Govt plans to tackle land degradation

The minister made the comments at the opening of the Environmental Management Authority’s (EMA) World Environment Day 2006 Conference and Exhibition.

The theme for World Environment Day 2006 is Deserts and Desertification — Don’t Desert Drylands.

She said the draft National Action Programme to Combat Land Degradation provides a comprehensive framework for implementing the country’s obligations under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

She noted that the programme includes actions for the establishment of new legislation and policies or the upgrade of existing ones. She said the Government plans to ensure appropriate land use practices with respect to the use of land for building development, the establishment of new institutions and the strengthening of the capacities of existing ones and the consistent, systematic data collection of all aspects of land resource use and management to establishment early warning systems and support assessment of environmental risks.”

Beckles said the consciousness of the population must be raised by getting people to understand the relationship between their actions and the environment through a range of actions designed to help them make a lifestyle change.

She said the consequences of land degradation in Trinidad and Tobago are flooding of low-lying areas, the reduction in food production and soil productivity, damaged vegetation and the reduction in water availability through damage to watersheds.

“In the past few years,” she said, “I am sure each of us will recall the increasing severity of flooding in the country and the impact on food production and, of course, food prices.”

She said as a small island nation, the country pays a high price for poor land management practices such as deforestation, setting of bushfires, slash and burn agricultural practices, squatting and illegal quarrying.