Senior Investigative Reporter
shaliza.hassanali@guardian.co.tt
The State’s largest remaining nature reserve—the Aripo Savannas–is rapidly being destroyed by a fresh invasion of squatters in the Valencia district, with authorities yet to take action.
Behind the curtain of towering trees that line the southern side of the Valencia Stretch, a new squatting settlement is quietly expanding within this 1,788-hectare Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA).
The growing settlement is adding to the strain on an already overcrowded squatting community in the Northeastern region.
Some of the squatters have been flouting the law by purchasing parcels of state land from unknown buyers whom they called “land bosses”. Others have been stealing water from an illegal connection.
Those desperate for a place to live have been cutting trees and clearing parcels of land for new housing, a direct threat to our fragile ecosystem.
In 2007, the reserve was designated an ESA to protect 450 species of plants and animal life. It’s also an important area for scientific study and education.
Under the Forest Act Chapter 66:01, people are prohibited from squatting and cutting trees. A person who cuts a tree is liable to a fine of $20,000.
However, despite the legal protection, the area is fast becoming a haven for illegal activities, with more squatters encroaching on the land.
The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is legally mandated to oversee the development of the management plans for the country’s ESAs, while the Forestry Division has administrative responsibility for the area.
Squatting on state land is classified as a criminal offence.
There is no fixed prison term or fine set specifically for squatting in our Criminal Offences Act, so it’s left up to the magistrate’s discretion to order jail time or impose a fine.
About half a mile inside the reserve, galvanise and wooden shacks dot the landscape, diminishing the beauty of the forest canopy and leaving a trail of degradation.
The squatters use a dirt track to enter and exit the site, which has no amenities.
Although none of the homes have electricity connections, expensive solar panels and solar lights illuminate the area.
On Monday, the Sunday Guardian visited the squatting site, where several illegal occupiers–aware they are breaking the law–requested anonymity when speaking. They claimed they moved into the reserve because of hardships, lack of housing, domestic issues, and the safety the environment offers.
Puffing on a cigarette in front of his wooden home, a 61-year-old squatter admitted that he took up illegal occupancy on the land five years ago after a domestic dispute. He said other people moved into the reserve because of its safe environment.
Living his best life, the squatter said what he loves most about the area is its safety.
“In the back here, it doh have crime. It have little bacchanal … that is all.”
Upon retiring last year, the squatter invested heavily in his home, which is equipped with water tanks, solar lights, and a water pump. The cost to construct his home and outfit it with appliances was estimated at $300,000.
Asked if he had pipe-borne water, Williams confessed, “Honestly, we have running water. There’s a line that is attached from across the cemetery (Turure) and it service everybody in the back here. Just one line distribute to everybody.”
Further into the reserve, a half-inch PVC pipeline was visible along the dirt track, which the squatters have been tapping into for water. Not everyone gets a supply when water is in the line. Some rely on rainwater stored in plastic drums.
He disclosed that two squatters were served notices some months ago. Admitting they were taking a chance by living there, the squatter said his biggest wish was for Government to regularise them.
If they are served notices, he said, it would shatter him.
“I would feel like I could disappear.”
A stone’s throw away, another squatter admitted she came into the community last year after her boyfriend purchased a small parcel of land, where they built their one-bedroom shack. She could not provide details regarding the cost of the land or who they bought it from.
“Everybody you seeing here … they bought land,” she said, pointing to a line of unsightly makeshift shacks.
A lot of land fetches $10,000 to $25,000
A source told the Sunday Guardian that, depending on its location, a lot of land can fetch between $10,000 and $25,000.
“The sellers are linked to the illegal quarrying in Valencia,” he said, noting that they clear the land using heavy machinery.
“It’s a money-making venture, and people who are vulnerable or desperate for a place to live fall victim, causing the squatting population to increase.”
Almost at the end of the dirt track, four children–ages four to nine–look out their front door, laughing and chattering among themselves.
Their father, who could not pay a monthly rent of $1,200 in Sangre Grande, heard about the reserve and moved in last year. He spent $800 to clear a small piece of land.
He said, “It was an act of desperation,” after their lives started to fall into shambles. The vehicle he used to hustle no longer works.
For three days, the squatter said, his children lived in his car while their 12-by-12-foot wooden home was being built.
“After COVID, I lost everything. It’s really hard. If we had, we would not have been here. We’re just trying to live,” he said.
To earn an income, he grows crops and rears animals on the land.
Recently, he said, the Forestry Division warned him about cutting down trees. Heaps of freshly cut trees lay on the ground as he poured his heart out.
In the middle of the land, an incomplete concrete structure stood out.
Wooden houses under construction were scattered throughout the reserve, some hidden among thick vegetation.
“We call here home, and here is home already,” the father of four said.
Another squatter interjected, saying people in the settlement were not responsible for the ongoing deforestation.
“Is not people in the back here chopping the land (trees), is people from out the road.”
He said those responsible were ‘land bosses’ who come from Arouca and Valencia.
The squatter said he heard a lawyer was clearing 16 acres further in the forest.
“I went and watch it,” he said, refusing to elaborate further on what he saw.
On Wednesday, Commissioner of State Lands (COSL) Paula Drakes told the Sunday Guardian that the Aripo Savannas fall under the Forestry Division and EMA and advised directing questions to those agencies.
Conservator of Forests Ameer Roopnarinesingh did not respond to a list of questions emailed to him on Tuesday.
The Sunday Guardian also sent WhatsApp messages to Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath and Agriculture Minister Ravi Ratiram, but they did not respond.
EMA investigates growing encroachment
In an email, the EMA confirmed that it had received reports of encroachment in the area last October. These reports, the EMA said, span several years, with the most recent made eight months ago. The authority is currently investigating how many acres have been destroyed by squatters based on reports received. They are also working to determine how many acres are under illegal occupancy.
When asked what the EMA has been doing to protect these scientific lands, the authority explained that in 2019 a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) was appointed to provide oversight and technical support for managing the reserve.
The committee established two working groups in 2025 to bring together enforcement agencies and land management authorities to address illegal land use, encroachment, and enforcement challenges.
“Preserving these protected areas is vital to sustaining T&T’s biodiversity, as well as mitigating climate change by conserving carbon-sequestering vegetation. Therefore, we must put a stop to encroachment, as it is slowly depleting the diversity of our precious ecosystem,” the EMA stated.
Regarding the cause of the proliferation of squatters, the EMA said that “more stringent enforcement of existing legislation may be required throughout the country”. The public, the authority added, also needs to become aware of the fines and penalties associated with squatting and cutting trees.
When questioned about how squatting can be solved to save this area from further degradation, the EMA stated, “The removal of the existing squatting settlements and having dedicated resources to ensure that there are adequate surveillance systems to prevent recurrence is critical” to addressing the ongoing issue.
Widespread squatting exposes powerless state agencies
* In January, the Public Accounts Committee heard from the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) that over 60,000 households are squatting in Trinidad and Tobago. LSA CEO Hazar Hosein stated the agency has no powers to remove squatters after a court judgment was handed down.
* Annually, between 400 and 500 new squatters emerge.
* A recent survey in Valencia and the Valencia Stretch found 5,000 squatter structures on 4,000 acres.
* There are more than 250 squatting sites nationwide.
* Commissioner of State Lands Paula Drakes reported that squatter developments have encroached on 50 to 60 per cent of forest reserves in north and central Trinidad.
* The committee was told that severe staff shortages and outdated legislation hinder state agencies’ ability to combat illegal squatting.