• Climate change and disaster
  risk reduction
  
  
• Forests and Livelihoods

Forestry research in the Caribbean workshop

Background

CANARI was contracted by the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF) Campus of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) on behalf of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to co-facilitate with the University of the West Indies a workshop for forest managers and researchers from the islands of the English-speaking Caribbean to revitalise forest research in the Caribbean.  The 3-day workshop was held in November 2009 and was attended by 18 participants from 14 organisations and 7 countries.  Participants recommended that participatory approches be used in identifying research priorities and in implementing research, including through the development of partnerships between forest management agencies and research institutions at national and regional levels. Participants identified the current four top priority issues for forest management in the Caribbean requiring research as:

• Improving the livelihoods of forest based populations and surrounding rural populations (by using forest resources)
• Uses of Non-Timber Forest Products (including medicines): Sustainable harvesting and markets for products
• Co-management and governance of forest resources
• Management of forest resources at a landscape scale

Output

Workshop on Forestry Research in the Caribbean

It was felt that management of forests needs a scientific basis that can be provided by scientific research. However it was not clear what required research, how that research could be implemented, what were the barriers to research and what advantages could be gained by regional cooperation.