$500,000 reafforestation project signed

A MEMORANDUM of Agreement was signed on Friday between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and two re-leaf blocs to reafforest burnt hills in the Western part of Trinidad over a ten-year period, at a cost of $.5 million in the first year. The signing ceremony took place at the Carenage Community Centre. The Petit Curucaye and Carenage community re-leaf blocs are to participate in the reafforestation projects. They are to respectively establish a close canopy of forest and fruit trees on 40 hectares and 120 hectares of land over a ten-year period on lands which have been degraded due to severe fires.

The reafforested lands are State lands located on the Northern range. Resident TT UNDP representative Dr Inyang Ebong-Harstrup speaking at the ceremony, said the UNDP will provide two grants in the sum of $257,000 for both projects under the Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP). Two additional grants in the sum of $36,000 will be provided to the blocs by the Tropical Re-Leaf Foundation (TRF), which will execute the projects. Dr Ebong-Harstrup said so far the UNDP had provided grants totalling $3 million to fund 41 non-governmental and community-based organisation projects.

President of the TRF, Eden Shand, in his remarks at the ceremony said the start of the reafforestation projects marked the beginning of the end of forest fires. He noted that the two blocs were now empowered to prevent the fires. He also pointed out that some 10,000 hectares were now ravaged lands which would require $630 million to “re-green” it at a cost of  $63,000 per hectare. In the same breath, Shand appealed to the government to get the Green Fund operational. Molly Gaskin, Chairperson of the National Steering Committee of GEF/SGP in her remarks, reminded the gathering of the possibility of heavy rains, massive mud slides and even death which could result when the rains begin to fall, as a  result of the burnt hillsides and the bare earth. Member of Parliament for Diego Martin West and Minister of Planning and Development, Dr Keith Rowley, was listed to speak at the ceremony but he is out of country. Public Utilities Minister Rennie Dumas, who was present was unable to stay.