I wish to announce that Cabinet has approved a series of landmark initiatives aimed at protecting the wildlife resources of Trinidad and Tobago. We are confident that we are doing the right things in the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
The decision to roll out these measures was not just based on a wealth of research which highlight the unfortunate depletion of Trinidad and Tobago’s wildlife resources. Several public consultations were hosted by my Ministry with respect to drafting the National Wildlife Policy over various locations in both Trinidad and Tobago between the period January 28th 2013 and February 13th 2013. The Ministry invited written comments on the policy which were to be submitted by May 31st 2013. Additionally the policy was made available online for review by the public. Various organisations participated in the consultations including the Confederation of Hunters Associations for Conservation on March 27th 2013. As regards the moratorium, the MEWR coordinated appropriate consultation on August 28th 2013 with the stakeholders, namely the Trinidad and Tobago Hunters Association, informing them of the situation and the proposed measures. I recall meetings with Mr. Buddie Miller and members of the executive of the Confederation of Hunters’ Association as well as Mr. Mohan Bholasingh of the South Eastern Hunters Association. So say that there not consulted on these measures is simply not true. As a result of these consultations, we gathered that the overwhelming view was that there should be an intervention and that a moratorium should be put in place.
By way of background of how we arrived at these initiatives, the current Conservation of Wildlife Act which replaced earlier legislation for the protection of “wild bird” and “ground game”, enables the protection and conservation of fauna (mammals, birds and reptiles) through the regulation of hunting by a system of permits, closed seasons and game sanctuaries. The Act prescribes a closed hunting season which outlaws the taking, sale, purchase and possession of wild meat during this season.
As of the 1990 hunting season, State Game Licences (SGLs) issued under the Conservation of Wildlife Act, were amended to include a Mandatory Hunter Return Data Form which must be completed and returned in order for the licensee to be considered for the issue of an SGL in the future. It was intended that analysis of the returned data would provide an indication of the population status of the game species (Mammals, Reptiles, Waterfowl and Cage Birds) populations and the impact of hunting.
SCIENTIFIC DATA/RESEARCH
The data analysis from the Mandatory Hunting Return Data Forms conducted by the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Wisconsin for the 1990 to 1993 hunting seasons revealed that the catch-hunting effort relationships of the agouti, lappe, red brocket deer, quenk and tatoo had a consistent negative relationship, suggesting that the populations of these animals were being over-exploited. Annual take per hunter fell over the four years, suggesting that the populations of these game mammals were declining at about 15% per annum. The University scientists also concluded that such sustained rates of decline would lead to local extinction of these populations within 25 years. Moreover, what is even more alarming is that this rate of overharvest does not include the unreported take by unlicensed subsistence hunters or commercial poachers.
In a subsequent review of the hunter return forms up to 2005, the University researchers in a brief report to the Conservator of Forests, advised that there continued to be a decline in hunter catch per unit effort indicators for the game species. Since this analysis of hunting data to the 2005 hunting season, the Cabinet-appointed Wild Life Conservation Committee (WLCC) commissioned a survey of the Central Range Wildlife Sanctuary in 2007, to assess the status of game species in the Sanctuary. That study was designed by the UWI, and found that the population densities of all five game mammals were between 3 to 10 times lower than other comparable habitats in Latin America. Such a finding is particularly troubling, considering that this area is a Wildlife Sanctuary where hunting is prohibited.
Since the analysis conducted by the University of the West Indies and the University of Wisconsin on 1990 to 1993 hunting data, the Forestry Division has indicated that there has been a steady increase in annual hunting permits sales.
The records of the Forestry Division indicated that during the 2010/2011 period 22,465 State Game Licenses were sold, in 2011/2012 - 18,990 were sold and in 2012/2013- 21,236 were sold. These State Game Licenses permitted the hunting of Agouti, Caged Birds, Deer, Lappe, Alligator/Lizard, Wild Hog (Quenk), Armadillo (Tattoo) and Water Fowl.
DATA FORMS REVIEW
Review of the hunting data forms submitted by hunters has shown that the number of animals being removed through hunting has increased showing that more animals are being removed from an area of a specific size. The number of agouti removed from their habitat amounted during the hunting seasons 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 was 22,441, 18,772 and 23,911 respectively; the number of deer being removed from their habitat for that same periods amounted to 1,939, 2,115 and 2,331 animals respectively. The number of Caged Birds captured for 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 was 358, 97, and 465 respectively; for Lappe 3,796, 2115 and 4250 animals were removed over the same periods; similarly for Wild Hog for those periods 348,162 and 387 were hunted. Hunting of Armadillo (Tattoo) for 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 amounted to 4114, 3971 and 5007 respectively; for Water Fowl 2741, 1525 and 3944 were removed for the periods and for Alligator and Lizards, 5656, 10891 and 19221 were killed for the period 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 respectively.
Some have argued that the large amount of animals being caught shows that there is no negative pressure from hunting. It must be carefully noted however that as the number of hunters, or hunting effort increases in a common resource, the number of animals captured will increase including the immature or juvenile animals in the population. If this is allowed to continue unabated, the wildlife populations can begin to collapse. We have to protect our babies in the wildlife. If this is allowed to continue unabated, the wildlife population will be exterminated.
GOVERNMENT’S INTEGRATED APPROACH
In order to address this alarming situation, which the current best scientific information has indicated could lead to the total loss of our national wildlife resources; there is a critical need to curtail the hunting pressure on game species. It is against this context that the Government has developed an integrated approach to addressing the unsustainable harvesting of wildlife resources.
