ECOLife Issue No. 4 (January - June 2014)

CARIBBEAN YOUTH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK trinidad and tobago chapter

world environment day 2014

UN WORLD WATER DAY

SIDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

youth water parliament : haiti

IN THE HOTSEAT las islas bonitas WORD ON THE STREET

YOUTH WATER FORUM

cyen interviews CYEN-TT MEMBER OF THE QUARTER

Issue 4 • 2014

in this issue 7 News from the CYEN-TT desk 9 Climate Change: The Threat to Small Island Developing States 11 Community Based Conservation: An Approach to Managing Watershed Resources 12 The Water Crisis in SIDS 14 Water: A Right and Responsibility 15 Paradigm Shift 17 Youth Water Forum

19 World Environment Day 2014

28 Partners in Water: CYEN & GWP

22 Vibes

29 CYEN Interviews: Prabin Rokaya

23 Las Islas Bonitas: Reservoirs & Rivers in T&T

31 Word on the Street: Trinidad Edition

25 In the Hot Seat: Dr. Carl Obst

33 Word on the Street: Haitian Edition 35 Heroes Among Us: Youth Water Parliament- Haiti 39 CYEN-TT Adopts...

Arima and Courland Watersheds

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From the Editor The Caribbean Youth Environment Network’s commitment to encouraging youth to engage in environmental work persists.

Welcome to the fourth issue of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network – Trinidad and Tobago’s (CYENTT) online magazine – ECOLife. This issue, while ranging in topics, places great emphasis on two very pertinent thematic areas: 1. Water and 2. Small Island Developing States. The year 2014 was declared the International Year for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) by the United Nations, and we have made it our mandate to inform the masses about SIDS and provide specific insight into the environmental issues faced by SIDS. This magazine is written and published entirely by young people for young people. I urge you to read with an open mind as our young members pen their ideas about the water crisis, water management, water as a right and a responsibility, and striving to establish new ways of thinking about water.

In ‘Limelight’, we highlight the major activities which CYEN-TT engaged in over the last six months (January – June 2014). Furthermore, we take a look at the inspiring work being done by the youth of Haiti in Heroes Among Us, and place a spotlight on the watersheds of Trinidad and Tobago. We are pleased to have made contact with international environmental organisations this quarter, such as The Water Youth Network and United Nations System of Environmental and Economic Accounts, and this issue provides an understanding of these networks through ‘In The Hot Seat,’ and ‘CYEN Interviews.’

On behalf of the CYEN-TT executive committee, I thank you for the continued support for all we need is dedication to make anything possible. CYEN continues its mission to communicate, advocate and defend the environment, open doors for young people to excel and create change. From all of us at CYEN, we do hope you find inspiration in this magazine and are able to gain insight into the work being done by the youth in and for the environment after being exposed to ECOLife.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future issues please feel free to contact us at cyen. tt.chapter@gmail.com Happy Reading!

Dizzanne Billy Communications Officer Caribbean Youth Environment Network – Trinidad and Tobago Chapter

Editor In Chief Dizzanne Billy, dizz.billy@gmail. com

Associate Editors Rianna Gonzales, riannagonzales@gmail.com Julie Le Gendre, legendre.julie@gmail.com

Design & Layout Daryll Griffith, daryllgriffith@gmail. com

Photography Daryll Griffith, daryllgriffith@gmail. com Rianna Gonzales, riannagonzales@gmail.com

Contributors Daniel Robinson Gina Rosario Diaz La Tisha Parkinson Renaldo Lewis Julie Le Gendre Prabin Rokaya Carl Obst Alexandra Pierre Nicolas Florestal Michelle Cazabon-Mannette Trevin Newton (Logo) CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 2

About cyen-tt Contact Us; 16-20 Anva Plaza, Eastern Main Road, Tunapuna trinidadandtobago@cyen.org or cyen.tt.chapter@gmail.com or visit our website at www.cyen.org

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The CYEN is a non-profit, civil society, charitable body that focuses its resources on empowering young people and their communities.

Mission - The Caribbean Youth Environment Network is a non -profit organisation that is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Caribbean young people by facilitating their personal development and promoting their full involvement in all matters pertaining to the environment and sustainable development. The organisation promotes education and training, Caribbean integration and community empowerment as tools to develop an ethic amongst young people that assists in the conservation and protection of natural resources within the wider Caribbean.

Today’s prosperity is no guarantee for tomorrow.

The surest way to continuing prosperity is the careful husbandry of present resources, however plentiful. - Internal Self-Government for Tobago 14 January 1977 House of Representatives, Port of Spain

His Excellency Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson (16 December 1926 – 9 April 2014), 3rd President and 3rd Prime Minister of the Republic Of Trinidad and Tobago

CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 4

limelight CYEN-TT attends UWI Engaging the Society’s Volunteer Open Day

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YEN-TT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of the West Indies (UWI), making it one of the volunteer partner organisations of the university. In recognition and promotion of the spirit of volunteerism, The UWI Engaging the Community group hosted a Volunteer Open Day on Thursday 13th at the St. Augustine Campus. This event was held in an effort to give students and staff the opportunity to meet with volunteer organisations. As such, CYEN-TT had a booth at this event where we reached out to students to become involved in the projects of CYEN. Members volunteered as CYEN ambassadors at this event and got the opportunity to publicise and market CYEN and CYEN-TT.

CYEN-TT at Atlantic LNG’s Biodiversity Exhibition

In

celebration of World Environment Day and International Day of Biodiversity, Atlantic LNG hosted a two-day exhibition on Biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Youth Environment Network Trinidad and Tobago Chapter was invited to give a presentation to the children on this topic. The excitement of the children was infectious as the presentation was made, focusing on the endemic species found in Trinidad and Tobago as well as the role that our everyday actions play in preserving our biodiversity.

United Nations Convention Ministerial Meeting

United

to

Combat Desertification

Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)/ The Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM)/ The Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD) hosted a four day workshop and meeting for the Caribbean Subregion. Representatives from The Global Mechanism, PISLM, CNIRD, and the UNCCD Secretariat engaged in a training session for the National Focal Points to the UNCCD. National Focal Points from countries all over the Caribbean met in Trinidad for this Global Support Programme. CYEN-TT was very proud to be the support personnel for this critical conference and taskforce meeting.

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limelight World Day Of Social Justice 2014

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he United Nations World Day of Social Justice is annually observed on February 20th to encourage countries to re-commit to addressing issues such as poverty and social exclusion whilst reviewing how social justice affects human development.

It also focuses on the goal of achieving full employment, poverty eradication and support for social integration. The Catholic Commission for Social Justice extended the invitation to the CYEN-TT chapter to set up a booth at its exhibition at the National Library on February 21st. It was delightful to have regional members from CYEN Guyana at this event as well.

CYEN Regional represented at The 2014 Global Biennial Conference on Small States

CYEN-TT

National Coordinator Rianna Gonzales who is also the Regional Coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network was given the opportunity to present at the Commonwealth Third Biennial Conference: Building Resilience in Small States held in St Lucia on the 26 - 27 March. The presentation focused on the “Role of Youth in Building Resilience in Small States” with attention being made on youth participation in governance, education and employment. A video called “The Caribbean We Want” had its first screening in the session. The video was created by young people from CYEN to highlight the issues faced by young people in the Caribbean and the future they want.

This video was given high praises and was also given the opportunity to be placed on the event website. According to the Prime Minister of St Lucia Hon Dr Kenny Anthony “as small states, every day is a day of advocacy and championing of our issues not just for this international year of states.”

CYEN-TT contributes to the EITI process

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he Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is an international organisation that has developed a standard to assess the levels of transparency practiced by the oil, gas and mineral resources industries.

CYEN-TT, as part of the Youth Advisory Committee for TTEITI, met with the EITI validators to give our input on how the youth see the EITI process and the efforts made. The validators from Norway were impressed by our activities and the commitment and passion that they witnessed during the meeting.

CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 6

news from the cyen-tt desk

Member of the Quarter October to December 2013

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he natural world has always held a special place in Jheuel’s heart. Possessing an innate affinity for all things natural, Jheuel participated in the Arthur Ashe Summer Internship Program and was drawn to the field of environmental science. Jheuel’s first induction into the realm of environmental research began at the Cropper Foundation where she was convinced she found her true calling. As fate would have it, Jheuel was then assigned to CYEN as part of the internship and, in her words, she was instantly sold.

Jheuel Carter-Guy CYEN-TT member since- August 2013

Age: 19

“I cannot discount the impact that CYEN had on me from the very beginning. My personal beliefs are so in tune with those of the organisation and that is why I remain dedicated to CYEN. Their commitment to education resonated with my own convictions, as my faith in humanity compels me to believe that if persons truly understand the environment and how their actions impact our world, they would be eager to change for the benefit of all.” – Jheuel Carter-Guy January to March 2014

With

a background in Environmental and Natural Resource Management, Daniel hopes to further his education in the field of marine and coastal science and management in the near future. Daniel has a strong interest in integrated watershed management, integrated coastal zone management, climate change and environmental policy. He has a passion for the environment and enjoys spending time in the natural environment, whether it is for leisure or work.

“Seeing the work that The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) has done in Trinidad and Tobago and throughout the Caribbean motivated me to become a member. I believe that young people can influence positive change. We need to help people to appreciate the environment and understand the essential role it has in ensuring that life on Earth persists.” – Daniel Robinson

April to June 2014

Daniel Robinson CYEN-TT member since- August 2012

Age: 23

Adaeze

is one of CYEN’s youngest members. Her ability to be responsible and to take initiative represents everything that the Caribbean Youth Environment Network stands for. Currently, Adaeze is reading for a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a double minor in Gender Studies and Anthropology at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus.

