Trinidad & Tobago · Conservation Law
Legal Framework for Protected Areas
Four domestic legal instruments establish and govern Wildlife Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves, Prohibited Areas, and Environmentally Sensitive Areas across Trinidad and Tobago. Every area profiled on this site is designated under one or more of these instruments.
Governance gap: The National Forest Policy 2011 explicitly notes that enabling legislation for a comprehensive protected areas system (first proposed in 1980) was never enacted. Several areas therefore carry legal designations without the full management and enforcement infrastructure to give them practical effect.
Legal Instrument
Forests Act, Chap. 66:01
Amended by the Forests (Amendment) Act, No. 23 of 1999
- Administering Authority
- Forestry Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
- Designation Types
- Forest Reserves (35 proclaimed in Trinidad; Main Ridge in Tobago)
- Prohibited Areas (c. 19 declared areas across both islands)
The foundational statute for State forest lands. Empowers the President to gazette any State land as a Forest Reserve and to declare specified areas as Prohibited Areas by Order. Within a Forest Reserve, clearing, cultivation, settlement, burning, unlicensed felling, and removal of forest produce are criminal offences. In a Prohibited Area, entry itself is restricted; written authorisation from the Conservator of Forests is required. The 1999 amendment raised penalties: s. 8 (forests offences in a Forest Reserve, and entry into a Prohibited Area without authorisation) carries a fine of up to TT$20,000; s. 7B (false declaration on a timber permit) and s. 10 (counterfeiting Forest Officer marks) carry up to TT$50,000 or 2 years imprisonment on summary conviction.
Legal Instrument
Conservation of Wild Life Act, Chap. 67:01
Fines uplifted by Finance Act 2018 (effective 1 Jan 2019); species lists updated by LN 137/2016, LN 280/2019, LN 334/2020
- Administering Authority
- Wildlife Section, Forestry Division
- Designation Types
- Game Sanctuaries: 12 gazetted areas (First Schedule, items 1-12)
- Open and closed hunting seasons for listed game species
Establishes Game Sanctuaries and controls the taking of wildlife across Trinidad and Tobago. The twelve Game Sanctuaries are listed in the First Schedule. Hunting, trapping, and disturbance of wildlife within any sanctuary is a criminal offence year-round. Eight of the twelve sanctuaries also carry a parallel prohibited-area designation under the Forests Act, creating a dual enforcement framework. COWA classifies all wild animals into one of four tiers: protected, game, vermin, or cage bird, with different rules applying to each. The open hunting season runs 1 October to 28 February; March is a prohibited disposal month; and the close season runs 1 April to 30 September. Fines were uplifted by the Finance Act 2018, effective 1 January 2019.
Legal Instrument
Environmental Management Act, Chap. 35:05
ESA Rules (GN 64/2001); individual ESA Notices
- Administering Authority
- Environmental Management Authority (EMA)
- Designation Types
- Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs): 3 designated in T&T
- Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS) listings: 9
Establishes the Environmental Management Authority and creates the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) framework. Under Section 41 and the ESA Rules (GN 64/2001), the EMA may declare any area an ESA by Legal Notice, imposing development controls and land-use restrictions across the designated zone. The Act's Schedule III explicitly cross-references Forest Reserves under the Forests Act and Game Sanctuaries under COWA as areas eligible for ESA designation, enabling overlapping protection for the most critical landscapes. ESAs may also be subdivided into Core and Buffer Zones with differing restriction levels.
Legal Instrument
National Forest Policy 2011
- Administering Authority
- Forestry Division; Tobago House of Assembly (for Tobago)
- Designation Types
- 35 proclaimed Forest Reserves, Trinidad (131,430 ha combined)
- 8 unproclaimed State forest blocks, Trinidad (11,650 ha)
- Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago (3,937 ha)
- Private conservation areas (non-State)
The overarching policy framework governing State forest management. Documents the inventory of proclaimed Forest Reserves (35 in Trinidad totalling 131,430 ha; Main Ridge in Tobago at 3,937 ha) and the 8 unproclaimed State forest blocks (11,650 ha) managed by the Forestry Division without formal gazetting. Acknowledges privately managed conservation areas including Asa Wright Nature Centre (Trinidad) and five Tobago private reserves. Critically, the policy notes that enabling legislation for a comprehensive protected areas system (first proposed in 1980) was never enacted, meaning several designated areas carry legal protection without the full management infrastructure needed to enforce it.
