ODPM Links Biodiversity Protection with Disaster Risk Resilience

Trinidad and Tobago took a groundbreaking next step its national resilience agenda today with a workshop that focused on integrating biodiversity protection and disaster risk reduction (DRR). 

The event was hosted by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and brought together government officials, civil society leaders, academics, private sector representatives and international partners. 

The dialogue comes at a pivotal time as Trinidad and Tobago embarks on the revision of its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). This process aligns national planning with global frameworks, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS).

Trinidad and Tobago is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a global agreement that aims to halt species extinction, protect genetic biodiversity and restore ecosystems while minimising the impact of climate change on nature. The NBSAP review presents a unique opportunity to translate these commitments into concrete national actions.

Delivering opening remarks, UN Resident Coordinator ad interim and UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Ugo Blanco, emphasised the importance of localising global policy to achieve maximum national impact. 

“Trinidad and Tobago has signed these national agreements but how do they make sense in the lives of everyday people? You have an opportunity to connect the dots between policy and practice. How do we bring policy to the communities—to Siparia, Mayaro, and Tobago? Thank you for being champions of biodiversity and disaster risk resilience.”

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EO of the ODPM, Major General (Retired) Rodney Smart, underscored that biodiversity must be recognised as a fundamental building block in national approaches to managing risks and hazards. 

“When biodiversity considerations are mainstreamed into development, land use regulation and infrastructure design, they all help to limit risk before hazards even occur, thereby improving national resilience. Biodiversity is a vital consideration for the ODPM as it directly underpins the core objectives of DRR. Effective DRR requires addressing the underlying factors of risk, such as poor land use, environmental degradation and unsustainable development practices. Healthy biodiverse ecosystems play a crucial role in this endeavour.”

Mr. Julius Smith, Environmental Biologist at the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, delivered a stark warning:

“To compromise the integrity of biodiversity is to imperil our own lives and place our economic security and potential at severe risk.”

The workshop was enriched by contributions from technical experts, community-based organisations and private sector actors, who explored nature-based solutions—from wetland preservation to reef protection—that can reduce hazard exposure while supporting livelihoods and saving food systems.

As the climate crisis intensifies and natural ecosystems come under greater pressure, the message emerging from the workshop was clear: protecting biodiversity is no longer only an environmental priority—it is a national imperative for safety, sustainability, and resilience.