Intergenerational Equity and Sharing of Benefits in a Developing Island State

When addressing sustainable development in island developing states in general—and sustainable forestry in the Caribbean in particular—Trinidad provides a valuable focal point as one of the region’s few countries with substantial yet endangered forest resources remaining. Compared with other countries of similar size, Trinidad is blessed with a diverse range of flora and fauna and several spectacular natural habitats. ¹ The island originally was covered almost completely by a heavy tropical rainforest. Only the dry westernmost end of the Northern Range has a sparse, drought-tolerant vegetative cover. The highest peak of the Northern Range, El Cerro del Aripo (940 meters), is covered with forest to its summit. The forest types include evergreen seasonal, semievergreen seasonal, deciduous seasonal, dry evergreen, seasonal montane, montane, and swamp forests.