The Buccoo Reef Trust (BRT) is a non-governmental organisation registered in Trinidad and Tobago that focuses on marine research, education and conservation. Over the past six years, the BRT has undertaken a number projects addressing issues of sustainable development in the Caribbean, and for these has received national and international grants and awards, including the 2004 Environment Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (see www.buccooreef.org).

Following the Caribbean-wide coral bleaching event in late 2005, the Buccoo Reef Trust (BRT) and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) worked closely with the UK-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) to undertake a survey of the extent of this bleaching event on the coral reefs of Tobago. CCC provided most of the technical resources and manpower and assisted in compiling a detailed report of the situation. As a result of this highly successful collaboration, the Buccoo Reef Trust, the Tobago House of Assembly and Coral Cay Conservation now want to establish a programme of systematic study of the entire coastal ecosystems around Tobago down to a depth of 30 metres. This study, to be named the Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) will provide a baseline data on the current status of the coral reef, mangrove and seagrass ecosystems around the island of Tobago. The collection of this baseline data will be designed with the Tobago House of Assembly to ensure that it will provide the relevant information for effective policy-making and management of coastal resources.

The project will be closely linked to the current GEF Integrated Watershed and Coastal Area Management (GEF-IWCAM) Demonstration Project for Trinidad and Tobago that will be implemented by the BRT in collaboration with the THA. Part of the GEF-IWCAM project requires the establishment of a GIS Unit and environmental monitoring programmes in Tobago in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly. The proposed TCEMP project has been designed specifically to provide the required marine baseline information and technical support for certain components of GEF-IWCAM. A critical objective of GEF-IWCAM is to ensure that environmental data is not only collected but used by resource managers, planners and policy makers. The Town and Country Planning Division, Ministry of Planning and Development, played in key role in the development of the GEF-IWCAM project proposal and will be directly involved in ensuring that the data generated by the TCEMP provides planners with better information on the environmental sensitivities of specific coastal areas and watersheds. The GEF-IWCAM project will be overseen by a National Intersectoral Committee (NIC) which is to be chaired by a representative of the THA and will include representatives from relevant government agencies and departments as well as non-government organisations.

In addition to the BRT, THA and CCC, the project will also partner with the Youth for Environmental Awareness of Habitats (YEAH). This Tobago-based youth group, which emerged from of the environmental education programme of the BRT, was officially established in 2003 and now meets on a weekly basis in the offices of the BRT. Their vision is to see the inhabitants of Tobago value, respect, sustain and benefit from their natural environment. It has grown as a group and now has approximately twenty active members who undertake a variety of conservation and awareness activities in Tobago. In 2006, YEAH was the recipient of the Environmental Management Authority's (EMA?s) Youth and Environment Award.

The TCEMP project will have strong community participation, education and capacity-building components. To ensure these community linkages are actively maintained, TCEMP will establish a Project Steering Committee (PSC) comprised of representatives from the project partners as well as additional stakeholders, such as representatives from community groups, academic institutions, and relevant local NGOs.

Scheduled to begin in early 2007, the Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project will last two years. The financial contribution from the BRT to the TCEMP project will be US$ 27,350 for Year 1 and US$ 22,350 for Year 2. The THA has agreed to support the project with a contribution of US$ 26,000 for Year 1 and US$ 26,000 for Year 2. During the two-year Project Coral Cay Conservation will contribute, through its unique scheme of the supply of voluntary manpower, in-kind support valued at US$ 110,000. In this proposal, the Buccoo Reef Trust is requesting additional support of US$ 48,800 for Year 1 from the GEF-Small Grants Programme.