News Releases

Amazonian Wildlife Conference to empower farmers to provide

For Release Upon Receipt - May 27, 2014

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – The Department of Food Production of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture at The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine will host the 11th Conference on Management of Amazonian Wildlife: Alternative Sustainable Conservation & Utilization Methods for Neo-tropical Animals (XI CIMFAUNA) from August 17-22, 2014, at the campuses of The UWI and the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). 

UWI Professor Gary Garcia and his team from The Department of Food Production, Faculty of Food and Agriculture have been investigating and developing Neo-tropical animal production systems for conservation and utilization for 19 years.  His research has focused primarily on the agouti and wild hog, with farms set up for production of these animals. This conference will bring technical expertise to Trinidad and Tobago which will empower the over 500 registered wildlife farmers in this country, so that “wildmeat” can be sustainably provided to reduce our food import bill. 

This is the first year that the conference will be held in an English-speaking country, and will focus on themes such as Management for the Conservation of Utilized/Exploited Species; Wildlife Conservation Laws and Policy; and Health, Finance & Economics of Neo-tropical Animals; Tourism, among others. The conference/congress will have three (3) official languages Spanish, Portuguese and English. Contained within it will be the presentation of technical papers, round table discussions and mini courses on the rearing of 15 different Neo-tropical animal species. 

The conference aims to highlight the biodiversity of Trinidad and Tobago to the international community; to showcase and highlight The UWI as the pioneer in Neo-tropical animal production systems, established since 1997; to provide the 500+ registered wildlife farmers with the opportunity to get information from world experts on wildlife farming of agouti, quenk/wild hog, lappe, deer, capybara, wild ducks and cocrico, to name a few; to complement the current initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources with regards to wildlife conservation and management; and to develop a Centre for Neo-tropical Animal Conservation, Production and Utilization.  

Registration deadlines and costs are as follows: 

·         Early registration deadline: May 31, 2014 - Students: US$150 || Professionals: US$200

·         Late registration: From June 1, 2014 - Students: US$200 || Professionals: US$250  

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)  

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