Port of Spain, February 2, 2024 – The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) kicked off a series of assessments with coastal communities in Trinidad and Tobago to better understand growing challenges from sea level rise, coastal erosion and extreme weather events due to climate change and related disasters under the project, “Integrating digital technologies and participatory tools to support coastal community resilience in Trinidad and Tobago (Tech4CoastalResilience)”. 

  The first of five workshops was held in Mayaro, Trinidad on January 30, 2024, to assess the community’s vulnerability to climate change and priorities for building their resilience. The workshop brought together over 25 community participants, including fisherfolk, rural women producers and community-based organisations, hotel and tour operators, the Mayaro Village Council and key local and national government agencies in Trinidad. It focused on mapping impacts and assessing vulnerabilities, and strategies to build resilience in the Mayaro community, including for the fisheries and tourism sectors, using participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) and a historical timeline. Based on these local impacts and vulnerabilities, priorities for adaptation and building resilience at the community level were also identified. 

Mayaro resident and representative of the Trinidad and Tobago Chapter of Disabled Peoples’ International, Justin Jarvis, highlighted that, “Oil and gas is the spine of our economy but agriculture, including farming and fishing, that is the heart. It gives us food and nutrition security and livelihoods. We need to find ways to strengthen these livelihoods in the face of climate change and other changes in our community.” 

Acting Senior Fisheries Officer, Fisheries Division, Recardo Mieux, also welcomed the assessments noting that, “The adverse impacts of climate change on fishing and coastal communities in Trinidad and Tobago are irrefutable. As such, the Fisheries Division is pleased to partner on the Tech4CoastalResilience project and strives to utilise innovative technologies and provide technical assistance for practical solutions that will impact positively on local livelihoods.” 

Following the Mayaro workshop, four other workshops are planned in coastal communities, including Carli Bay and Matelot in Trinidad and Castara and Scarborough in Tobago. The findings from these assessments will inform further work under the Tech4CoastalResilience project to identify priorities for action and build coastal resilience. 

 
The workshops are being facilitated by CANARI in partnership with the Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries and Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries, Tobago House of Assembly under the Tech4CoastalResilience project. The project aims to improve the technical capacity and resources of coastal communities and key management agencies to use innovative technologies and tools to address data gaps and enable a more inclusive and informed approach for building resilience. The project is supported by the “Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Support Resilience Settlements on the Coastal Zones of the Caribbean (HIT RESET Caribbean)” programme. HIT RESET Caribbean is funded by the ACP Innovation Fund, OACPS Research and Innovation Programme, which is implemented by the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and financed by the European Union (EU).

For more information on HIT RESET Caribbean and this project, see: https://canari.org/technologies-4-resilience-tt/

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About CANARI: The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) is a regional technical non-profit institute which has been working across the Caribbean islands for more than 30 years. Our mission is to promote and facilitate stakeholder participation in the stewardship of natural resources in the Caribbean. Our work focuses on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Equity and Justice, Participatory Governance and Resilience. For more information, see:  http://www.canari.org/