The Biodiversity Centre (Proposed)

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus (UWI) has been at the forefront of providing identification services and plant and animal information for the past 75 years. The Faculty of Science and Agriculture (FSA)has the most coherent and organized collection of biodiversity in the form of the National Herbarium, the International Cocoa germplasm collection of the Cocoa Research Unit and the Zoology collections of the Department of Life Sciences. These serve as important reference collections and valuable stores of natural resource data. Biodiversity information at present resides in various government agencies in Trinidad and Tobago, in academia and with private individuals and companies. FSA proposes setting up a Biodiversity Centre as the "clearinghouse" for biodiversity information in Trinidad and Tobago. The current concentrations of biodiversity specimens and data would be used as the nucleus and template for future incorporation and collation of biodiversity information in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Biodiversity Centre will cater to the needs of natural resource managers, researchers, business people and the general public. It is hoped that in the future the Biodiversity Centre will become a centre for plant and animal information for Trinidad and Tobago and the region. UWI also has IT personnel capable in assisting in the design, provision and maintenance of biodiversity digital data products. At present funding proposals are being developed towards establishing this centre.

Collections housed at the Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Sciences

• The International Cacao Genebank, Trinidad
• The National Herbarium
• The Arthropod Collection
• The Zoology Museum