⢠Mr. Chairman ⢠Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of ...
⢠Mr. Chairman ⢠Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of ...
⢠Mr. Chairman ⢠Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of ...
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1Speech for Edo Stork, Deputy Resident Representative,UNDP Opening Remarks at <strong>the</strong> Launch <strong>of</strong> International Year<strong>of</strong> Forests and Commemoration <strong>of</strong> World Wetlands Day2011, 1 February, 2011, Caroni Swamp Visitor Center,Trinidad and Tobago• <strong>Mr</strong>. <strong>Chairman</strong>• <strong>Dr</strong>. <strong>the</strong> <strong>Honourable</strong> <strong>Roodal</strong> <strong>Moonilal</strong>, <strong>Minister</strong> <strong>of</strong> Housing and <strong>the</strong>Environment• <strong>Mr</strong>s. Veronica Belgrave, Permanent Secretary in <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong>Housing and <strong>the</strong> Environment,• <strong>Mr</strong>s. Joy Creese Deputy Permanent Secretary in <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong>Housing and <strong>the</strong> Environment,• <strong>Mr</strong>. Anthony Ramnarine, Conservator <strong>of</strong> Forests• Senior staff and <strong>of</strong>ficials <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Housing and <strong>the</strong>Environment• <strong>Chairman</strong> and members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> national wetlands committee• Representatives <strong>of</strong> Environmental NGOs• Principals, teachers, students• Members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> media,• Ladies and GentlemenGood morning. I am very pleased to be here at <strong>the</strong> launch <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Trinidadand Tobago programme <strong>of</strong> activities in observance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> International
2Year <strong>of</strong> Forests 2011 and <strong>the</strong> commemoration <strong>of</strong> World Wetlands Day2011.I bring you greetings and apologies on behalf <strong>of</strong> <strong>Dr</strong>. de Castro whocould not be here this morning due to UNDP’s regional commitmentswhich have taken her to Curacao. She wishes you a very successfullaunch and I now bring you remarks on her behalf.We consider it a privilege to have been asked to speak at this eventwhich serves to highlight <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> forests and wetlands, criticalnational and global assets.Whe<strong>the</strong>r terrestrial forests or forested wetlands, forests contributesignificantly to national and global development, livelihoods and humanwell being. Forests are <strong>of</strong>ten referred to as <strong>the</strong> “lungs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world” byabsorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Forests and wetlandsare vital to maintaining <strong>the</strong> supply and quality <strong>of</strong> freshwater. They playan integral part in <strong>the</strong> livelihoods <strong>of</strong> 1.6 billion people worldwide,supply <strong>the</strong> habitat for millions <strong>of</strong> species and play a critical role inmitigating <strong>the</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> climate change. With this in mind <strong>the</strong> UnitedNations established <strong>the</strong> International Year <strong>of</strong> Forests 2011 and invitedworld governments, non governmental organizations and <strong>the</strong> privatesector to make a concerted effort to raise awareness to streng<strong>the</strong>nconservation and sustainable development <strong>of</strong> forests. In recognition <strong>of</strong>
3<strong>the</strong> inextricable link between forests and wetlands <strong>the</strong> international<strong>the</strong>me for World Wetlands Day 2011 <strong>the</strong>refore became "wetlands andforests - forests for water and wetlands" since <strong>the</strong> health <strong>of</strong> ourwetlands, whe<strong>the</strong>r forested or not, is linked to <strong>the</strong> health <strong>of</strong> forests in ourcatchments. Losing and degrading forests means losing and degradingwetlands.UNDP would like to commend <strong>the</strong> government <strong>of</strong> Trinidad and Tobagoon this event today which signals <strong>the</strong> country’s commitment toparticipate fully in <strong>the</strong>se global efforts.UNDP’s own programme <strong>of</strong> support in Trinidad and Tobago recognizes<strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> forests and wetlands and <strong>the</strong> need for a collaborativeand participatory approach to <strong>the</strong>ir management.Currently <strong>the</strong>re are 30 projects funded by <strong>the</strong> UNDP GlobalEnvironmental Facility-Small Grants Programme which directly impacton forests, <strong>the</strong> livelihoods which depend on <strong>the</strong>m, and watershedmanagement. Grantees are all Community Based Organisations or Non-Governmental Organisations which focus on a wide range <strong>of</strong> activities,from reafforestation to agro-forestry and information disseminationusing various media. The initiatives aim to educate and build <strong>the</strong>capacity <strong>of</strong> community members so that <strong>the</strong>y can generate income by
4utilizing forest resources in a sustainable manner. There are also anumber <strong>of</strong> projects which focus on eco-tourism and <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong>forest nature trails. These are <strong>of</strong> particular importance in <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>asternpart <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Range and serve to protect <strong>the</strong> flora andfauna against unrestrained exploitation from hunters and loggers.Projects such as <strong>the</strong> Green Wave mobilize <strong>the</strong> youth to participate in treeplanting activities and emphasize awareness programmes whichhighlight <strong>the</strong> non-destructive use <strong>of</strong> forest resources and convey <strong>the</strong>consequences <strong>of</strong> deforestation and unrestrained exploitation.In <strong>the</strong> Nariva Swamp, UNDP provided support to <strong>the</strong> Zoological Society<strong>of</strong> Trinidad and Tobago in <strong>the</strong> re introduction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> blue and goldmacaw which aimed to assist in restoring <strong>the</strong> balance <strong>of</strong> nature in notonly <strong>the</strong> wetland, but <strong>the</strong> impinging forest ecosystem as well. In Tobago,a pilot progamme was implemented in <strong>the</strong> Belle Garden Wetland tosupport community mapping and monitoring <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wetland area as wellas provide capacity development through eco tour guide training.Residents later formed <strong>the</strong>mselves into <strong>the</strong> Belle Garden WetlandAssociation devoted to continuing <strong>the</strong> conservation and protection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>wetland.
5In addition to projects funded under <strong>the</strong> small grants programme UNDPhas also recently committed to providing project support at a nationallevel to a two year programme <strong>of</strong> activities to address sustainable landmanagement and increase local capacity, knowledge and awareness <strong>of</strong>sustainable land management practices. The principal objective <strong>of</strong> thisproject is to mitigate land degradation trends by establishing an enablingenvironment to combat land degradation through a participatory process,capacity building and mainstreaming <strong>of</strong> sustainable land managementinto national development strategies.As we commemorate World Wetlands Day 2011 and look forward to <strong>the</strong>International Year <strong>of</strong> Forests 2011, let us maintain and accelerate <strong>the</strong>momentum generated by our global and national efforts. Let us continueworking to ensure that life on Earth will persist in all its diversity andcomplexity for <strong>the</strong> benefit <strong>of</strong> present and future generations.I thank you.