The University of the West Indies (UWI) has kicked off a five-year initiative aimed at tackling some of Trinidad and Tobago’s most pressing environmental problems: degraded farmland, shrinking biodiversity and a climate that is becoming harder to plan around.

The Bio Resilience Project: Nature-Based Solutions for Resilient Landscapes in Trinidad and Tobago was officially launched by UWI’s Faculty of Food and Agriculture (FFA), with backing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) worth US$3.5 million. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing the project, UWI is executing it on the ground, and the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development is serving as the national coordinating body.

At its core, the project is about restoring soil and land that have been worn down by years of use, while also building the country’s resilience to climate shocks and shoring up food security.