The Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) is the leading youth environment and development network in the region responsible for creating an appropriate space for young people to participate in the design, development, implementation and promotion of new, progressive, equitable, innovative and sustainable environmental, economic and social development policies and programmes across the wider Caribbean. CYEN Trinidad and Tobago Chapter has been accepted to be a partner in the WASA Adopt-A-River (AAR) Programme in which our focus revolves around water management issues in the Arima watershed in Trinidad and the Courland watershed in Tobago. The Arima watershed is located between the Mausica watershed to the west and the Guanapo watershed to the east. The land is used in multiple ways and is the base of residential, commercial and agricultural activities. Four quarries are located in the Valley, each one extracting limestone. There are also two eco-tourism sites, a large agricultural estate where Christophene (Sechium edule) is planted, a small poultry farm where chickens are reared and a currently deserted research station which was used by both local and foreign researchers to conduct their work.

All these activities take place in a small area, making the Arima Valley an interesting research site from the point of view of stressed natural resources. In the Arima Valley, there is no pipe borne water supply throughout most of the area. Hence, residents depend on spring or river water from the Arima River. Most of the residents who use river water are located downstream of the quarrying and agricultural activities. Therefore, the quality of the water being used by these residents raises cause for great concern. Many of the residents who used to bathe in the Arima River no longer do so because of a decline in water quality, believed to be caused by agricultural and quarrying activities (Ellis, 2010). Our project proposes to not only highlight these water quality issues and the impact on community life but also seeks to show the relationship between water and life. Our target audience will be between the ages of 12 ? 25. In order to appeal to this age group the trendy idea of producing a video documentary highlighting water related issues was explored as a way to attract the attention of young people and increase their awareness of the challenges and issues related to water while also incorporating their opinions.

Our Tobago arm has set its sights on working to help improve conditions in the Courland Watershed. This watershed contributes a large percentage of the potable water available to the citizenry in Tobago. The quality and quantity of the water that can be accessed from this system is under increasing threat, as issues of deforestation (as a result of illegal logging, poor farming practices and wildfires) (GEF-IWCAM T&T Demonstration Project 2010) and poor sanitation have resulted in increased erosion and surface run-off, as well as the introduction of harmful substances which has reduced the quality of the water available for both human consumption and the maintenance of the eco-system. In 2000, it was estimated that over half a million Trinidad and Tobago dollars per year was needed for treatment to reduce the turbidity of the water coming out of Courland. This high turbidity was linked to the high levels of erosion and surface run-off caused by deforestation (Leotaud 2000). Fast forward fourteen years later and given the difficulty in curbing the problems affecting the watershed, these costs have no doubt increased. Given our limited resource capacity, it is the intention of CYEN-T&T to partner with the Anse Fromager Ecological Environmental Protection Organization and combine our efforts toward re-forestation in the Courland watershed.