I am therefore pleased to announce that as part this integrated approach, Cabinet has approved several landmark initiatives aimed at protecting and conserving this nation’s wildlife resources.
MORATORIUM
Firstly, a two year moratorium will be placed on hunting in Trinidad and Tobago with effect from the 2013-2014 hunting season which is scheduled to commence on October 1, 2013. The moratorium will be enforced by the various agencies and the Forestry Division of the Ministry of the Environmental and Water Resources with assistance from the Ministry of National Security. I recall the words of Dame Jane Morris Goodall, a Britis
primatologist and anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace who said “If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls.”
INCREASE IN FINES
In addition to the two-year moratorium the Office of Attorney General is currently reviewing the penalties and fines in the Conservation of Wildlife Act with a view to amending existing legislation. It is envisioned that these amendments will discourage individuals from contravening wildlife regulations including the two-year moratorium on hunting. This increase in fines is in keeping with the pronouncements made in the 2013/2014 Budget Statement in which it was stated that the Government will be taking a more proactive approach to protect the environment and will implement a number of measures including increased penalties and fines.
The current fines and penalty regime has done little to deter the illegal activities toward our wildlife resource. Some of the fine increases include the following:
- The fine for hunting of any animal in a Game Sanctuary has increased from $1000 or 3 months imprisonment to $100,000 or 12 months imprisonment;
- The fine for taking a dog into a game Sanctuary for the purpose of hunting has been raised from $1000 or 3 months imprisonment to $100,000 or 12 months imprisonment;
- The fine for hunting a protected animal without a Special Game License from the Chief Game Warden has been raised from $1000 or 3 months imprisonment to $50,000 for “each animal”
- The fine for being found on state lands under circumstances of hunting any second schedule animal under the Conservation of Wildlife Act has been raised from $400 or 3 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a state game license as the magistrate sees fit to $50,000 or 12 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a state game license to as the magistrate sees fit;
- The fine for carrying into state lands any gun or weapon or device capable of being used to hunt any second schedule animal under the Conservation of Wildlife Act has been raised from $400 or 3 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a state game license as the magistrate sees fit to $5000 or 6 months imprisonment and disqualification from holding a state game license to as the magistrate sees fit
- Hunting in the closed season without a special game license and not under the special conditions to exercise dogs in lands other than Forest Reserves and Game Sanctuaries has been raised from $2000 or 6 months imprisonment to $100,000 or 24 months imprisonment.
BASELINE SURVEY
During the moratorium a critical baseline survey will be conducted to get a scientific appreciation of our existing wildlife and natural resources. It has never been done. This survey is important and the data obtained from it will certainly aid my Ministry and all relevant stakeholders to better develop our nation’s natural resources. I must also mention that the Ministry is working in a collaborative relationship with the Forestry Division, University of the West Indies and Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations to initiate these surveys/monitoring programmes on game species populations and a comprehensive analysis of the mandatory data forms would be undertaken in order to determine the carrying capacity of the nation’s forest to sustain viable game species populations and determine the maximum sustainable yield for these important wildlife resources.
REVIEW OF WILDLIFE POLICY
In addition to these recently approved initiatives that I have outlined, the Ministry is in the process of developing an overarching management tool a National Wildlife Policy which went through the whole process of consultations and is now engaging attention of cabinet.
COMMERCIAL WILDLIFE FARMING
In addition the Ministry, will be collaborating with the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies and the Ministry of Food Production to undertake initiatives to develop model commercial wildlife farms and to provide capacity building support to encourage rural communities to establish wildlife farms in order to ensure that their livelihoods are not negatively impacted during the proposed two-year moratorium on hunting. The possibility of the provision of
FINANCIAL
support from the Green Fund to establish a wildlife farm is also be explored. We are well aware that even during the hunting season, wild meat is imported albeit illegally from nearby Guyana and Venezuela. A viable commercial wildlife farming initiative will therefore assist in the provision of wild meat products to satisfy the Trinbagonion palate. I am reminded that in the Red Brocket Deer is no longer part of the Tobago environment.
SOCIO ECONOMIC IMPACT
Our Government is well aware of the potential socio economic impact of these measures on communities depending upon the hunting season to make a living. However with these new measures, those who previously made a living from killing will now be embraced by the Ministry and will be able to make a living from conserving.
CONCERNS OF HUNTERS
You would recall that I indicated the extent and depth and level of consultation. Whilst I hear the current hunting lobby “No Hunting, No Vote,” I want to indicate that we hear what they are saying but we must do the right thing. We are doing the right thing through the series of measures that I have outlined. Let me assure all citizens that these decisions are in the national interest and will certainly aid in the conservation our wildlife resources for future generations. We are protecting the wildlife for the future. We will not shirk from our responsibility; we will continue to do the right thing.
CONCLUSION
Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, Trinidad and Tobago has a long tradition of natural resource protection and conservation. In fact, the country established the western hemisphere’s first forest reserve for conservation, with the declaration of the Main Ridge Forest Reserve in 1765. This Government is committed to ensuring that the rich heritage of our natural environment is protected and sustainable used in a manner that will ensure that its integrity is passed on to future generations. One sure way of doing this will be through the implementation of this integrated approach to the management of our country’s most valuable natural resources.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, the task of wildlife protection is high on the agenda of the Government and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources is committed to working with all stakeholders and interested parties to ensure that the measures implemented are in the best interest of the environment and our precious natural heritage…and I mean all stakeholders. In fact, I hope that the Confederation of Hunters and the South Eastern Hunters Association can embrace this new reality and be part of the preservation of the environment; we are willing to work with them. In the words of the Great Mahatma Gandhi, “What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
I thank you