Adaeze Greenidge CYEN-TT member since- October 2013 7 • CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE

Age: 18

“Although I enjoy my area of study, I also exceedingly enjoy learning about environmental issues. Since joining CYEN, I am much more involved in community work and volunteerism. I am thoroughly grateful for the opportunities presented to me and I will remain dedicated to CYEN-TT. The members with whom I have interacted and worked with in CYEN-TT can be described as helpful, innovative and welcoming.

They make tasks easier and I love and appreciate the memories that I have made through CYEN. I look forward with anticipation and true excitement for our future endeavours together.” – Adaeze Greenidge

news from the cyen-tt desk March 2014 - Youth Water Leader

CYEN-TT awarded EMA’s Green Leaf Youth Merit Award I

“ hope that we will strengthen our collective resolve and commitment to this beautiful environment that is Trinidad and Tobago... It is my hope that we will have more success than challenges... I am confident that we can make a difference and effect the changes necessary to protect and manage our environment.

The onus is on each of us.” – Dr. Allan Bachan (Chairman of the Environmental Management Agency) at the recent Green Leaf Awards. Hosted by the Environmental Management Agency, the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network walked away with the Green Leaf Merit Award in the Youth Category. CYEN-TT received this award in recognition of all the work the Chapter has done in promoting environmental awareness among young people. In particular, the publication of ECOLife Magazine and work being done on the WASA AdoptA-River Project was recognized.

http://www.wateryouthnetwork.org/archives/1162

The Water Youth Network is a group of organisations–

Water Youth Parliament for Water, International Water Week in Amsterdam Young Water Professionals, Reseau Projection, and Youth Diplomacy – and individuals that channel their passion for water issues towards an inter-generational approach to finding solutions to these issues. Moulded at the 6th World Water Forum, the Water Youth Network represents a true alliance of students, young people, and young professionals from multiple countries.

One of the initiatives of the Water Youth Network is the monthly recognition of a young individual who is working on environmental and water issues. This recognition comes in the form of being named Youth Water Leader. For the month of March 2014, CYENTT’s very own Communications Officer - Dizzanne Billy - was honoured to have received this title. She was proud to utilise this opportunity to promote CYEN and all the work being done by youth across the Caribbean region towards influencing a culture change and the important role that young people have to play in educating the public and encouraging sustainable living.

CYEN-TT Joins the Council of Presidents for the Environment In May, CYEN-TT joined the Council of Presidents

for the Environment (COPE). COPE, founded in 1989, is a grouping of autonomous, not-for-profit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs) representing specialist interests in environmental concerns. Other members of this group include the Maracas Valley Action Committe (MVAC), Asa Wright Nature Centre and Environment Tobago to name a few. The mission of COPE is to act as an advocate for environmental conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources by supporting the coordination of efforts of local environmental NGOs and CBOs in the promotion of public awareness. We believe that this association will further benefit the CYEN-TT in terms of networking and support inter-generational dialogue and transfer of information.

CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 8

Climate Change The Threat to Small Island Developing States

by Gina Diaz

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he Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are small island countries which have their own peculiar vulnerabilities and characteristics, so the difficulties they face in the pursuit of sustainable development are particularly severe and complex.

At the present time, there are 32 SIDS over 3 geographic regions: the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Africa, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIMS region).

As is the case for nations around the world, SIDS are making variable progress toward the Millennium Development Goals, which have 2015 as their projected endpoint.

Notable gains have been made in some areas of health, education, and gender parity, while other goals continue to prove challenging for some SIDS. SIDS in all regions are actively involved in shaping the post-2015 development agenda.

However, SIDS are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change, among other challenges. At the present time, climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. It is a complex problem that current generations face and threatens to undo the efforts of decades of development. Only in the last two million years, the Earth has experienced alternating ice ages and warm weather that have directly affected all forms of life on the planet, causing great changes including the disappearance of entire ecosystems. The magnitude of the threat posed by climate change requires all United Nations bodies and State Members, as part of the international community, to respond to the challenge in a coordinated manner and to deliver concrete results.

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national strategies, and encourage countries to focus on these plans.

Living in a world that has recently reached a population of seven billion people, sustainable development is yet a challenge.

Nowadays, there is an international concern due to the effects of climate change, especially in SIDS. Also, the impact of humanity on the environment has rapidly increased due to the population growth, which, if it continues, will limit the earth’s ability to supply food, water, energy and other basic resources, causing substantial changes that will create uncertainty and instability worldwide.

In the Caribbean region, climate change engages a combination of risks, challenges, threats and opportunities since it faces potential impacts of this phenomenon. The sea level rise, the transformation of coastal ecosystems, more frequent and severe droughts, the change in rainfall and climate regime, the incidence of tropical diseases and increased hurricanes and tropical storms are some of the examples that show the adverse effects of climate change. In this matter, there is a need to build climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into regional and

In these islands, the conservation of natural resources directly improves the living conditions of the local population, helps them to overcome periods of droughts, secures their supply of drinking water and mitigates the impacts of uncontrolled flooding. There is also a high dependence on tourism and natural resources for various livelihoods within the country. Given this strong dependence, short and long-term climate impacts have several negative implications for the social and financial stability of the SIDS regions. In this context though the use of the natural resources to improve the living conditions of the local population is recognized.

It is essential to also create mechanisms of adaptation to climate change in order to preserve such resources.

In conclusion, the expected climate change impacts in the SIDS countries are worrying. This calls for the creation of effective actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience, adaptation and mitigation as an effective response. Therefore, in order to work towards the Future We Want, it is mandatory that decision makers move towards the identification and implementation of measures to reduce negative impacts, leading to concesus so as to conclude in a well-developed strategy to face the phenomenon. The involvement of youth to be empowered in facing SIDS challenges is also crucial.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela (18th July 1918 - 5th December 2013) Activist, Politician, Philanthropist, Lawyer, and the first President of South Africa

Expert Group Meeting on “Implementing Rio+20: Integrated Planning for Sustainable Coastal Area Management in the Caribbean Region”

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YEN-TT attended a meeting which was hosted in close collaboration between the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Sub-regional Headquarters for the Caribbean, and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO IOC) and its Regional Secretariat for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions SubCommission IOCARIBE in March, 2014.

The overarching objective of the Expert Group meeting on Implementing Rio+20: Integrated Planning for Sustainable Coastal Area Management in the Caribbean Region was to further enhance the awareness and capacity of national experts and decision makers in the Caribbean region to effectively integrate sustainable development priorities related to oceans and coastal areas into national planning and implementation processes that involve all stakeholders, as well as to define trans-boundary initiatives with neighbouring countries. This was achieved by examining best practices to address ocean-related challenges in coastal areas, identifying existing obstacles and exchanging experiences and views on ways to address these.

Making steps towards the Caribbean sustainable development agenda

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n May 28th and 29th, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network was represented at CANARI’s Expert Meeting to analyse the Caribbean’s Sustainable Development Agenda. The overall goal of this meeting was to add technical input to the development of a resilient and comprehensive Caribbean stance on sustainable development priorities.

The outcome of this two day seminar would be employed both in global policy processes and for attaining actual sustainability in the Caribbean. CYEN was the only youth organisation represented at this event, and we were able to put forward the work being done by the organisation on the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

Manzanilla Beach CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 10

Community Based Conservation An Approach to Managing Watershed Resources situation and continue exploiting the resources while others try to conserve them.

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atersheds provide services and functions to human communities which include the provision of freshwater, energy, timber resources and flood control. The activities of man, however, often compromise the ability of our catchments to function optimally.

Members of the community are usually the first to be affected by changes and identify problems in their watershed. Extremes of degraded conditions are easy to ascertain but moderately degraded sites can be difficult to identify. The following was adapted from data collected in the Caura Watershed of Trinidad and Tobago in June 2011 as partial fulfilment of the requirements for the author’s post-graduate degree.

Gradually, there has been a shift in human culture which has lead to a divide between one’s utilitarian concerns, and one’s altruistic nature.. Each person’s consumption of natural resources diminishes them at the expense of others. Similar to the philosophy of the prisoner’s dilemma, the decision to participate in community-based conservation activities (CBCA) is reduced to a conflict of interest between one’s self and helping others.

This is especially the case for direct consumption users of the watershed. Rather than cooperate, persons may decline because they may be skeptical as to whether their neighbour would participate as well or take advantage of the

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It has been posited that it is only when the status quo is unacceptable, that citizens become willing to change their routine behaviours and engage in some kind of action. This effectively means that individuals are unlikely to participate in CBCA unless they feel some sense of urgency or importance in doing something more than what they have in the past.

People commonly prefer more convenient and less socially sanctioned actions over more complicated, strenuous and pricey ones. Of the persons sampled during the study conducted in

Caura, more than 70% of the respondents indicated they were willing to participate in CBCA. The respondents identified environmental issues which they consider grave enough to negatively impact their wellbeing and as such were willing to take action to improve the environment.

Results show that individuals were most willing to participate in the Adopt-a-River “clean-up” and “tree planting” type exercises than other forms of CBCA such as participating in ecological surveys and monitoring programmes or making financial contributions to the cause.

by Renaldo Lewis

Across the board, respondents felt that having competitions for prizes was the best way to encourage participation in CBCA. Upon completion of a conservation exercise, participants would gain a tangible prize and also bragging rights. It is also important to identify potential causes of failure so that proponents of CBCA can become knowledgeable of some elements which they should guard against.

The majority of persons surveyed during the study identified a lack of financial support as the most popular reason for the failure of CBCA. A loss of interest and a lack of sustainability/continuity were also seen as contributing factors.

