Environment TOBAGO December 2011

Environment TO BAGO new slett er

E

n vi r on m e n t TOBAGO (ET) is a nongovernment, non-profit, volunteer organisation , not subsidized by any one group, corporation or government body.

Founded in 1995, ET is a proactive advocacy group that campaigns against negative environmental activities throughout Tobago. We achieve this through a variety of community and environmental outreach programmes.

Environment TOBAGO is funded mainly through grants and membership fees. These funds go back into implementing our projects. We are grateful to all our sponsors over the years and thank them for their continued support

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hat’s inside

ET’s achievements

1

Ecology Notes

6

Articles

6

Book Review

15

What’s Happening @ ET

18

Notes to contributors

20

Volume 6 Issue 4

December 2011

Environment TOBAGO launches “Keep a Clean, Green School Program 2011-2012” Environment Tobago in collaboration with The Tobago House of Assembly, Division of Tourism and Transportation and BHP Billiton launched our annual competitive program under the theme “Keep a Clean, Green School Program 2012” a solid waste recycling program on Thursday November 3, 2011 at the Milford Road Esplanade from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Environment Tobago was pleased to have the Division of Tourism & Transportation on board as we seek to promote ongoing environmental education throughout schools in Tobago. The program seeks to create and spur innovative concepts of sustainable practices from children enrolled in Tobago’s Primary and Secondary schools to foster a positive attitude towards alternative methods of waste disposal and to further encourage chilOpening ceremony dren to embrace the global greening concept of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and most recently Rethinking waste.

This year the competition has once again been sponsored by BHP Billiton. The Board of directors of Environment TOBAGO & The officials from BHP Billiton (T&T) anticipate that the competition will enable students to identify gaps and opportunities for change throughout the entire value chain from generating solid waste to its disposal particularly in their schools. Students will be required to identify, design, plan and implement solid waste reduction and management programs within their school under the supervision of a designated teacher.

In addition, each school will receive a fruit tree to be planted and a number of special recycling bins to promote en***** vironmental awareness. The program will be administered by Environment Tobago. The competition is expected to end on June 30th 2012.

For further information on the Keep a Clean, Green School Program 2011, please contact Ms. Juliana Antoine Education Coordinator-Environment Tobago by telephone 660-7462 or e-mail juliana.antoine@environmenttobago.net or Ms. Candine G. Frank, Administrative Officer at Environment TOBAGO at 660-7462-6607467 (fax) or envirtob@tstt.net.tt for more information.

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

Women in Forestry in the Caribbean Symposium

December 2011 Editor: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Assistant Editor: Christopher K. Starr Design & Layout: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Technical Support: Jerome Ramsoondar Enid Nobbee Contributors: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Christopher K. Starr Bertrand Bhikkary Angela Ramsey Environment TOBAGO Photographs: Environment TOBAGO Wikipedia.org

Board of Directors 2010-2012 President:: Patricia Turpin Vice-President: Bertrand Bhikkary Secretary: Wendy Austin Treasurer: Geoffrey Lewis Other Directors: William Trim Rupert McKenna Darren Henry

The Forestry Division of Trinidad and Tobago invited Environment TOBAGO president Patricia Turpin to participate in the regional symposium “Women in Forestry in the Caribbean”. The goal of this symposium was to ensure that women can play an equitable and effective role in forest management in the Caribbean. It was funded by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This symposium in one of the events planned by Forestry Division to commemorate, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared International Year of Forests 2011. The symposium was held at the Turtle Beach Hotel, Tobago from the 23rd to 25th October. Kathleen Belcon, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (Ag.) facilitated the workshop.

The objectives of this symposium include: • Provide an avenue for sharing of experiences among women foresters in the Caribbean, analysing issues faced, and working together to develop and communicate strategies for addressing these, including continued communication, collaboration and mentoring.

• Analyze gender issues of national, regional and global importance.

• Identify strategies to address issues, including both strategies for women foresters to implement as well as ways that they can be better enabled and supported.

• Identify strategies to address issues, including both strategies for women foresters to implement as well as ways that they can be better enabled and supported.

