22/06/2026
๐ฟ Today is World Rainforest Day โ June 22nd.
Established in 2017 by the Rainforest Partnership, this global movement was created to raise awareness about the critical importance of rainforests and inspire action at every level โ individual, community, and government โ to protect and preserve them for future generations.
Rainforests are the lifeblood of our planet โ regulating climate, storing carbon, purifying water, harbouring over half of the world's biodiversity, and providing the foundations for food systems and medicines that sustain human life.
Yet every year, millions of hectares are lost to deforestation. The urgency to protect what remains has never been greater.
Here in Trinidad's Northern Range, the Asa Wright Nature Centre proudly stewards approximately 1,300 hectares of tropical rainforest in the Arima and Aripo Valleys. As a Land Trust, AWNC has committed to retaining its entire landholding under forest cover in perpetuity โ a commitment that serves a several purposes:
๐ Watershed & Ecosystem Protection โ Permanent forest cover across AWNC's lands provides critical watershed services for downstream communities throughout the Arima Valley and Trinidad's East-West Corridor โ among the most densely populated areas of the country. Healthy forests mean clean, reliable water for thousands of people.
๐ฆ Biodiversity Conservation โ AWNC's forests represent irreplaceable tropical biodiversity habitat, sheltering hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and plants โ many endemic to Trinidad and Tobago โ within a protected landscape that will endure for generations to come.
๐ฌ Research & Education โ AWNC's lands serve as a living scientific laboratory, hosting researchers and citizen scientists from around the world who study the ecology, wildlife, and natural systems of Trinidad's Northern Range โ generating knowledge that contributes to regional and global conservation science.
๐ Ecotourism & Global Recognition โ A world-renowned birdwatching destination, AWNC attracts nature enthusiasts and ornithologists from across the globe, drawn by the extraordinary diversity of avian life found within our forests. Our eco-lodge, now operated by HADCO EXPERIENCES, welcomes visitors into the heart of this living landscape โ and their Green Key certification reflects their same commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainable practice that lies at the core of AWNC's mission. Together, we demonstrate that conservation and world-class ecotourism can go hand in hand.
Together, these pillars reflect AWNC's enduring mission: to protect, celebrate, and share one of Trinidad and Tobago's most precious natural treasures โ not just for today, but for every generation to come.