There is a need for improved and greater use of the participatory approach towards environmental conservation. Conservation efforts can become far more effective when traditional ecological knowledge is married with technical and scientific knowledge. The inclusion of residents in the decisionmaking process also encourages community “buy-in” which is considered a key ingredient for the success of developmental projects. The positive outcomes of CBCA include bringing more citizens into decision making processes, building community capacity for problem solving and increasing public education and awareness of watershed issues.

Despite this, the success of CBCA is ultimately determined by the effectiveness of efforts actually happening on the ground. CBOs and NGOs have the ability to reach audiences in innovative ways. However, given the limited resources that these groups tend to possess, it is important that they carefully assess their capacity. In order to ensure that they receive the greatest bang for their buck, such groups must identify proper targets and provide the right incentives to gather support.

The water crisis in Small Island Developing States

by Rianna Gonzales

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ater...for some of us it is just one tap away but for millions in developing countries it is not that simple. In many countries, women and children walk far distances to collect water for their families and in some cases this water is not safe or clean to drink. It is loaded with disease-causing bacteria and parasites which can result in death.

On a planet of 7 billion people over 1 billion people do not have safe and secure access to potable drinking water.

In Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the islands of the Caribbean, the situation can be more pronounced and not simply an issue of health and sanitation.

We are more vulnerable because of our small size as the impact of the surrounding sea is more pronounced on small islands than on larger islands and mainlands.

Changing climate and the threats posed to water security on account of sea-level rise and saline intrusion of coastal aquifers, rainfall variability and reduced catchment recharge, coupled with increased frequency of natural disasters, present serious challenges to the management of water resources on small islands.

In addition to these natural vulnerabilities, many SIDS are facing tremendous pressure from population growth, which results in intense competition for land and water resources, as well as the degradation of ecosystems. In some SIDS, particularly those in the Caribbean, demographic changes coupled with growing levels of development and urbanisation are exerting increased pressure on natural resources. Moreover, the centres of high population and economic activity in SIDS are typically at or near the coast, on vulnerable, low-elevation land.

Combined, these factors threaten both the quantity and quality of available water resources in small islands.

For example, in 2010 the Caribbean experienced a drought that severely impacted on various sectors. In Trinidad and Tobago, the citizens were placed on a strict water rationing schedule for the first time since 1998 and there was intense competition between the industrial and agricultural sector as the reservoirs and rivers dried up. St. Lucia declared a water emergency after its main reservoir’s levels dropped more than six metres.

Two schools and some courtrooms were closed because of dry taps.

In Guyana, a grassroots women’s organisation staged a protest and fundraiser for a water truck while the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana organised its first-ever prayers for rain. In Jamaica, where the island’s largest dams have been operating at less than 40% capacity, inmates at a maximum security prison protesting the lack of water started a riot that left 23 injured. In Barbados, crews battled more than 1,000 bush fires; nearly triple the number from the previous year. The National Water Commission in Jamaica, already grappling with one of the worst droughts in the nation’s history,

was frustrated with an upsurge in incidents of water theft, illegal connections and vandalism, and death threats to employees.

Sustainable water management is a key issue in the future development of our society.

However, current practices are far from fulfilling this objective. In order to be effective, long lasting solutions to water problems need to be found and a new water governance and management paradigm is required; not only at the policy and legislative level but also at the community and grassroots level as well. As young people we must show that we are concerned about the water crisis that we are facing. We must become proactive in our homes and communities to start a culture change towards how we regard this finite and vital resource. The CYEN Trinidad and Tobago Chapter are participating in the Adopt-A-River Programme and we are targeting schools in the Arima and Courland Watersheds to hear their issues and develop solutions that can be implemented to improve the water challenges faced by these communities. JOIN US!

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Water: A Right and Responsibility

by Julie Le Gendre • Energy production is water intensive and the water-energy nexus adds an important dimension to the discourse on water security.

Reality requires that we become attuned to our relationship with water. In July 2010 the United Nations recognized the human right to water and sanitation through Resolution 64/292 which affirms that “the human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity”.

However, human rights and the responsibility for the protection and enhancement of these rights must be merged. A right to water means shared responsibility. We are responsible for manifesting an understanding of the delicate web that connects water and life in the way that we use water in our daily activities. We are responsible for contributing to the discourse on sustainable living, water conservation and water access for those that are still deprived of a dignified existence.

“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it.

People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it.

People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it” -Mikhail Gorbachev

In economics, water is a resource. In the language of

humanity, water is a gift. Those who have experienced the trials that accompany a lack of access to clean water – to drink, to cook, to bathe – understand this intimately. When it gushes from our taps, hoses and showerheads it is easy to think of water as abundant and to neglect the concerns raised by the discourse on water security. Our relationship with water forms the foundation for life but we all need to be reminded from time to time of the sublime nature of our existence.

Water as a resource and a gift reflects the historical relationship between human civilization and the environment and continues to influence the debate on the future course of human progress.

Ensuring a global water supply that can adequately support the world’s population is a complex governance issue that is not always captured in conversations on the human right to water and water responsibility. However, water governance must be built on the foundation of these conversations. Water as a right and responsibility situate us at the core of human progress and encourages us to live with awareness.

This means that we must become participants in the conversation about water access, water conservation, energy consumption, water policy, water pricing and waste water management. These are not subjects reserved for the political elite and academic community. This is a discussion about life, the future of civilization and our role in it.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something”- Edward Everett Hale

Water is everywhere but consider the following: • Water covers approximately 70% of the earth’s surface but only a fraction of this water is actually available for consumption.

• Only 2.5% of the earth’s water is fresh and suitable for consumption.

• Of this 2.5% freshwater more than two thirds is locked inside glaciers and not accessible to humans • Desalination (the process of making saltwater drinkable) is energy intensive and costly.

Sources: 1. Data taken from the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015 2. Statistics taken from the Global Water Partnersip website, www.gwp.org

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Paradigm Shift

by Dizzanne Billy

“The energy crisis of the 1970s will take a back seat to the water crisis of the 1980s and 1990s” United States Department of Agriculture, The Yearbook of Agriculture, 1981

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mall Island Developing States (SIDS) are those coastal countries that are grouped based on certain characteristics that they share. These include challenges in achieving sustainable development, vulnerability to external shocks and natural disasters, a highly embedded reliance on imports, and degradation of their natural resources, which contributes to the delicacy of their environment.

SIDS were officially recognised on the international stage at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), hosted in Rio Janeiro, Brasil in 1992. One issue that affects these vulnerable states – Water Scarcity.

Water scarcity is one of the most serious resource issues facing the world today. The water crisis has indeed gone on beyond the 1980s and 1990s and, furthermore, is not isolated to developing nations. The 2030 Water Resources Group reports that by the year 2030, if no action is taken, projected population and economic growth will lead

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the world into a situation where global water demand exceeds global water supply by 40%. In both developing and developed regions, the imbalance of water supply and water demand leaves a great portion of the world’s increasing population without sufficient potable water. However, developed industrial nations are usually quite proficient in the procurement of energy, technology and other investments to deal with the issue.

On the other hand, SIDS tend to find themselves trapped in poverty and debt and are unable to buy their way out of water scarcity, so they must find alternative ways to approach the matter.

Water plays a pivotal role in the survival of mankind and in the capacity of developing nations to develop. Therefore, matters relating to the scarcity of this precious resource have been making their way onto the global environmental governance agenda as the implications can affect everyone.

Although the three major water crises - diminishing freshwater supplies, unequal accessibility to water and corporate dominion of

water - do not exist in isolation, the issue of decreasing water availability in developing countries is a matter of great concern and one which requires attention to proper formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies.

Former British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, once said that the “predominant opinions are generally the opinions of the generation that is vanishing.”

This venerable quotation is mirrored in the establishment and enforcement of environmental policies, and more specifically, water policies, in developing countries. Despite the fact that water policy is, for the most part, regarded as an important matter, the incoherence of its formulation and implementation attracts much disrepute. Indeed, the ‘status quo,’ concerning water policy is based on the practices of the past. This needs to change. Innovation is the key to economic and social development. Young people have an important role to play in the progress, conservation and advancement of the water sector.

We have new ideas and we see the world not only as it is, but as it could be, and what it should be.

We are the leaders of today and the leaders of the future and we value a culture that is sustainable over the decadence which is all around us. We are aware of the catastrophic situation that the environment is in and, unlike the preceding generations, we are witnesses to the effects of human activities on the earth and we know that it must not continue. In light of this, we propose a complete paradigm shift.

Water scarcity or water shortage, in much of the developing world, is endemic. It is a part of daily life

for many impoverished and developing nations. The principal position here is that many SIDS are now persistently unable to meet the demands for water and the future looks grim unless the causes are dealt with to alleviate the effects. However, the causes of water shortage are not always easy to identify. Malin Fallenmark, of Stockholm Natural Science Research Council categorises four different causes of water scarcity, these are; • Aridity – a situation of perpetual water shortage due to dry climate, • Drought – a situation where meteorological occurrences render the area considerably dry • Desiccation – drying up of land due to unsustainable deforestation and farming practices • Water stress – increasing population relying on a fixed water supply.

Although the levels of water scarcity and the contributing factors to water scarcity vary across the earth, the fact remains that the list of countries most affected by water scarcity is densely populated by SIDS. In light of this, how do Small Island Developing States cope with this threat to their system and what are the implications of water scarcity on their productivity and social economic development? Water scarcity can be seen to increase vulnerability and prohibit resilience.

Basic water security is vital for SIDS to make progress on the path toward development.