COWA in Practice: Species Categories, Seasons, and Enforcement
COWA classifies every wild animal in Trinidad and Tobago into one of four tiers. The tier a species falls into determines whether, when, and how it may legally be hunted, captured, or kept. If a species is not in the Second or Third Schedule, it is protected by default.
Protected Species
COWA s.2: default category
Any animal not listed in the Second or Third Schedule is a protected animalunder s.2. This default-protect approach covers the vast majority of Trinidad and Tobago's native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Protected animals cannot be hunted, trapped, possessed, or exported without a Special Game Licence (s.10) issued by the Chief Game Warden. If you are unsure whether a species is listed elsewhere, treat it as protected.
Game Species
Second Schedule, Parts I and II (s.6)
Animals and birds that may be hunted during the open season with an appropriate State Game Licence on State Lands and Forest Reserves.
Part I: Animals (currently huntable in season)
- Alligator or Cayman
- Lizards (iguana restrictions apply; see Seasons below)
- Agouti
- Armadillo (Tattoo)
- Deer (Trinidad only)
- Lappe
- Quenk (Peccary or Wild Hog)
Part II: Game Birds
The waterfowl season has been revoked. As of the 2022-2023 hunting season, hunting of all animals listed under Part II of the Second Schedule is strictly prohibited. The Ministry removes Part II birds from the schedule via annual Prohibition Regulations. Check the Ministry of Agriculture hunting season announcement before each season opens.
Game species lists are subject to annual revision by ministerial regulation. Always check the official Ministry of Agriculture hunting season announcement for the current position.
Cage Birds
Second Schedule, Part III (Regulation 4 and 4A)
Part III creates two distinct sub-categories with different rules:
May be captured or kept captive (State Game Licence)
- Cravat / Trinidad Euphonia (Euphonia trinitatis)
- Parakeet / Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus)
- Semp / Violaceous Euphonia (Euphonia violacea)
Cannot be newly captured; may be kept with Chief Game Warden permit (Regulation 4A)
- Nun Chat / Lesson's Seedeater (Sporophila bouvronides)
- King Chat / Lined Seedeater (Sporophila lineola)
- Chicki-Chong / Chestnut-bellied Seed-finch (Oryzoborus angolensis)
- Picoplat / Grey Seedeater (Sporophila intermedia)
- Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis)
Four domesticated species are exempt from capture restrictions (LN 22/2017): Budgerigar, Canary, Cockatiel, and Lovebirds. Cage dimensions are regulated: minimum 1 sq ft floor space, 1 ft height, and 1 cu ft volume per bird, with an additional 25% floor space for each extra bird. Bird-lime and similar capture methods are prohibited (Regulation 4(3)).
Vermin / Pest Species
Third Schedule, s.11; amended by LN 137/2016 and LN 280/2019
Species in the Third Schedule may be killed at any time without a licence, except on State Lands or inside a Game Sanctuary. The current list (14 species):
Hunting Seasons
Fifth Schedule; LN 116/2002; Regulation 2(d)
Close season (statutory): 1 April to 30 September throughout Trinidad and Tobago. No hunting of any species (COWA s.7, Fifth Schedule).
October: Part II game bird hunting is prohibited (LN 116/2002, Regulation 2(1)(a)). Part I animals may be hunted in October.
Open season: State Game Licences expire on the last day of February (Regulation 2(d)). Part I animals: October to February. Part II birds: November to February (when the season is open; the waterfowl season has been revoked since at least 2022-2023).
March: Hunting of all Second Schedule animals (Parts I, II, and III) is prohibited (LN 116/2002, Regulation 2(1)(b)). Hunters may only dispose of game already legally in their possession by 31 March.
