Minister in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ramona Ramdial said today the main purpose for the hunting ban was preservation.
By SUE-ANN-WAYOW sue-ann.wayow@trinidadexpress.com
Hunters, hang up your guns, and tie those dogs.
A two year moratorium on hunting was announced by the State
yesterday. The hunting season was due to open October 1.
Minister in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ramona Ramdial said today the main purpose for the hunting ban was preservation.
During consultations regarding a wildlife policy that was implemented earlier this year, Ramdial said several persons called for the moratorium. She said the ministry was getting statistics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and other organisations showing the degeneration of the wildlife population.
Ramdial said: " Therefore the moratorium on hunting would be to audit and assess what we have and then a way to move forward based on the statistics that we have."
She said a UWI professor would be partnering with the ministry to look at the possibility of breeding the wildlife population in captivity.
Ramdial said the main challenge for the government during the moratorium would be illegal hunting.
"The challenges however is the illegal hunting aspect.That is something that will need to be monitored and enforced with a partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry Division and National Security also."
And the ministry was attempting to address concerns that hunters would have.
Ramdial said: "An education and public awareness campaign is about to start and we have been laising with the hunters association.We are listening to them and we are going to find a way to deal with it (issues)."
Last month president of the Hunters’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago Buddie Miller said hunters will resist a moratorium if it was unfairly and unreasonably applied.
The last time a two-year moratorium was imposed was in 1987-89 and resulted in large sections of the forests in Biche, Charuma, Cumaca, Ecclesville and Moruga being overtaken by marijuana cultivators, said Miller.
A two-year moratorium which was imposed in 1987-89 and resulted in large sections of the forests in Biche, Charuma, Cumaca, Ecclesville and Moruga being overtaken by marijuana cultivators, said Miller. Mohan Bholasingh, President of the South Eastern Hunters' Association said he was against the ban " 150 per cent."
He said research showed that moratoriums were more destructive to wildlife than beneficial.
A two year moratorium on hunting was announced by the State
yesterday. The hunting season was due to open October 1.
Minister in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources Ramona Ramdial said today the main purpose for the hunting ban was preservation.
During consultations regarding a wildlife policy that was implemented earlier this year, Ramdial said several persons called for the moratorium. She said the ministry was getting statistics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and other organisations showing the degeneration of the wildlife population.
Ramdial said: " Therefore the moratorium on hunting would be to audit and assess what we have and then a way to move forward based on the statistics that we have."
She said a UWI professor would be partnering with the ministry to look at the possibility of breeding the wildlife population in captivity.
Ramdial said the main challenge for the government during the moratorium would be illegal hunting.
"The challenges however is the illegal hunting aspect.That is something that will need to be monitored and enforced with a partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry Division and National Security also."
And the ministry was attempting to address concerns that hunters would have.
Ramdial said: "An education and public awareness campaign is about to start and we have been laising with the hunters association.We are listening to them and we are going to find a way to deal with it (issues)."
Last month president of the Hunters’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago Buddie Miller said hunters will resist a moratorium if it was unfairly and unreasonably applied.
The last time a two-year moratorium was imposed was in 1987-89 and resulted in large sections of the forests in Biche, Charuma, Cumaca, Ecclesville and Moruga being overtaken by marijuana cultivators, said Miller.
A two-year moratorium which was imposed in 1987-89 and resulted in large sections of the forests in Biche, Charuma, Cumaca, Ecclesville and Moruga being overtaken by marijuana cultivators, said Miller. Mohan Bholasingh, President of the South Eastern Hunters' Association said he was against the ban " 150 per cent."
He said research showed that moratoriums were more destructive to wildlife than beneficial.
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