Water policies must deliberate on the significant changes that have occurred over the past decade while holding with high regard the changes that are probable to transpire in the future. Small Island Developing States fall prey to the habit of shadowing the policies of other countries without making proper adaptations

to fit their own society and culture. Instead, we should look at the best practices that are available and make alterations that can achieve the best outcomes.

The goal is to build a social consciousness that is based on the ideals of conservation, preservation, and awareness. Therefore, water policies should not be solely technical and stoic in nature. They must be made applicable to the youngest citizen. Diversification of social interests and agendas must begin when one’s concept of self is developing. This will by no means be a simple task. However, it is one that must be undertaken. A paradigm shift to the way we view water and water usage is needed. The concept of water governance for water conservation can be applied.

The Global Water Partnership defines water governance as “the political, social, economic and administrative systems that are in place to develop and manage water resources and delivery of services at different levels of society.” As such, the concept of water governance is seen as being, in essence, an overarching superstructure that incorporates formal and informal institutions, policies and stakeholders that work towards achieving what we know as water security. Ensuring water security needs to be a priority in adaptation to global changes.

There is no better time than the present to move away from the retroactive attempts to govern the use of water. If governance is to have any sort of impact in these countries where water scarcity is on the verge of crisis, the actors in the governance architecture need to wake up and realise that governance of water is multifold and exists beyond the bounds of focusing on capturing water. A progressive approach will involve many disciplines, not just the technical issues.

Youth Speak out on Water Issues in Trinidad and Tobago: Global Water PartnershipCaribbean National Stakeholder Consultation on Water The Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) held a National Consultation in Trinidad and Tobago to get stakeholder inputs on a Global Goal for Water. The Stakeholder Consultation formed part of a global consultation exercise to get feedback from 26 countries on a proposed Goal for Water in the United Nations Post2015 Agenda. Of the 26 countries, Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean territory chosen to participate; CYEN-TT was excited to represent the nation and the youth of the Caribbean at this level.

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CYEN-TT’s Youth Water Forum 2014 Water and Energy Security in Trinidad and Tobago

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”

Mahatma Gandhi

T

he Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of the esteemed Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN-TT) joined the plethora of organisations and individuals across the world that held events and initiatives to celebrate the United Nations’ World Water Day 2014. World Water Day is recognised annually with the objective of bringing into focus the importance of water and advocacy for the sustainable management of water resources.

This year, the theme for World Water Day 2014 concentrated on the “Water-Energy Nexus”.

This is a very pertinent theme as Trinidad and Tobago’s economy is largely energy based. On Monday 24th March, 2014, CYEN-TT in association with the Institute of International Relations (at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus), hosted its first ever Youth Water Forum: Water and Energy Security in Trinidad and Tobago.

The major objective of this forum was to bring together subjectmatter experts and regulators in the water and energy sector in order to facilitate information sharing on experiences relevant to energy and water sector policies, laws and regulations. As a youth organisation, we hold to the belief that inter-generational dialogue goes a long way in ensuring sustainable development.

Therefore, the Youth Water Forum

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is a mechanism designed to create a platform for discussions between young people and the leading experts so as to generate ideas on the direction that both the energy and water sectors should go, in order to achieve sustainability.

Why water and energy? The truth of the matter is that without water there can be no energy and without energy there can be no water. These resources rely heavily on each other and as the world’s population continues to increase, the need to ensure that supply meets demand places intensified stress on these resources. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that by 2030 we will need 30% more water and 40% more energy. This is a major cause for concern as a developing region, where climate change is affecting rainfall patterns and the transition from subsistence economies to industrial and service-oriented economies is affecting the quality of the water available. Therefore, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network believes that it is crucial that our people be educated with regard

to the importance of the waterenergy nexus and how their usage places pressure on the availability of both water and energy now and for the future generations. Failure to treat the use of water and energy as interconnected can lead to questionable decision making as water is used for the generation of energy and energy is used for the provision of water.

The event began with a panel discussion. Our first panellist was Mr. Wayne Joseph, Regional Coordinator of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean, whose presentation highlighted the need for local authorities to engage in improved levels of regulation and the importance of research to the development of bestpractice techniques for water management. Secondly, we had Dr. Sharda Maharaj of the Water Resources Agency - Trinidad and Tobago give a vibrant delivery through which she educated the participants on their individual impact on the environment and water. “Our personal water costage, every single thing that we do affects water and energy. Water

governance is the responsibility of every one of us and it all comes down to the fact that we all have a water cost and if we can reduce our water cost and show others the importance of reducing their water cost, then we can make a difference and ease the impending water crisis,” Dr. Maharaj stated.

One major piece of information that stood out to the majority of participants was shared by Dr. Maharaj namely that Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most water rich countries in the Caribbean, with a total of sixty-nine rivers.

However, the nation is plagued by high rates of water pollution.

She advised the young people to realise that they have the power to change this and encouraged them to keep sticking at it. The event was off to a great start as participants followed the panel discussion online, streamed at www.livestream.com/iirtv.

Mr. David Simmons, representing the Institute of International Relations was next and his presentation focused on the role that we play in water quality.

“When we empower people to understand their impact on water and the impact of water on energy and vice versa, then proper water governance is possible. Nongovernmental organisations, young people and academics play such a vital role in advancing the environmental agenda and we need governments of the region to realise the impact of these actors in making people see that they have to change their practices,” Mr. Simmons informed participants as he encouraged them to note that water resources are under pressure by energy needs and unequal access.

Mr. Wayne Clement, former Water Resources Manager at the Water Resources Agency of Trinidad and Tobago enlightened the captivated audience on the impact that legislation has on the effectiveness of water and energy management.

To round off the panel discussion

was our very own Rianna Gonzales.

Rianna, the National Coordinator of the CYEN Trinidad and Tobago Chapter based her presentation on the impact that young people have on the water-energy nexus.

“We are the ones who will inherit the earth and all the effects of the decisions that are made today.

Therefore, it is our responsibility to infiltrate the decision making committees and demand that our voices are heard,” Rianna proclaimed, as she encouraged the young participants to join the Caribbean Youth Environment Network. “Small Island Developing Sates are vulnerable in many ways, and water is just one of them. It is time to stop being a target audience and to be decision makers who incorporate the needs of the environment so that sustainable development can be achieved in the Caribbean,” Rianna stated, much to the agreement of those in attendance.

The National Coordinator also took the opportunity to promote the work being done by the Chapter through its involvement in the Water Resource Agency’s Adopt-A-River Programme. CYEN -TT is in the process of producing an educational documentary that illustrates where water comes from, the major sources of water pollution and how young people can be proactive in developing realistic solutions for mitigation and adaptation.

According to the Global Water Partnership – Caribbean, a person living in a developed country uses as much as five times the amount of energy used by someone living

in a developing country on a daily basis. However, we must take into consideration the fact that we are a developing region and the middle class is continually accumulating income increases, which propels water and energy usage upwards.

Therefore, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network urges policy makers to make the environment a priority in decision making.

Sustainable development can be achieved if those in charge stop placing it on the back burner. Stop treating ‘public consultation’ as merely a few letters next to a box that needs to be ticked off in order to pursue industrialisation. Stop ignoring the civil organisations and environmental organisations who cry out for greater attention to be placed on the environment.

Water scarcity is a reality for Small Island Developing States of each region – the Caribbean, the Pacific and AIMS (Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea) region. Situations of water shortages are conducive to poverty which affects social development and obstructs economic growth and development. So we encourage you to not wait until the reality strikes home. Act now, act smart, make a difference!

The Caribbean Youth Environment Network strongly believes that more events like these should be encouraged across the region.

One of the participants informed us that she was unaware of just how much water is involved in every aspect of her daily life. This is inspiring. It means that the Youth Water Forum was able to pass on vital information and information is the key to stimulating change.

A hearty thanks goes out to the Director of the Institute of International Relations at UWI, Professor Andy Knight and the Secretariat.

Student-oriented decision making is exactly what is necessary for young minds to flourish and enable us to be the leaders of tomorrow.

CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 18

World Environment Day 2014

focused on Climate Change and Sea Level Rise, the Ridge to Reef concept, and Oceans, Seas and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

CYEN-TT’s WED Seminar: Coastal Issues in Trinidad and Tobago By: Julie Le Gendre, Adaeze Greenidge and Dizzanne Billy

“Planet Earth is our shared island; let us join forces to protect it.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the launch of the 2014 International Year of Small Islands and Developing States

momentum towards the Third International Conference on SIDS in September and encourage a greater understanding of the importance of SIDS and of the urgency to help protect the islands in the face of growing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as a result of climate change.”

World

Environment Day (WED) has grown over the years and now represents the United Nations’ major tool for inspiring action for the environment and promoting environmental awareness across the globe. In recognition of the United Nations’ designation of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), World Environment Day 2014 embraced SIDS in the broader context of climate change as its theme. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, “the objectives are to help build

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“Raise your voice, not the sea level” was the slogan for World Environment Day 2014, recognised on Thursday 5th June, and raise our voices we did. CYEN-TT – comprised of a team of nine (9) members (including two (2) Tobago members) – headed to the sister isle of Tobago to host a Coastal Seminar geared towards sensitising secondary school students about coastal management, the impact of climate change and the role we can play in mitigating this impact.

The seminar was held on Friday 6th June, 2014 at the Policy, Research and Development Institute in Scarborough, Tobago and featured presentations by a diverse panel

Mr. Darion Fraser, Education Officer at Buccoo Reef Trust led the presentations with the topic “Climate Change, Sea Level Rise and Coral Reefs,” and enlightened the audience on the impact of climate change on sea levels and by extension how it harms the coral reefs. He explained in detail the ills of rising sea levels on the coral polyps which make up the reefs themselves. Mr. Fraser noted that the rise in sea levels causes a decrease in necessary sunlight access for the corals. His passion for this topic was evident as he noted the important role of the entire population in ensuring that threats to corals reefs are understood and appropriate action is mobilized. He urged the audience to develop an appreciation for the environment, embrace advocacy and live green.