Iguana (Part I lizard): Season ends 31 December. Prohibited January, February, and March. Prohibited year-round within Port of Spain municipal boundaries on State Lands and Forest Reserves (LN 280/2019 regs. 6(1C) and 7(1A); LN 281/2019). Fine for violation: TT$10,000.
Game Sanctuaries: All species are protected year-round regardless of the open season.
Violations and Penalties
Fines uplifted effective 1 January 2019 under the Finance Act 2018. Pre-2019 fines ranged from TT$100 to TT$2,000.
| Offence | Section | Current Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Hunting in a Game Sanctuary | s.4(1) | TT$10,000 |
| Hunting a protected animal without a Special Game Licence | s.5(2) | TT$10,000 |
| Failing to produce State Game Licence on demand | s.6(3) | TT$1,500 |
| Hunting on State Lands without a State Game Licence | s.6(4) | TT$4,000 |
| Hunting while disqualified | s.6(5) | TT$10,000 |
| Hunting during the close season | s.7(4) | TT$10,000 |
| Assaulting or obstructing a Game Warden | s.17(1)(a) | TT$10,000 |
| Exporting animals without permission | s.18(2) | TT$10,000 |
| Iguana hunting in prohibited months | Reg. 6(1C) | TT$10,000 |
| Failure to submit mandatory data return form | Reg. 2(3) | TT$2,500 per form |
All principal Act offences are triable summarily. Courts may additionally order forfeiture of any animals, guns, dogs, vehicles, and equipment used in the commission of the offence (s.12(2)).
A second conviction for s.6 offences results in permanent disqualification from holding a State Game Licence.
Note on the TT$100,000 figure: This penalty applies to violations under the Environmental Management Act s.70(2) (activities harming an ESA or Environmentally Sensitive Species), not under COWA. Where a species or habitat is protected under both COWA and the EMA Act, enforcement under both instruments can apply simultaneously, compounding liability. For COWA offences alone, the ceiling is TT$10,000 per the Finance Act 2018 uplift.
Environmental Management Act: Purpose and Structure
Act No. 3 of 2000, replacing and re-enacting the Environmental Management Act 1995. Commenced 8 March 2000.
The EMA Act creates the Environmental Management Authority (EMA)as Trinidad and Tobago's national environmental regulator, operating independently of any ministry. Unlike the Forests Act and COWA, which are administered by the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, the EMA has its own statutory mandate and governing board. Its powers include setting environmental standards, investigating violations, issuing administrative orders, and pursuing civil and criminal enforcement through the Environmental Commission.
ESA Framework (s.41)
The EMA may designate any defined portion of the environment as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) by Legal Notice published in the Gazette. A designation must describe the area, explain why it qualifies, and set out specific limitations on permitted activities within it. The procedural rules are set out in the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Rules (LN 64/2001). Three ESAs are currently designated in Trinidad and Tobago:
- Matura National Park (LN 323/2004, approximately 9,000 ha) - leatherback nesting coast and rainforest habitat for the Trinidad Piping-Guan (Pawi)
- Nariva Swamp Managed Resource Protected Area (LN 231/2006, approximately 11,340 ha) - freshwater wetland and Ramsar Site; habitat for the West Indian Manatee
- Aripo Savannas (LN 152/2007, approximately 1,788 ha) - rare edaphic savanna ecosystem with two plant species found nowhere else on Earth
ESS Framework (s.41)
Companion to the ESA framework, s.41 also allows the EMA to designate any species of plant or animal as an Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS) by Gazette Notice, under the Environmentally Sensitive Species Rules (LN 63/2001). Nine species currently hold ESS status, including:
- Scarlet Ibis (national bird of Trinidad and Tobago)
- Leatherback Turtle
- West Indian Manatee
- Ocelot
- Pawi / Trinidad Piping-Guan
ESS designation protects the species wherever it is found, not only within designated areas.
