STAKEHOLDERS’ PERCEPTION AND WILLINGNESS TO COLLABORATE FOR EFFECTIVE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN TRINIDAD

Abstract

Proper watershed management is important for several reasons; the latest, and maybe most important, being to help mitigate climate change impacts. For countries with small landmasses and burgeoning populations, watersheds are increasingly at risk of being negatively impacted. The environment and water supply are particularly vulnerable if no actions are taken to manage them properly. This study sought to understand the perceptions of the various stakeholders who interact with the largest and most important watershed in Trinidad; their perceptions of the problems, the causes of the problems and possible solutions. It also investigated their willingness to collaborate on action plans to manage the watershed. A purposive sample of 266 respondents from four stakeholder groups was selected and interviewed using a structured questionnaire; comprising in the main of three perception scales and a modified Wilder Collaboration Factor Inventory. The latter is used to assess stakeholders willingness to collaborate. ANOVA results showed that there were similarities in perceptions to 5 of the 10 identified problems, 7 of the 18 possible causes and 6 of the 10 solutions presented. Such results suggested that there were opportunities for positive intervention and 21.3% of the stakeholders expressed a high level of willingness and a further 69.5% a moderate level of willingness to collaborate on community activities geared toward addressing water management issues. Recommendations included; increased community education on watershed importance, more constructive dialogue among stakeholders to achieve better agreements on the watershed issues and increased engagement with institutional stakeholders who are key to fashioning developmental plans for the watershed.