On Friday 24th May, 2019, the Ministry of Works and Transport hosted an event that entailed the following: the official launch of the Comprehensive National Coastal Monitoring Programme (CNCMP), a Signing Agreement, a photo exhibition and the launch of the CNCMP's social media campaigns.
The letter of intent for this national coastal initiative was signed by three key stakeholders: Mrs. Sonia Francis-Yearwood, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport; Dr. Ahmad Khan, Director, Institute of Marine Affairs and Councillor Kwesi Des Vignes, Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment, Tobago House of Assembly.
The attendees were also treated to a photo exhibition that highlighted areas affected by coastal erosion throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
Concurrently, #CoastalWatchTT and #CoastalErosionFacts, are two major social media campaigns were also launched in keeping with the CNMP's stakeholder engagement strategy. The key partners represented at this event included the Institute of Marine Affairs, Coastal Dynamics, the University of the West Indies, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Ministry of Planning, the Land Reclamation Committee, ICZM Planning Committee, National Infrastructure Development Company Limited, the Water and Sewage Authority Trinidad and Tobago, and many others. The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) is taking a strategic step toward mapping a sustainable solution to combat the problem of coastal erosion and flooding.
This programme will support the monitoring of the state of Trinidad and Tobago’s coastal areas and serve as a central repository for coastal data. The vision is to establish Trinidad and Tobago as one of the regional leaders in shoreline management practices. Ultimately, the CNCMP will promote the adoption of environmentally and economically sustainable solutions to preserve and protect the coast.
To this end, the programme will equip coastal managers with relevant information to assess overall risk and to inform sustainable shoreline management decisions and policy-making thereby mitigating the risks of coastal erosion. In January 2019, the CPU commenced implementation of Phase 1, Establishment of a Framework for the CNCMP, of the programme’s three-phase implementation plan. This phase will include the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy involves launching pertinent groups in a National Coastal Assessment (NCA) and Designing a Coastal Information Management System (CIMS).
Click this link to access more information, Comprehensive National Coastal Monitoring Programme