Coastal Dynamics Ltd., an environmental solutions company, was represented by Michelle Cazabon-Mannette (Project Manager) and Anjuli Johnson (Senior Environmental Scientist) who elaborated on the application of the ridge to reef concept (the impact of ridges and watersheds on coral reefs) by highlighting that

an understanding of this concept should inform land use planning and regulation, monitoring programmes and mitigation initiatives such as reforestation and ecosystem rehabilitation.

A key point revolved around the recognition that watershed and the management of coastal areas, along with coral reef protection needs to be undertaken in conjunction with the economic reality of communities. The nexus between environmental protection, stakeholder involvement and community action was reiterated. This presentation strongly promoted the use of multidisciplinary approaches to mend what has been damaged and to avert what can happen due to illtreatment of this natural resource.

Mr. Kahlil Hassanali, Research Officer, was the final presenter, representing the Institute of Marine Affairs. Hassanali expanded on the Ridge to Reef concept and provided an overview of the integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) strategy which Trinidad and Tobago is seeking to implement in order to facilitate management of coastal ecosystems. This strategy aims to integrate existing policies and incorporate the interests of diverse sectors and individuals and address the socio-cultural, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. He noted that a Steering Committee has been appointed to develop a comprehensive ICZM framework that encompasses both islands and has benefited from technical cooperation with the InterAmerican Development Bank.

Expected outcomes included the reduction of data gaps, assessment of existing climaterelated risks and a climate change adaptation response for Southwest Tobago and guidelines for the incorporation of an ecosystem based approach to adaptation. Mr. Hassanali intensely accentuated the need for multidisciplinary and multi-sector approaches when it comes to the ICZM. Pertinent questions about the

issues highlighted where raised by the students in attendance from Signal Hill Secondary School, Calder Hall Secondary School, Scarborough Secondary School, Mason Hall Secondary School, and Pentecostal Light and Life Secondary School.

Most importantly, the young people showed great interest in participating in efforts to combat the deleterious effects of climate

change on ecosystems in Tobago.

Their overwhelmingly positive response echoed the theme of this year’s World Environment Day which is intended to spur action and increase awareness of the indispensable role of individual initiative in ensuring that the world remains viable for all life.

By: Luke Smith

W orld

Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. It serves as the day that encourages people to do something positive for their environment, stimulating individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet. WED is the opportunity for everyone to realise not only his or her responsibility to care for the Earth but also to become an agent for change. In celebration

of World Environment Day 2014, members of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network Trinidad and Tobago Chapter (CYEN-TT) engaged in a project which was developed by the organisation – The Junior Upcyclers Project.

Upcycling is the process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful and beautiful. Simply put, it is about taking something old and making it new and in the process making positive impacts on the environment. When you upcycle,

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you remove items from the global garbage stream.

Students (ages 3-5) at the ‘D’ Kids Early Learning Academy were engaged in the Junior Upcyclers project where they were taught the importance of proper garbage disposal via an interactive puppet show. The characters, Ming, Raj, and Sally, taught their young audience about the negative effects of littering on both the planet and themselves and the connection between their actions and the state of the environment.

Laughter echoed throughout the show which both entertained and enthralled the children. In keeping with the upcycling theme, the young ones were shown firsthand how upcycling works by using old plastics bottles and seedlings to create a beautiful garden. Each

child was given two bottles in which they planted lettuce and chive. They were very interested and eager to get their little hands dirty and to show the ten CYEN members just how much they knew about gardening. Through this venture, the children were taught ways to preserve the environment while producing food through simple gardening methods.

A small garden through upcycling can be done by anyone. Gardening can have a positive impact on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of both the individual and their family. There are many health benefits to gardening: • Gardening can help with the development of social and intellectual skills, including those needed for social inclusion or

rehabilitation.

• A garden can provide a sense of calm and somewhere peaceful to escape to, helping in restoring a sense of balance and wellbeing.

• A healthier and more nutritious diet is also generally a by-product of gardening. When effort is placed into growing fruit, herbs and vegetables you are more likely to reap the rewards and eat them because the food you grow yourself is the freshest food you can eat.

• Gardening also helps in relieving stress, promotes better mental health and acts as a form of exercise.

CYEN is absolutely proud of the Junior Upcyclers initiative and is looking forward towards taking it into other schools. The children benefit through Junior Upcyclers so let us all play our part and shape the future through upcycling one garden at a time.

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Vibes

Hike to Turure Cascades

Nature always proves itself to be

inexplicably marvelous. The onus is on us to unplug, get out there, and enjoy it responsibly. This is what the members of the Caribbean Youth Environment Trinidad and Tobago Chapter (CYEN-TT) did on April 5th 2014. The destination Turure Cascades.

Deep within the forests of Cumaca, after forty-five minutes of hiking on the undulating terrain, hikers came across the ecological

majesty that is Turure Cascades.

Commonly known as the Turure Water Steps, there lies a series of waterfalls. Hikers gazed in awe at what one person called ‘‘a natural infinity pool.’’ Indeed, once reaching to the top of the first waterfall, one is able to immerse oneself in the cool spring water as it pools and cascades down the limestone formation. The three waterfalls come immediately after each other along the Turure River.

Some hikers chose to stay and

relax in the pools, while the more adventurous hikers ventured on toward the underwater caves.

Unfazed by the large spiders, sharp rocks, and the long distance, these brave souls were rewarded as the guide gently led them into the limestone cave. In order to reach inside the cave, hikers immersed themselves underwater for approximately ten seconds and swam before entering. Screams of delight echoed as they emerged, surrounded by stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave.

The landscape is truly magnificent.

However, where the trail begins downstream at the Turure Bridge on the Cumaca Road, there is an eyesore which fueled much discussion among the hikers.

Quarry trucks could be seen leaving and entering the mountainous region by the handful as widespread quarrying operations are carried out. Quarrying has led to siltation, sedimentation, and pollution of the river, as well as landslides and wildlife endangerment.

In retrospect, the pure tranquility of it all made it difficult to leave.

However, many made promises to themselves to return. For according to essayist John Borroughs, it is in nature that we find ourselves soothed, healed, and all our senses put in order.

A Switch in Scenery – Royal Botanical Gardens

Every

now and then, CYEN-TT likes to shake things up a little bit.

To encourage its members from all over the country to come out to the first meeting of the year 2014, the meeting location that was decided upon was the Trinidad and Tobago Royal Botanical Gardens. Located in the capital city of Port-of-Spain, the Gardens

span twenty-five (25) hectares of land and was established in 1818. Members gathered under one of the many wooden huts to convene the premiere meeting and to make plans for the year that lay ahead. Inspiration seemed to come from the many beautiful trees that surrounded (13% of which are indigenous to Trinidad

and Tobago). Extensive plans for upcoming events were established and photographers in the group were thrilled and enticed by the beauty all around. Utilized for conservation, education, research, and recreation, the Royal Botanical Gardens of Trinidad and Tobago is definitely ‘vibesy,’ as the locals would say.

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Las Islas Bonitas Reservoirs & Rivers of Trinidad and Tobago Navet Reservoir

Over

the undulating hills of the Central Range and passing through the villages of Longdenville, Caparo and Tabaquite lies the Navet Reservoir of 800 acres. This water storage site is surrounded by lush vegetation and wildlife. The area is dominated by crappo, guatecare, carat and mora trees which is considered to be a seasonal evergreen forest that provides shelter to a number of animals such as the manicou, lappe, armadillo (tattoo), porcupine, red deer, a number of snakes and different species of birds as well as a variety of freshwater wildlife.

The reservoir has a capacity of 1.9 million m3 (4.2 billion gallons) and produces 86,400 m3 or 19 million gallons per day. It supplies potable water to the areas of San Fernando, Marabella, Claxton Bay, St Margaret’s, Pointe-à-Pierre, Moruga, Princess Town, St Julien, New Grant, Tableland, Rio Claro and Barrackpore.

Image of the Navet Damsite

Arena Reservoir

Arena

Dam is the largest in Trinidad and Tobago reaching a height of 40.85 m (134 ft) at its highest crest elevation and is built to withstand earthquakes of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale. The site is located between the El Pillar and Los Bajos fault in San Raphael, giving rise to steep elevations and low valleys that provide a water storage area of over 1,700 acres (680 hectares).

Even with the very evident presence of man it has not destroyed the natural beauty of the environment.

Hawks, black bellied ducks, caimans and tyrants are some of the inhabitants of the area. The reservoir was completed in 1981 and has a capacity of 45.5 million m3.

The water from this reservoir is treated and produced at the Caroni Treatment Plant which supplies over 34% of the potable water in Trinidad and Tobago.

Image of the Hillsborough Damsite

Hillsborough Reservoir

Hollis Reservoir

T

his reservoir is the oldest of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago commissioned in 1936 in the area of Valencia at the foothills of the Northern Range. The Hollis reservoir has a distinct untouched beauty and has been described as the most breathtaking of all the man-made dams in Trinidad and Tobago. The pristine forests that surround the reservoir, like Navet, provide homes for many different types and species of wildlife from deer to hummingbirds to snakes and butterflies. The reservoir has a capacity of 4.75 million m3 or just over 1 billion gallons with a maximum production of 38,180 m3 per day or 8.4 million gallons per day. The areas that receive water from this area are Arima, Nettoville, Cleaver Road, Bregon Park, Olton Road, Arima Old Road, D’Abadie, Arouca and parts of Wallerfield.

he Hillsborough Reservoir was commissioned in May 1952 and is the only impounding reservoir in Tobago and has maintained its rustic beauty . The construction changed the landscape significantly but still supports a vibrant wildlife. There are several species of birds to stir the interest of any avid bird watcher as well as the backdrop of lush vegetation. The reservoir has a capacity of 1.02 million m3 and produces about 9091 m3 per day. The water from this reservoir serves areas such as Mason Hall, parts of Scarborough, Concordia, Mt St. George, Whim, Government House Road, Mary’s Hill and Union.