• Develop relationships with other related female support groups in the Caribbean to learn from their experiences with gender issues and to stimulate ongoing dialogue and support.

Develop a network of female foresters in the Caribbean to provide ongoing support, communication, mentoring and collaboration.

Volume 6 Issue 4

The GEF- Global Environmental Facility- Investing in our Planet Environment TOBAGO The GEF – 41st Council meeting of the Global Environmental Facility – of which the IMF and World Bank are partners- meet in Washington to discuss the future of funding for environmental conservation and climate mitigation in countries throughout the world, between November 5th to 10th, 2011.

The GEF will also meet with Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) – The GEF wants to strengthen its ties with organisations on the ground – responsible for crucial deliverables of GEF funded projects, in Biodiversity Conservation, climate adaptation, land degradation etc. This year, 2 NGO’s- members of the GEF Civil Society organisation will be attending from T&T. The Caribbean Forest Conservation Association (Trinidad) represented by Ermath Harrington and Environment TOBAGO/ Caribbean Conservation Association (Tobago and Barbados) represented by Patricia Turpin.

These CSO’s will also be present at the GEF Council meeting. The purpose is the Greater participation in the decision making on the application of environmental funding throughout the region.

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP 2011 - Trash report Juliana Antoine Environment TOBAGO Environment TOBAGO is a national, environmental NGO established in 1996 aimed at protecting, restoring & conserving Tobago’s fragile environment. Over the past 25 years, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup has become the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health. Nearly nine million volunteers from 152 countries and locations have cleaned 145 million pounds of trash from the shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean on just one day each year.

They have recorded every item found, giving us a clearer picture of the manufactured items impacting the health of humans, wildlife, and economies. As the 2010 report alluded to, the body of data from the International Coastal Cleanup has inspired action to rid the ocean, coastlines & waterVolunteers hard at work ways of harmful trash.

On the local front here in Trinidad & Tobago, specifically to Tobago, we have seen disturbing trends with respect to the amount of trash and the type of trash that is collected at the island’s coastlines & waterways.

There are 6 beaches that are targeted for clean up every year in Tobago.

These are: Bacolet- Minister’s Bay Plymouth Belle Garden Roxborough Lambeau Speyside

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“ To many people t hes e t all pe aks mak e for a challe ngi ng but sce nic hike. B ut t hey are not j ust anot her t all mount ai n to clim b. �

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

Starting with Bacolet, we have noted an 80% increase in shoreline & recreational activities in 2010 as compared to 2009. Most of the trash collected there comprised of plastic bottles and bags, glass bottles and food packaging materials e.g. KFC boxes. Additionally, we also noted a 44% increase in Medical/Hygiene waste. This is of significant concern, as this can be a potential health hazard. What is noteworthy, though, is that there was a 53% decrease in illegal dumping activities. We hope that beach users will continue to use the bins that are in place to keep Bacolet beach clean for all.

Belle Garden, in general, had some decreases in some categories of trash collected. Decreases were noted in the areas of shoreline/recreational activities, medical / Personal hygiene as well as Ocean/Waterway activities. However, there was an 87% increase in the trash collected with respect to Smoking- related activities and a 50% increase in debris of local concern. We are appealing to all to please properly dispose of your waste.

With reference to Lambeau beach, this is the area that noted decreases in all the categories of trash that was collected. Most notable, is a 69% DECREASE in shoreline/Recreational Activities. In actual numbers we collected 4051 pieces of trash in 2010 as compared to 5883 pieces in 2009.

Plymouth beach also recorded some notable decreases in the categories of trash that was collected in 2010. Most significant was a 40% decrease in Ocean/ Waterway activities. The garbage collected relating to shoreline/recreational activities basically remained the same over the two comparable periods.

Roxborough beach is one of concern as we would have noted a 93% increase in the garbage collected for Ocean/Waterway activities. Even though the actual amount in numbers, 67 pieces in 2010 as compared to 62 pieces in 2009, may not seem as much, we need to ensure that these items don’t reach the open ocean. What was impressive though, was the fact there was 41% decrease in Shoreline /Recreational Activities. In numbers, 5666 pieces of trash in 2009 as compared to 2308 pieces of trash in 2010.

