the strategic objectives of the plan is to declare 8 Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs), as well as to develop and implement management plans for them... More »

Initiatives for Article 8(j)

To increase their contribution to resource management, rural communities have organised themselves into formal groups known as Community Based Organisations (CBOs). This has improved co-operation among the state, private enterprise and the rural communities for the co-management of natural resources. NGOs and CBOs have been instrumental in raising awareness for the value of biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago and the benefits of conservation and protection of natural resources... More »

National Contacts

Full details of national contacts »

Convention on Biological Diversity

Mrs. Vidiah Ramkhelawan	CBD Primary NFP, CHM NFP
Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh	CBD Secondary NFP, CHM NFP, SBSTTA NFP, Protected Areas NFP, GTI NFP, GSPC NFP
Mrs. Esmě Rawlins-Charles	Resource Mobilization FP
Ms. Yasmin S. Baksh-Comeau	GTI NFP
Mr. Johnny Seepersad	GSPC NFP
Dr. Floyd Homer	SBSTTA NFP
Dr. David Persaud	Protected Areas NFP

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Mrs. Vidiah Ramkhelawan	Cartagena Protocol Primary NFP
Dr. Joth Singh	BCH NFP