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T

Shark River

Marianne River

Courland River

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IN THE HOTSEAT WITH: MR. CARL OBST I

n March 2014, the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus, hosted the visit of Mr. Carl Obst. Mr. Obst is currently an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne and consults with international organisations and national governments on projects related to environmental-economic accounting. His work in this area extends from his role, from 2010-2013, as Editor of the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) in which he led the drafting and preparation of the SEEA. The SEEA includes an international statistical standard covering all aspects of environmental-economic accounting at the national level and encompasses significant advances in describing accounting for ecosystems.

Carl’s background for this work is a 19 year career with the Australian Bureau of Statistics(ABS), with experiences across a range of topics within economic statistics including quarterly national accounts and GDP measurement, productivity and capital stock analysis, financial sector output, balance sheets, tourism satellite accounts, natural resource accounting, composite leading indicators and price indexes.

Carl has held executive roles as head of the ABS National Accounts Branch from 2003 to 2008, and as Regional Director of the Victorian ABS Office from 2008 to 2010. He also worked for 3 years with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris on economic data and sustainable development indicators.

As a youth organization, CYEN strongly promotes inter-generational dialogue, as this facilitates overall effectiveness and greater knowledge distribution. As such, on invitation by the Cropper Foundation, we sat down with this distinguished gentleman to pick his brain a little and here is what Mr. Obst had to share.

So, Mr. Obst, can you tell us about where you are from?

I come from Australia and I’m based in Melbourne University.

I have a long background in official statistics, having worked a long time in the Australian Bureau of Statistics and spent a particularly long time working in the area of National Accounts. My background, however, is really in economics.

Very interesting. What is the major reason for your visit to the islands?

Over the last four years, I have been working on a project of the United Nations called the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) and it is a

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set of international guidelines and principles for how you might take the national accounts and measures of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and integrate environmental information into them.

Is this a new concept?

Well no, it has actually been a field of work within statistical offices for the last twenty years or so but over the last four or five years its received a large push-on and so now there exists a set of international standards on it, signed off by the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,

the European Union, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. So it is a fairly important document which took about three years to develop, having finished mid-2013.

What is it exactly that you are working on in Trinidad and Tobago?

There are a lot of other international projects that are working in a similar area and one of those is the ProEcoServ (Project for Ecosystem Services) and one part of that project is working in Trinidad and Tobago and I’ve been looking at the way in which ecosystem services can be brought into the National Accounts. So I’ve been brought in as a consultant to help with that part of the project for

about three or four years.

What has been the response to ProEcoServ in Trinidad and Tobago?

There is a lot of interest from some people and what’s great is that there is some buy-in at the senior level from most Ministries. Particularly, the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development has been an open supporter of ProEcoServ as an important project. Also the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. I think that that’s really significant because this is not just an academic exercise; it is something that is very useful for planning. I must also commend Professor Agard for the work that’s already being done on ProEcoServ because there is a strong correlation between describing statistical and accounting approaches work that

I’ve been doing and the research that’s going on in Trinidad and Tobago as well. Although both sides have not really known about each other directly, it turns out that it’s pretty similar. The potential is so great in Trinidad and Tobago in spite of the fact that we’re still at an exploratory point. The accounting approach can be applied here and we must make notice that it is not just one thing. It is a lot of different factors that we try to account for in order to make a bigger picture.

Is there any real linkage to be seen between the technical aspect and policy development?

Well I’d like to hope so. This stuff is really interesting from an academic point of view but in my opinion it is not really worth doing if that’s the only reason for doing it.

I want it to make a real difference, and more particularly all this work that is being done needs to be fed into the policy world. It would help to enable broader discussion as it brings up other issues that need to be addressed because when thinking about economic development we also need to consider the environmental consequences. For me, the project is not necessarily meant to improve the environmental policy because there is a lot of information existing that’s specific to different areas such as forestry management

and so on. Instead, it’s more when we get to a discussion of general development and what environmental information is brought into the discussion on that context. Decision makers must make use of this information. The idea is to develop information sets which are relevant for addressing policy issues.

What are the issues that are being addressed currently?

The two major issues are

accounting for carbon and accounting for water. I think these are attractable in a Trinidad and Tobago context.

What is the largest challenge that is faced in Environmental Economic Accounting?

The biggest challenge is trying to get people to see that it is a good idea, because if I just tell someone that I’m here to do Environmental Economic Accounting the response is not always an exciting one. What helps though is to get the point across that working in this crossdisciplinary way is amazing! It really brings to life the importance of the work and removes some of the pre-conceived perceptions about accounting, economics, and the environment. For me, it’s all about working towards a robust output that will help people to make more informed decisions.

Also, I’m hopeless when it comes to social media but I understand the importance of it as a tool for getting this out there and young people like you have a critical role to play in spreading the word.

In 2011 Trinidad and Tobago published its first Extractive Industries Transparency Report. Do you believe there is a link between Natural Capital Accounting and Transparency?

Definitely, my short answer is yes. My response to that question comes from being involved with the Australian Bureau of Statistics where there inherently exists a degree of transparency and accountability. Within the scope of the SEEA there is accounting for Oil and Gas and energy resources so we look at the depletion of those reserves and stocks at the beginning - how many discoveries there were, what was extracted, how much was left, and we keep on monitoring that while trying to look at the revenues and incomes derived from those resources.

Ultimately, all this information is usually very much in line with the work with bring done in EITI. Of course, the information is not produced on a company basis but

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for a country as a whole, or regions within a country.

This all seems very technical. Is there any way that the importance of Natural Capital Accounting can be translated into layman’s terms?

Well that’s your job isn’t it? (laughs). I’m no good at clever writing. I’m all about the numbers. As a matter of fact, part of it is using the right terms and the choice of language and terminology is really helpful. We do try to use words that connect more, depending on the audience. Also, it’s really important to have a common message available at different levels and make a story or narrative that links human activity to the state of the environment.

Do you think it is practical to introduce the concept of Environmental Economic Accounting to young children and teenagers?

I think that is a great idea! This is applicable to even primary schools. I’ve got kids of my own, ages ten, twelve, and fourteen, and I often wonder about how they can learn about the environment and it makes me think that the way we try to convey messages to young people is often really poor. Instead, the messages that resonate with kids often resonate with adults no matter how they pretend to be otherwise swayed. It is a simple message and I would really like to connect the message of what I do through Melbourne University that can feed into courses in schools.

What do you think about Trinidad and Tobago?

The food is very nice! The people are very friendly and I have no complaints. The weather is wonderful. Oh, I had doubles for breakfast this morning. I was really excited about that! I went to Tobago yesterday and it’s really beautiful there. Trinidad and Tobago is much more diverse a country than I had imagined, which is really cool. I went to a river ‘lime’ in Caura and had my duck curried. I love it here.

About PROECOSERV: T

he Project for Ecosystem Services (ProEcoServ) is a global, four-year initiative that is researching how to integrate ecosystem assessment, scenario development and economic valuation of ecosystem services into national sustainable development planning, and decision-making. The project was launched in 2010 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is being rolled out in five countries - Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Vietnam and South Africa and Lesotho.

The project will produce data and information sets

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on the linkages and potential trade-offs between ecosystem preservation and development processes.

This will lead to better insight into key ecosystem functions and how to preserve them sustainably.

Integrating ecosystem services into local, sub-national and national decision making will strengthen sustainable use practices, while generating local incentives for the conservation of ecosystems.

ProEcoServ’s three linked components are as follows: 1. Support Tools for Policy Making: Creation and application of locally appropriate tools and models to support models for development planning and policy making at all scales.

2. Assistance for Policy Implementation: Supporting policy makers to implement appropriate ecosystem and ecosystem service management approaches at national and transboundary levels.

3. Bridge between Science and Policy: Strengthening the link between science and policy making nationally and contributing to a better understanding of sciencepolicy linkages in the international biodiversity arena.

In Trinidad and Tobago: ProEcoServ Trinidad and Tobago focuses on the bundling of key ecosystem services that are critical to supporting human well-being as a means of examining how these services contribute to the well-being (including economy) of the country. Research, testing and demonstration are being carried out in three case study sites - Eastern Northern Range, Nariva Swamp and Buccoo Reef. The project will develop the capacities of decision makers, users and beneficiaries of ecosystem services to assess trade-offs and development choices that contribute to strengthened biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, and develop and apply suitable ecosystem management tools within sectorial planning frameworks and macroeconomic planning models.

ProEcoServ Trinidad and Tobago will: • Develop GIS-based ecosystem service maps and a decision support system for inclusion in the next National Physical Development Plan as part of the social and economic framework to be debated by the Parliament; • Develop a pilot payment for ecosystem services (PES) case study in conjunction with collaborators, such as The Green Fund of Trinidad and Tobago; and • Review the national accounting system in Trinidad and Tobago and identify opportunities for greater inclusion of ecosystem services through the development of a method for doing so.

For more information please visit - www.proecoservtt. org or www.proecoserv.org

PARTNERS IN WAT ER:

CYEN & GWP

“I wanted to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the effort that the team from CYEN in Trinidad and Tobago put into the recently concluded GWP events.