Finally, with respect to Speyside beach, there were declines across the board in the categories of trash that were collected. The shorelines were not as polluted as other beaches. However, there was a 50% increase in debris items of local concern.

We all need to have a collaborative effort to keep our beaches and waterways clean so that we can all enjoy them.

The collection statistics shows that there was a small decrease in participants in 2010 as compared to 2009, however more bags of trash were filled but less waste was actually collected, 2384.2kg in 2010 as compared to 2971.4kg in 2009.

Once again, we notice that the majority of all the waste collected at the sites came from Shoreline/Recreational activities, a whopping 89%. This was in 2006. In 2007, there was a 3% decrease, but the amount of 86% is still high. There was also an increase in waste collected from Ocean/Waterway activities.

Waste from dumping, medical/Personal hygiene and items of local concern are somewhat small but still notable in 2007. In 2008, we see that there was an increase in the waste collected that related to shoreline/recreational activities, 89% of trash collected, and slight Some of the garbage collected

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

decreases in the other categories. For 2009, once again, we Food Wrappers see that there was a slight increase in the waste collected Beverage Bottles( Plastic) 7848 4800 from shoreline activities and Bags (Paper/Plastic) 4064 2248 others areas remained nearly Beverage Bottles (Glass) 1538 1803 the same as in previous years.

Finally in 2010, we see just Caps/Lids 1925 2271 about the same statistics, 91% Cups/Plates/Utensils 1516 1330 of waste collected from our shoreline are directly related Clothing/Shoes 464 437 to recreational activities. We Beverage Cans 429 678 can see somewhat of a constant over the last few years Straws/Stirrers 191 211 that the majority of the wastes Table comparing the different trash categories for clean-ups collected ARE as a result of that took place for 2009 and 2010 our recreational activities on the beachfront and waterways.

A breakdown of some of the items that were collected shows that Trash in our ocean pollutes our water, kills and injures wildlife, and also costs local communities in debris removal, lost tourism, and lower property values. While the ICC accomplishes amazing results, one day of cleaning up will only be a drop in the ocean unless we expand our reach, broaden our awareness and properly dispose of our waste. Let us all expand our commitment beyond the cleanup to keeping our oceans, waterways and coastlines healthy all year round.

We have the opportunity to make significant strides not only in cleaning up the existing trash that is polluting our water, but – more importantly – in reducing the amount that enters the ocean in the first place. If we all join together and make the ICC’s mission an integral part of our daily lives, we could truly start a sea change, every day. It starts one day at a time.

Last year, the ICC held an essay competition in our primary schools.

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QUANTITY FOUND 2009 1501

QUANTITY FOUND 2010 1923

The 1st prize of $1000 units courtesy Unit Trust Corporation went to Shanice John of S/Boro R.C School. The school also received a trophy courtesy FCB Bank & book vouchers courtesy TSTT. 2nd prize of $500 units courtesy UTS & $500 hamper courtesy RBC went to Omari Orr of Belle Garden AC School. The school also received a trophy courtesy the Lambeau Credit Union & Book vouchers courtesy TSTT 3rd prize of $300 units courtesy UTC & a $300 hamper went to Javier King of Roxborough Anglican School.

The school also received a trophy courtesy Lambeau Credit Union.

We thank all the students and schools that participated in the competition and look forward to your participation again in 2012. Upcoming in 2012, we will be having a cleanup competition for NGO’s or clubs which will entail creating a sustainable recreational area in the community. Creating an environmental awareness within various communities which will target community based group’s e.g the Police Youth clubs & Village councils.

In conclusion, please, I implore you to clean up your trash. Throw all trash away in proper receptacles, even when you don’t see one around, hold on to it until

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you do! Consider organic alternatives to household detergents and cleaners. Use lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda for household cleaning. Avoid using too much fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and harsh chemical cleaners that can wash into waterways. Choose reusable items and use fewer disposable ones. Use fewer disposable bags when shopping or bring your own reusable ones. Properly dispose of used batteries and electronics. Don’t dump them in sewers, wetlands or drains .These items leach harmful chemicals into the environment that take a long time to disperse or biodegrade.

