Project News: Tobago
Added to website: 26 April 2007
It looks set to be a busy and exciting time for the new Tobago project. Following the successful launch of the project last month, Coral Cay Conservation representatives and its in-country partners, the Buccoo Reef Trust (BRT) recently met with the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/Small Grants Program’s (SGP) National Steering Committee (NSC) in Tobago. United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) regional coordinator, Richard Laydoo opened the meeting by congratulating the Tobago Coral Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) on the first successful steps it has taken towards achieving its long-term goals. Other key members present from the NSC were Mr. Sterling Belgrove, Chairperson and Mr. Carrall Alexander, Vice Chairperson.
CCC’s Chief Technical Advisor, Jan-Willem Van Bochove gave a presentation on what the project hopes to achieve over the next two years. Further presentations were given by BRT scientists and BRT’s co-founder and board member, Dr. Owen Day.
Coral Cay Conservation has begun collecting its first baseline survey data over some the most diverse coral reef habitats in the Caribbean. Tobago’s fringing reefs harbor a rich marine life but are threatened by sedimentation from coastal and upland development and pollution. Working closely with the BRT and the Tobago House of Assembly, Coral Cay aims to survey all the reefs between Buccoo Reef Marine Park and Castara Bay in the first year of the project.
The project is kick-starting the wider-Caribbean Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area’s Management (IWCAM) which aims to strengthen the commitment and capacity of the 13 participating island states to implement an integrated approach to the management of watersheds and coastal areas.
Coral Cay Conservation will play a vital role in this program as the marine scientific data will be used to develop comprehensive habitat maps that will assist in the creation of effective, integrated management plans for the Tobago watershed area.
Don’t just take our word for, have a look to see how you can do some inspirational work by volunteering with CCC.
For more information about the Tobago project, please click here.
For further information, please visit:
UNDP’s Small Grants Program: http://sgp.undp.org
Integrating Watershed and Coastal Area’s Management: http://www.IWCAM.org
Global Environment Facility: http://www.gefweb.org/index.html