Absolutely outstanding! I found the contact session with the GWP officers and the CYEN delegation both intellectually stimulating and enjoyable. In my estimation, time very well spent. Beyond this, however, I have only heard very positive comments about the performance of CYEN members, both from delegates and from the representatives of GWP. Congratulations CYENTT!”

The Caribbean Youth Environment

Network (CYEN) has been a partner of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) for over ten (10) years and was one of the founding members when the Caribbean arm was established in 2004. The main objective of the organization is to support countries in the sustainable development and management of their water resources at all levels in particular the promotion of an integrated approach to water resources management. There are 13 Regional Arms of the Network which spans over 2900 partner organizations in over 180 countries.

Each year, the Regional Arm joins their partners at the GWP Consulting Partners Meeting which is annually held in Stockholm, Sweden to monitor the strategic direction of the Network. For the first time this year, this annual global event was held outside of Sweden and was hosted in Trinidad on June 27th and 28th, 2014.

The Caribbean Regional Office which is located in Trinidad had the immense responsibility of

organising this event and the CYEN-TT Chapter was asked to support some of the activities that were planned. CYEN-TT was able to assist by providing members as tour guides for the field trip through the Arima Watershed which we have adopted under the Adopt-A-River Programme and it also included a visit to the Asa Wright Nature Centre. We also had the opportunity to present to the various communication officers of the regional arms, the work being done by CYEN and the different methods utilised to effectively reach young people across the Caribbean. One of the major opportunities was the opportunity to meet and speak to the GWP Chair, Ursula Schaefer-Preuss and the GWP Caribbean Chair Judy Daniel as well as the GWP Youth Focal Point Sara Ehrhardt. GWP is currently developing a Global Youth Strategy on Water and discussions revolved around the scope and reach of this strategy and how it aligns to the needs and activities of the youth in this region.

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cyen interviews:

PRABIN ROKAYA OF THE WATER YOUTH NETWORK P

rabin is a young water professional from Nepal. He has more than six years of professional experience in the development field, particularly in Water Resource Management, Disaster-Risk Reduction and Environmental Management. Prabin has led several grassroots projects in Nepal in the areas of drinking water and sanitation, climate change adaptation, agro-forestry and youth empowerment benefiting hundreds of local people. He has also carried out research in Spain and Sudan besides Nepal.

Prabin is an advisor at Water Youth Network, and also represents Nepal at the Asia-Pacific Youth Parliament on Water. Previously, he was a Council Member at the United States Embassy Youth Advisory Council Nepal for 2011-2012. He is also a freelance consultant and has carried out dozens of short-term consultancies for several national/international organizations and UN Agencies, and published journal articles and booklets.

1. What does water mean to you?

Usually the first thing that comes in mind is water to drink. But it is much more than water to drink or sanitation or irrigation. Water is a very complex good that connects us all, binds us together, and enables the possibility of our existence.

2. How did you get involved with the Water Youth Network?

I was really passionate on water issues but it was limited in the national context of Nepal. Then in the end of 2010, I got the chance to evaluate six internationally funded water projects in Nepal. This opened up my horizon on the international water sector. Then I came to know about the existence of the Water Youth Network, and I knew it was what I was looking to get involved in and to contribute to the global youth water sector.

water induced disasters such as floods. But if I see the problems in management perspective then you have four major parts, i.e. infrastructures, resources, knowledge & technology, and policies & institutions.

In the case of Nepal, we have abundant water but we do not have adequate investment as well as in some cases we lack strong policies and institutions for implementation. Regarding my studies at UNESCOIHE and its relevance to back home, I have learned some really good technical skills such as water resource assessment, integrated water resource management as well as I have specialized in flood risk management. These skills could contribute in the knowledge and technology part of above mentioned four parts of water management.

3. What motivates you as a young leader in the water sector?

My motivation comes from both the severity of the issue as well as a sense of responsibility. I strongly believe young people can be an opportunity, a reliable development partner in every sector including water.

4. Describe the water sector situation in your home country. Do you believe that your involvement with the UNESCO 窶的HE can positively affect that situation in the future? In what way?

It is very difficult to describe the whole water sector of Nepal. The water sector in general is too big and too difficult to generalise. However, we have quite some serious issues with drinking water, irrigation and 29 窶｢ CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE

5. In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge related to water in the world today and what are possible solutions?

Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) is not really my area of specialization, but if you ask me what is the greatest challenge related to water, I would say WASH. We talk about water governance, integrated water resource management, transboundary water cooperation, and flood management, but what could be more unfortunate than the fact that 780 million

of people do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people lack sanitation at the present world? And the solution to this problem is not so easy otherwise it would have been already solved.

But I think what is really lacking in the water sector is strong political will. Water is not merely a social or economic or socio-economic good, it is also a political good. And it also encompasses multifaceted issues. It is linked with food, energy, health and many more and hence, would require an integrated approach.

6.How do you think you can link your technical knowledge to policy formation?

For me, policy is a list of priorities based on technical knowledge to address particular social needs. Technical knowledge provides the basis to understand particular issues and to underline priorities but it should be highly relevant to people‘s needs to be socially accepted. At the moment, I do not think I have adequate knowledge and experience to advise policy processes on particular water issues.

However, I strongly believe young people can actively contribute to achieve sustainable water goals and should be included on such policy dialogues.

8. As a young leader, what are some important and difficult decisions that you have had to make?

As a young leader, I had to often compromise. We really want quick changes but things do not happen that easily in the real world. And many times we have limitation due to our financial situation, our studies, and parental control. Despite having full sponsorship to go Rio+20, I had to abandon at the last moment due to a change in my University exam schedule. But really important and difficult decisions were to start an NGO such as leaving a stable job, and then to pursue higher studies abroad leaving the very NGO.

9. What is the key role of young people in the development of water policies?

I would say not only in policy formulation but young people have a larger role in sustainable water development. One thing we have to understand is that there are no separate water goals for seniors and young people. There is one water goal and we all have to contribute from our sides. If we see the examples throughout the world, then we can see that young people have already done amazing water related projects, and established themselves as a reliable development partner in water sector.

Their understanding and experience of the water sector is somewhat different than that of seniors.

Inclusion of their perspective in water policy could contribute in efficiency as well as better water management.

10. Many criticize environmental governance and proclaim that it is inadequate in dealing with the mounting environmental issues. What would you say to such critics?

7. What is the role of policy in making a change?

Policy has a great influencing role in making change on a larger scale. We often see some good initiatives in local communities; some young people or some local NGOs carrying out amazing projects in some areas. But if you observe carefully then you would notice that these changes that have been happening are limited only to particular areas.

Though they might be replicated and upscaled reaching more audiences, they would never reach to the extent the policy implementation would. A policy to provide free school education can really make education free for everyone whereas an amazing literacy class could be limited to particular areas or people. So I would say, policy can establish a change permanently.

Well, it depends on the definition and understanding of what environmental governance is. For me, governance is not a tool to solve a problem that is fixed and rigid. It is rather a process, a means to reach the ends that is flexible and dynamic to include the mounting issues. I think it is not the framework that really matters but it is also an approach on how you implement these frameworks.

11. What would you like to say to emerging young environmental leaders?

This is the world we live in and it is very imperfect.

There are many things that need to be changed and we are awaiting those magical changes. But no one ever is going to come to fix our problems. If we want a better place to live in, we got to make it better ourselves.

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Word on the Street: Trinidad Edition Given the three recent environmental occurences in Trinidad and Tobago: The Petrotrin Oil Spill, the smog in Port of Spain and 400,000+ people without water for days, do you think you are environmentally secure?

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Word on the Street: Haitian Edition What do you think is the role of human beings and young people in the governance of the environment?

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Earth Day CYEN Video Launch

In recognition of Earth Day 2014, CYEN Regional launched - The

Caribbean We Want SIDS video. This video was an extensive regional effort and is a compilation of declarations from young people of various nationalities and backgrounds. This year was declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Regional CYEN body launched this video to highlight some issues that young people believe should be taken seriously in the promotion of sustainable development. This video is derived from “The Caribbean We Want” statement that was developed by over 800 young people from across the Caribbean. The video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljXLSJ8a8j4

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Forum on Youth 2014: #Youth2015 Realizing the Future We Want.

T

he ECOSOC Youth Forum took place on June second and third at the United Nation Headquarters in New York. The event was created so that young people could voice their opinions and ideas for the Post 2015 agenda. The forum was a two-day event that was divided into four sessions.

The forum had been conducted By ECOSOC accompanied by the Office of the Youth Envoy of the Secretary General.

The topics that the event was divided into were: (1) Promoting Youth Employment- Creating Decent Jobs for a More Sustainable Future, (2) Advancing progress in Africa beyond 2015, (3) Youth: The Future They Want Beyond 2015 and (4) The “Road Map”: Youth and the 2015 Development Summit. The common thread throughout the Forum that was on the lips of all the participants was “The World We Want is A World that Wants us!” A simple but strong plea by young people across the globe to be taken seriously by policy makers and negotiators in New York, while our future is being planned by their yard stick.

NIHERST Rainwater Harvesting Projects Stakeholder Meeting

O

n Wednesday 12th February, CYEN-TT attended The Environmental Solutions Stakeholders’ Dialogue hosted by The National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (NIHERST). The major aim was to identify and discuss the communities suitable for the implementation of Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS). Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS) collect rainwater from the roofs of buildings (the catchment area), and transfer it to water tanks via the roof’s guttering network. While the practice has been done for decades in many communities in Trinidad and Tobago, the improved RWHS would provide water that is safe for daily domestic, commercial and agricultural use with its filtration and water purification methods.

