Coastal communities are highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Ecosystem-based approaches are crucial to adapting to climate change. It is paramount to foster social inclusion to assess people’s perception of nature as a tool for adaptation. KAPs are essential to gather baseline information that evaluate these perceptions. To date, for Trinidad and Tobago, there is no validated instrument to evaluate coastal communities’ KAP in relation to Ecosystem-based Approaches, DRR and CCA and as such, this study aims to develop and validate this instrument.

Enhanced rates of environmental change pose a significant threat to freshwater organisms within the Caribbean. Given the pivotal role that these organisms play in supporting ecosystem function, it has become increasingly necessary to understand how they will respond to future changes. This study provides an in-depth analysis of how ostracod populations from Freshwater Pond in Barbuda have responded to environmental changes in the past.

Embankment dams are essential for the water management schemes in many countries within the Caribbean, providing for water utility, flood control and agricultural needs among many other purposes. However, the impact of climate change on these structures and the water management systems in the region is becoming more evident as time progresses, with extreme weather events increasing in both frequency and intensity.

The Bahamas is one of the foremost climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Small island nations’ freshwater supplies are already threatened by sea-level rise and groundwater extraction; nevertheless, increased aridity from climate change adds to the burden. This research aims to see how climate change affects precipitation and drinkable water in the Bahamas. For the historical data analysis, a summary of descriptive statistics and Mann Kendall test procedures were used to indicate the existence of any possible trends.

Habitat monitoring can be challenging as conservation organizations are typically under resourced and areas can be remote or inaccessible. In a world where environmental issues like
climate change and habitat degradation are detrimental to biodiversity and human health, monitoring remains important. Low-cost (<$2,000), “off-the-shelf” drones (also called UAVS) are
small, aerial vehicles.

Young people have an increasingly strong social and environmental awareness and are key actors in climate action. The Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago in particular, is extremely vulnerable to climate change and must learn to become resilient to impacts. Integrating young people is a guaranteed way to become more resilient. This study is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will set a baseline for data on youth engagement

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes affects the hydrological cycle and can intensify the impacts of hydrometeorological events such as flooding. Flooding often has disastrous consequences for communities and livelihoods. This justifies the need for spatial and temporal analysis of LULC change. In the Kwakwani watershed in Guyana, the largest impacts from floods were experienced in 2021 and 2022, resulting in losses to crops, livestock, infrastructure, and income.

This project assesses the potential for Nature-based Solutions to reduce vulnerability to flooding and improve well-being in urban areas in Trinidad and Tobago. The topic was chosen as flooding is the most prevalent issue within the Caribbean state. This issue is worsened by a variety of environmental and human factors, making it a difficult problem to tackle, however, the implementation of Nature-based Solutions is seen as a key concept that can be implemented to make a difference.

Risk-based design approach for the impact of climate change on critical infrastructure in the Caribbean

Herona D. Thompson, MSc. in Engineering Geology, University of Leeds, 2020

Renata Philogene-McKie, MSc. in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management, University of Leicester, 2018