Download Nariva, Home of a Ground Breaking Environmental Project

Nariva, Home of a Ground Breaking Environmental Project
August 15th 2008 was a ground breaking day for the Ministry of Planning Housing and
the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources as well as the
Environmental Management Authority (EMA), as they launched the Nariva Restoration
and Carbon Sequestration project.
This revolutionary project will see the replanting of 1,300 hectares of the Nariva Swamp
in areas that were formerly deforested by large-scale rice farmers more than a decade
ago.
The launch, which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture’s station in Plum Mitan,
brought out Minister of Planning, Housing and the Environment Senator Dr. the
Honorable Emily Dick-Forde, Attorney General Senator the Honorable Bridgid AnnisetteGeorge and members of the Plum Mitan, Kernahan and Biche communities. It was at
this historic location that the Minister got an opportunity to symbolically plant the first
tree to re-establish the natural vegetation.
So why choose Nariva as the site for such a revolutionary project?
Nariva has been declared an Environmentally Sensitive Area under the Environmentally
Sensitive Area Rules 2001 and has the most varied vegetation of all wetlands in Trinidad
and Tobago, with distinct zones of swamp forest, palm swamp, herbaceous swamp and
mangrove woodlands. It is home to a large number of waterfowl including migratory
species, and it is the wetland in Trinidad which still sustains the Anaconda, the reintroduced Blue and Golden Macaw and the endangered Manatee. Nariva was also
recognized globally when it was declared a Wetland of International Importance in 1992
under the Ramsar Convention.
The Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources have
spearheaded the long process to have the threats to Nariva Swamp removed and the
ecology of the area restored. Restoration and management plans were drawn up with
the assistance of Canadian NGO Ducks Unlimited and the Institute of Marine Affairs.
Today, the Nariva Restoration and Carbon Sequestration project is a collaborative effort
of the Forestry Division, the EMA and the University of the West Indies.
One of the pioneers of the project, University of the West Indies lecturer and former
Chairman of the Environmental Management Authority Professor John Agard, assured
the gathering at Plum Mitan that this venture would benefit the residents in and around
Nariva as it will provide job opportunities for those who possess the skills required. It is
proposed that the facilitating of the nurseries and the re-planting process will be done
entirely by residents of the nearby villages over a five year period. More importantly
Professor Agard maintained that a project of this magnitude, scope and possibility will
be an asset to Trinidad and Tobago. The replanting of approximately 1,300 hectares
with native species of trees to restore the ecology of the area is only a part of this
historic project. A first for Trinidad and Tobago will be the ‘carbon sequestration’ focus
of capturing carbon dioxide in the trees and vegetation through the natural growth of
these plants. This concept has gained popularity due to the effects of climate change,
largely caused by the increase of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere through the burning
of fossil fuels. Reforestation is seen as one of the methods of capturing some of this
excess Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere and holding or sequestering it in the tissues
of plants.
This project falls directly in line with the EMA’s mandate to provide effective leadership
in attaining an environmental healthy community and conserving healthy ecosystems
for present and future generations. In this regard the project will be coordinated by the
Authority with the technical implementation of the Forestry Division. The EMA is
utilizing a grant from the World Bank in the formulation and initial implementation of
the project.
It is the hope of all stakeholders involved that this project would be a model for similar
projects in the Caribbean region.
The pilot phase commenced on September 22nd 2008.
Senator, Dr. the Honourable Emily Dick-Forde, Minister of Planning, Housing &
the Environment, proudly delivers her address at the “Show and Tell” Nariva
Swamp Restoration and Carbon Sequestration Project.