• Mr. Chairman • Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of ...

1Speech for Edo Stork, Deputy Resident Representative,UNDP Opening Remarks at the Launch of International Yearof Forests and Commemoration of World Wetlands Day2011, 1 February, 2011, Caroni Swamp Visitor Center,Trinidad and Tobago• Mr. Chairman• Dr. the Honourable Roodal Moonilal, Minister of Housing and theEnvironment• Mrs. Veronica Belgrave, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ofHousing and the Environment,• Mrs. Joy Creese Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ofHousing and the Environment,• Mr. Anthony Ramnarine, Conservator of Forests• Senior staff and officials of the Ministry of Housing and theEnvironment• Chairman and members of the national wetlands committee• Representatives of Environmental NGOs• Principals, teachers, students• Members of the media,• Ladies and GentlemenGood morning. I am very pleased to be here at the launch of the Trinidadand Tobago programme of activities in observance of the International

2Year of Forests 2011 and the commemoration of World Wetlands Day2011.I bring you greetings and apologies on behalf of Dr. 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 the importance of forests and wetlands, criticalnational and global assets.Whether terrestrial forests or forested wetlands, forests contributesignificantly to national and global development, livelihoods and humanwell being. Forests are often referred to as the “lungs of the world” byabsorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Forests and wetlandsare vital to maintaining the supply and quality of freshwater. They playan integral part in the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide,supply the habitat for millions of species and play a critical role inmitigating the effects of climate change. With this in mind the UnitedNations established the International Year of Forests 2011 and invitedworld governments, non governmental organizations and the privatesector to make a concerted effort to raise awareness to strengthenconservation and sustainable development of forests. In recognition of

3the inextricable link between forests and wetlands the internationaltheme for World Wetlands Day 2011 therefore became "wetlands andforests - forests for water and wetlands" since the health of ourwetlands, whether forested or not, is linked to the health of forests in ourcatchments. Losing and degrading forests means losing and degradingwetlands.UNDP would like to commend the government of Trinidad and Tobagoon this event today which signals the country’s commitment toparticipate fully in these global efforts.UNDP’s own programme of support in Trinidad and Tobago recognizesthe importance of forests and wetlands and the need for a collaborativeand participatory approach to their management.Currently there are 30 projects funded by the UNDP GlobalEnvironmental Facility-Small Grants Programme which directly impacton forests, the livelihoods which depend on them, and watershedmanagement. Grantees are all Community Based Organisations or Non-Governmental Organisations which focus on a wide range of activities,from reafforestation to agro-forestry and information disseminationusing various media. The initiatives aim to educate and build thecapacity of community members so that they can generate income by

4utilizing forest resources in a sustainable manner. There are also anumber of projects which focus on eco-tourism and the development offorest nature trails. These are of particular importance in the northeasternpart of the Northern Range and serve to protect the flora andfauna against unrestrained exploitation from hunters and loggers.Projects such as the Green Wave mobilize the youth to participate in treeplanting activities and emphasize awareness programmes whichhighlight the non-destructive use of forest resources and convey theconsequences of deforestation and unrestrained exploitation.In the Nariva Swamp, UNDP provided support to the Zoological Societyof Trinidad and Tobago in the re introduction of the blue and goldmacaw which aimed to assist in restoring the balance of nature in notonly the wetland, but the impinging forest ecosystem as well. In Tobago,a pilot progamme was implemented in the Belle Garden Wetland tosupport community mapping and monitoring of the wetland area as wellas provide capacity development through eco tour guide training.Residents later formed themselves into the Belle Garden WetlandAssociation devoted to continuing the conservation and protection of thewetland.

5In addition to projects funded under the small grants programme UNDPhas also recently committed to providing project support at a nationallevel to a two year programme of activities to address sustainable landmanagement and increase local capacity, knowledge and awareness ofsustainable land management practices. The principal objective of thisproject is to mitigate land degradation trends by establishing an enablingenvironment to combat land degradation through a participatory process,capacity building and mainstreaming of sustainable land managementinto national development strategies.As we commemorate World Wetlands Day 2011 and look forward to theInternational Year of Forests 2011, let us maintain and accelerate themomentum generated by our global and national efforts. Let us continueworking to ensure that life on Earth will persist in all its diversity andcomplexity for the benefit of present and future generations.I thank you.