Primary schools were targeted as schools in water stressed areas, on many occasions have to be closed early due to a lack of water and this leads to loss of valuable teaching time. Also, schools in Trinidad and Tobago are often used as emergency shelters during and after disaster events, so therefore the RWHS along with the solar systems to power the water pumps, would be beneficial to the entire community as well as neighbouring communities. It was noted that youth involvement would be key to the success of the RWHS project in any community as we are able to develop its sustainability and invoke a long term culture of participatory natural resource management and water conservation.

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Heroes Among Us: Youth Water Parliament - Haiti Biography: Alexandra Vanessa Destin Pierre

A

lexandra V. Destin Pierre is currently the Regional Commitment Coordinator of the World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW) for LAC, the National Coordinator for CYEN in Haiti, and the French speaking Youth Ambassador for Haiti. Her candidature to be the Haiti delegate at the WYPW has been advanced by the organization Coalition Haïtienne pour l’AIV [Haitian Coalition for the International Year of Volunteers] and supported by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Previously, Alexandra received a BLUE PASSPORT for her constant engagement for the environment and was nominated the Most Outstanding Young Person of Haiti for the environment category by the Jeune Chambre Internationale – Haiti [Junior Chamber International]. As a young leader, she’s been to Texas to have the youth included as a social and productive group for an effective transition of the countries of the Organisation of American States to Green Economy; to Bali at the Global Youth Forum participating in producing recommendations for the post-2015 United Nations development agenda putting youth rights at the heart of development; to Hague with Wings for Water for a new definition of water cooperation through a youth perspective;

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to Istanbul at the Global Power Shift for the elaboration of concrete actions to fight against climate change; and to Panama to represent the Caribbean at the TUNZA Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean. She has also been a Youth Panelist at the Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) event hosted

by UNICEF in New York, talking about the water and sanitation situation of Haiti. She has been the environment coach of the Haitian Representative, Carolina Rinchere, at the Miss Earth EcoBeauty contest, the theme retained for this year being international water cooperation.

In her professional life, Alexandra is the outreach Coordinator of the Haiti Reef Check team, where she is working on protecting the marine environment of Haiti by educating the youth. She trained fishermen for a better comprehension of the marine ecosystem in the South of Haiti for AquaDev. She also worked as a volunteer for the Foundation Etre Ayisyen (FEA) which helped Haitian youth who were displaced by the earthquake in 2010.

While volunteering with the FEA, Alexandra had the opportunity to create her own entrepreneurial cell, PLURIELLES, which supports the economic integration of young girls in Haiti. Before joining the FEA in 2010, Alexandra was invited to become a member of Terre des Jeunes, by the National Coordinator which was the catalyst

for her career working to protect the environment. As a Youth Representative of Haiti, she works with the Youth Ministry, speaking at numerous events, organizing presentations, photo exhibits in Youth Clubs such as Orchidée Club, Eglise Extention Mondiale, and the Association des Jeunes Chretiens du Bas-Artibonite to raise awareness about water, youth and environmental causes in Haiti.

This year, she is advocating for the French Embassy against violence and sexual abuse on children with Yonel Janvier and Mélior Joseph, both Youth Representatives in Haiti. With a minor in architectural engineering, she has started a M.Sc. in Water and Environment at Faculté des Sciences, from the State University and pursues a second year of masters studies in sustainable development at ESPE, École Supérieure de Professorat et d’Éducation [Professorship and Graduate School of Education at Clermont-Ferrand in France.

As the Haiti Representative at the WYPW, Alexandra is involved in the creation of the First Regional Water School, where children and young people will be sensitized on issues related to water governance, the project of the Central American and the Caribbean region. That is why she is about to implement a greenhouse project in her home town, funded by the organization 350. Alexandra is a dynamic young woman. Truly, there are young heroes among us who can inspire us to take action and make change in this world.

The World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW)

The

World Youth Parliament for Water, coordinated by the International Water Secretary, started with eighty-six young people from seventy-two countries dedicated to the cause of water.

The three main sectors embraced by this work are 1. Water Access and Sanitation 2. Climate Change, and 3. Water Governance providing practical and theoretical tools for cooperation and collaboration among youths.

Objectives of WYPW: 1. To facilitate cooperation between youths and stakeholders in the water decision making process.

2. To improve knowledge about water related issues among youth by stimulating education, informing them that water is a long term issue and youths are tomorrow’s policy makers.

Dividing the world into several international river basins, the WYPW works on regional commitments.

The commitment voted for Central America and the Caribbean is

to create a water school, where children and youngsters will be educated in topics related to water governance during the 2012-2015 mandate.

The Haitian team of the WYPW now has four members, working to reach the goals of the main organisation. Through its role as an educator, actions are focused on doing seminars for young people in collaboration with Good Planet Foundation, Pastorale Universitaire des Jeunes de l’Archidiocèse de Port-au-Prince, Accion Agua, and the teachers from the Faculty of Science, hosting a masters degree program in water and environment until finally getting the funding to implement the regional commitment in Haiti.

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Discover Hait i Haiti/Bohio/Quisqueya is one of the greater islands of the Caribbean. As an indigenous name, it means land of mountains. Although the international community knows Haiti for the social and environmental issues that exist here, this country is highly underappreciated for the beauty of its rural areas, its charming traditional houses, and the beauty of the natural resources which still persist.

Saut D’Eau Cascade

House of Belle-Anse

Sea Anemone, Artibonite

View of wild coastal city

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. . .

S T S P D O E D H A S T R E T A W CYEN-T D AN L R U O C ARIMA & The

Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) launched its Adopt-A-River Programme in July 2013. This project aims to facilitate the monitoring, clean-up and enhancement of rivers in Trinidad and Tobago by developing community networks that encourage active participation in the protection of the watersheds by educating residents and businesses with hands-on restoration activities. The overall objective of the ‘Adopt-A-River’ program is to bring awareness to nationals about the local watershed issues and to facilitate the participation of public and private sector entities in sustainable and holistic projects aimed at improving the status of rivers and their watersheds in Trinidad and Tobago.

CYEN-TT was one of the first “Adopters” of the programme and we have adopted both the Arima (Trinidad) and the Courland (Tobago) watersheds. These two watersheds have many issues affecting both the quality and quantity of water in the river and the water we receive in our taps. The goal of our project is to bring awareness to local water related and environmental issues inclusive of climate change, through an educational documentary series on water that highlights issues in the Arima and Courland watersheds. Some of the issues

Arima Quarry that we have identified are quarrying, high nutrients in the river, deforestation and indiscriminate dumping which can lead to health and sanitation issues as some persons use the water from the rivers for domestic uses. We have been working arduously, filming interviews of experts in the field, visiting schools, preparing interactive educational activities to highlight the issues related to water and solutions that can be done every day. We found that the perception of water and its vulnerabilities are not perfectly understood as well as how our own actions, no matter how small, can affect our water supply.

But what is a watershed?

Did you know that we all live in a watershed? No matter where you live, work or play, you

are in a watershed! You might be surprised to know that watersheds are more than just water.

“A watershed is an area of land that water flows across or through on its way to a particular water body, such as a stream, river, wetland or coast.”

Think of it as the land upon which rain (precipitation) falls and flows to a common place.

Trinidad and Tobago is subdivided into fourteen (14) hydrometric units, nine (9) in Trinidad and five (5) in Tobago. Trinidad is further divided into fifty-four (54) watersheds and Tobago sub-divided into fifteen (15) watersheds.

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Courland River

Sediment from quarry floating into Arima river

Watersheds in Trinidad

Image belongs to the Water Resources Agency, Trinidad and Tobago

Watersheds in Tobago

Image belongs to the Water Resources Agency, Trinidad and Tobago CYEN-TT ECOLife MAGAZINE • 40

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What’s the world without water?

What is soap without water?

It’s the stars without a dark night’s sky.

How does one cook without water?

The way you paint without paint..

What is the body without water?

A desert without rain..

What am I without water?

Dust..

from thoughts to paper....... words from La Tisha

What are you without water?

Me..

What is a tree without water, or a flower perhaps?

Withered..

What are fish without water?

History.

What is the ocean without water, or the lake, or the sea?

Land.

Hmm..I wonder, what’s the world without water? _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Every drop counts May I have the water That you leave running in the shower While you wait for it to heat up?

May I have the water that you’re about to throw out Because the container was too full?

May I have the water That you’re going to throw away Because you think it’s stale?

May I have the water That you leave running While you soap the dishes?

Would it be possible For you to fill a bucket for me Whenever it rains?

I’m sorry to beg, I don’t mean to sound desperate, But it’s just that, one drop can go a long way Thank you.

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Challenge yourself!

Find the words hidden amongst the letters.

Agriculture Aquifer Ecological Education Finite Hydrological Management Participatory Resource Society Wastewater Watershed

Allocation Conflict Economy Environment Forest Integrated Monitoring Policy Rivers Sustainable water

WHATS YOUR WATER IQ? 1. How many watersheds are there in Trinidad?

6. What percentage of the world’s water is freshwater?

2. What percentage of the earth’s surface is covered by water?

7. When were the water riots?

3. Name the reservoir in Tobago?

8. What is the greatest threat to our groundwater resource?

4. Most of our freshwater is extracted from what river?

9. When was Integrated Water Resources Management Policy established?

5. What do you call the region which is drained by rivers and streams that flows into the same outlet?

10. Name the wastewater Plant that has the highest level of treatment in the Caribbean

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Find us on :

ECOLife Magazine is a publication of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network Trinidad and Tobago.

For further information please contact us at 1-868-718-7383 or at cyen.tt.chapter@gmail.com