Aripo Savannas Strict Nature Reserve - Environmental Management ...

3.1.4. The IUCN Red List
The IUCN receives voluntary academic and technical contributions from a host of scientists and
experts from more 180 countries. It contributes to environmental conventions, global standards
and disseminates scientific information and knowledge 27 .
The IUCN formulated the renowned Red List to draw attention to the importance and
vulnerability of the world’s biodiversity. The Red List is deemed by the IUCN as being the most
exhaustive catalogue of the current status of plants and animals in the world. Criteria are
generated for the evaluation of the status of a particular species with regard to its risk of
extinction. It can be used to determine how threatened a particular species is, and identify priority
species that need to be elevated for dedicated conservation efforts and further protection. It is
also used to provide information to the policymakers of the CBD and CITES 28 .
3.2 National Legislation
The Forests Act Chap. 66:01 focuses on the regulations of the sale of forest products, and
identifies forest reserves. These reserves are managed for timber extraction (EMA, 1999a).
Under Chapter 66:01 of the Forest Act, Aripo Savannas is included in the Long Stretch Forest
Reserve, which was declared in 1934.
The Conservation of Wildlife Act regulates game species using a permitting system, gaming
seasons and wildlife refuges. There is need for a revision of the present Act to address
management issues more comprehensively and to increase fines, which presently offer little
incentive to curb illegal hunting (EMA, 1999a).
The State Land (Regularisation of Tenure) Act of 1998 provides protection to squatters from
being evicted from State lands. The schedules of the Act require the addition of areas of Trinidad
and Tobago where regularisation of tenure will not be granted by state authorities. These areas are
to be those that have been designated as ESAs; those that are important for the provision and
protection of water resources; and green belt areas, like forestry conservation areas (EMA,
1999a).
The Environmental Management Act of 2000 (EM Act), sought to address the issue of
biodiversity loss and protection, by the formulation of guidelines on the designation and
protection of “environmentally sensitive species” and “environmentally sensitive areas”. The
primary goal of designating an area an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) under the Rules, of
2001 is the protection and conservation of areas representative of the different ecosystems of the
country and their species diversity. This will involve the prevention of activities that will
negatively impact the biological, physical and socio-economic integrity of the ESA.
27
IUCN: The World Conservation Union), 2003. What is IUCN? Available at the Internet URL:
28
http://www.IUCN.org/about/index.htm
IUCN: The World Conservation Union), 2000a. 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Background. Gland, Switzerland.
Available at the Internet URL: http://www.iucn.org/redlist/2000/background.html
EMA: The Administrative Record for the Designation of Aripo Savannas as an Environmentally Sensitive Area