NEWS

Main Ridge Forest Reserve anniversary celebrations

In recognition of the 243rd anniversary of the declaration of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the Department of Natural Resources and Forestry and Environment Tobago jointly undertook two activities.  The first took the form of a "Main Ridge Forest Fitness Challenge" in which the public was invited to take part in a run/walk/cycle challenge across the main road which runs through the Main Ridge Forest Reserve.  Participants either chose to undertake a 14 km full challenge or a 7 km half challenge, which ended at the Bloody Bay visitor facility.  All finishers were rewarded with medals and the fastest finisher in various age and gender categories received prizes.  The second event was a "Kids Jamboree" hosted for pre-school students from the surrounding area.  The youngsters enjoyed sing-alongs, stories and skits on environmental themes, as well as a petting zoo.  The keen interest and participation from the public in these events has encouraged the organizers to consider hosting these as an annual undertaking.  A brief report on the anniversary celebration is available at this link.

Communicating with IFPAMTT

In late February, a two-day communication workshop was held among stakeholders involved in the "Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago" project.

This workshop sought to review the journey in communication adopted by the project, while building understanding of the processes involved in the development of key communication products.

Read more about the activity at this link.

New Resources Available

New resources produced under the project "Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago" are now available on the National Forest and Protected Areas webpage, under the Resources tab.  

The first two documents are as follows:

  • Let's Walk: A Field Guide for Building and Maintenance of Nature Trails
  • Livelihoods Assessment Guide for Protected Areas in Trinidad and Tobago

The documents are available for download and are intended to assist managers in building their skills and capacity in the respective areas to improve the management of forest and protected areas.  

Secondary School Symposium held jointly with IMA in Tobago

In the month of October 2018, the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) partnered with the Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago (IFPAMTT) project to host a symposium for the benefit of secondary schools in Tobago.  The symposium presented information on current work being done by the Institute, the IFPAMTT project, the Environmental Management Authority, the Department of Natural Resources and Forestry (Tobago House of Assembly) and local environmental NGOs.  Students who attended the Symposium were able to ask questions about these activities and also gained advice on the range of career paths they can follow to contribute to the management of Tobago's natural environment.  A report on the Symposium can be found at this link.

December issue of ProtectEd is here

The latest issue of the IFPAMTT project newsletter, ProtectEd is here!  This latest issue reports on project activities that took place over the last six-month period.  Enjoy catching up with news on the development of protected area management plans, the project's observance of World Food Day 2018 in October, a wide range of communication activities undertaken in Tobago and much, much more.  Read the latest issue of ProtectEd at this link.