Penalties
s.70(1): Knowing or reckless release of pollutants or hazardous substances endangering human life or health - TT$100,000 and 2 years imprisonment (on conviction on indictment).
s.70(2): Knowing or reckless activity within an ESA, or with respect to an ESS, that may adversely impact the environment - TT$100,000 and 2 years imprisonment (on conviction on indictment). This is the flagship enforcement provision for ESA and ESS violations.
s.71: Directors, managers, and supervisors of a corporate body may be personally liable for offences committed by that body.
s.66: The EMA or the Environmental Commission may also impose administrative civil assessments, with a floor of TT$100,000 for significant violations, separate from any criminal proceedings.
Layered Protection
ESA designations can overlay Forests Act and COWA designations, creating multi-instrument enforcement zones for the most critical landscapes. Nariva Swamp, for example, carries three overlapping legal designations: a Prohibited Area under the Forests Act (GN 78/1993), a Game Sanctuary under COWA (Bush Bush Wild Life Sanctuary, First Schedule item 12), and an ESA under the EMA Act (LN 231/2006). A single unlawful act in such an area may attract enforcement under all three instruments simultaneously.
Protected Areas Reference Table
Named areas with their governing instruments and primary citations. GN = Government Notice; LN = Legal Notice.
| Area | Island | Governing Instruments | Primary Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Main Ridge Forest Reserve | Tobago |
| Gazetted 13 April 1776; National Forest Policy 2011, §1.2.3.1; North-East Tobago Biosphere Reserve (2020); Main Ridge IBA / KBA |
Little Tobago Game Sanctuary | Tobago |
| COWA First Schedule Item 6; GN 62/1999; within North-East Tobago Biosphere Reserve (2020); Little Tobago IBA |
St. Giles Islands | Tobago |
| Forests (Prohibited Areas) Order, paragraph (7), GN 66/1968; also listed in Schedule to paragraph (14), GN 62/1999; within North-East Tobago Biosphere Reserve (2020); St. Giles Islands IBA (~1,000 ha). Commonly described as a Game Sanctuary; not listed in COWA First Schedule. |
Kronstadt Island Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 10; GN 62/1999 |
Morne L'Enfer Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 11; GN 62/1999 |
Northern Range Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 1; GN 155/1989; BirdLife IBA TT001 (~36,570 ha) |
Valencia Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 2; GN 62/1999 |
Central Range Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 3; GN 62/1999 |
Trinity Hills Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 4; GN 155/1989 |
Southern Watershed Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 5; GN 62/1999 |
Saut d'Eau Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 7 (offshore island near North Coast of Trinidad); Forests (Prohibited Areas) Order paragraph (14), GN 62/1999 |
Soldado Rock Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 8; GN 62/1999 |
Caroni Swamp Game Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 9; GNs 156/1954–141/1987; Ramsar No. 1497 (2005); Caroni Swamp IBA |
Bush Bush Wild Life Sanctuary | Trinidad |
| COWA First Schedule Item 12; GN 155/1989 |
All Forest Reserves (Trinidad) | Trinidad |
| Forests Act; amended Act 23/1999; National Forest Policy 2011, §1.2.3.1 |
Long Stretch Forest Reserve | Trinidad |
| GN 113/1987; Aripo Savannas ESA designated June 2007 |
Mount Hope Estate | Trinidad |
| Forests (Prohibited Areas) Order |
Nariva Swamp | Trinidad |
| GN 78/1993 (Forests Act prohibited area); LN 334/2006 (ESA); Ramsar No. 577 (1992); Nariva Swamp IBA |
Seasonal Beach Prohibited Areas | Trinidad |
| GN 28/1990 (Matura & Fishing Pond); GN 71/1997 (Grande Riviere); 1 Mar – 31 Aug annually |
About this page: The information on this page is drawn from the primary legal instruments listed above and the National Forest Policy 2011. Each area profile on this site includes a collapsible “Primary Sources & Legal Citations” section with the specific Act section and Government Notice number governing that area.
This is not legal advice. For authoritative designation records contact the Forestry Division (Forests Act and COWA matters) or the Environmental Management Authority (ESA matters).