Let us all work together to protect Tobago’s fragile environment by being a watchdog for our surroundings.

ECOLOGY NOTES What is an Ecocline?

Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies

“ To many people t hes e t all pe aks mak e for a challe ngi ng but sce nic hike. B ut t hey are not j ust anot her t all mount ai n to clim b. ”

An ecotone can be defined as the area of land between two different habitat types. It can be regarded as a boundary or transition zone between these two habitat types, however it retains characteristics of both habitat types, for example, forest to grassland, land to water in which case the transition zone is called the riparian zone. The size of the area that makes up the ecotone can vary in shape and size from a wide belt to a small patch.

Some of the characteristics of an ecotone include an abrupt change in vegetation.

This is most obvious in the ecotone between forest and grassland, such as between marsh forest and savanna in the Aripo Savannas in Eastern Trinidad. Not only does the vegetation type differ but the vegetation structure or physiognomy differs as well.

Another characteristic of an ecotone is the presence of many exotic or species that are non native to either habitat type. However species adapted to that zone are referred to as “ecotonal species” are also characteristic to ecotones. The species richness or number of species can either be higher or lower than either one of the habitat types. In terms of species composition, ecotones usually have a large number of individuals of one species.

Ecotones also provide many useful functions in that some organisms require a “transitional area” for example, to forage for food and to carry out activities such as courtship and nesting.

ARTICLES Planetary SOE by seaweed Bertrand Bhikkary Environment TOBAGO So… is the seaweed invasion a cause for concern, or not? Given the watered down explanation by our Institute of Marine Affairs in a recent publication, it's just business as usual. And that's lovely, exactly what we all want to hear - I guess. But

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

natural science is much more than the casual modification of search engine material; it ought to imply muddy feet and diatom-infested hair at times. Maybe the real reason our young scientists are underperforming here is the gridlocked traffic on the western peninsula? It seems they don't get out much after reaching Chagauramas.

In Tobago, as in other parts of the Caribbean, the seaweed invasion continues, and it brings to mind an observation by a noted scientist, that 'weird' will describe climate change where nothing else fits. Makes sense to me, given the numerous inexplicable happenings around us, all so casually discounted by my expert, office-bound friends.

It's not all about the seaweed, although the Sargasso Sea seems to have delivered more than its fair share of bounty on our land this year. That huge mat of brown stuff originally existed as a floating collection of plants, sustaining ocean fish life and its myriad dependencies in an area about the size of Texas. Those untethered strings are what prompted Christopher Columbus to name it; according to the Wikipedia article referenced by the IMA. What's interesting, and I guess since it's still in the realm of conjecture, the IMA couldn’t repeat it, is the prolonged fragmentation of the Sargasso Sea this year might Brown algae—Ascophyllum be due to changing ocean currents- that climate change nodosum thing again. If informed sources are correct, the water Photo taken from currents holding the great mass of seaweed and its fish life Wikipedia.org together are no longer performing that function effectively.

This could - they say, be due to the polar caps meltdown impacting on the overall water temperature with a resultant weird ocean current behavior. There are other theories. I've heard too that the active storms and the many cold fronts coming down in the Atlantic Basin are churning the Sargasso Sea into the bits and pieces that we see now.

Whatever the cause, whatever the reason for the seaweed drop-in, it certainly isn't business as usual. It could be good for students; there's a living (OK, mostly it's all dead) laboratory waiting for examination on almost every beach in Tobago. For example, enterprising school kids might want to peer at the unfortunate little turtles who instinctively stayed with their floating home even as it broke out of a perennial vortex from the safety of the Atlantic Ocean.

Which brings up an interesting question. Why does Turtle Beach not have seaweed when Grafton next door has more than its fair share? It couldn't be that it is inaccessible to the current, since the bluest and coldest water is to be found there. Even the consistent harvest of open water species taken daily by Alfie and the other beach seine crew cite the bay's link to the open ocean. But I digress. The purpose of this commentary is to show that other things are happening to us even as we go about our daily business, and that no one really is certain where it will all lead.

What's for sure is we can project the most likely scenario (it' not good) within a fair degree of accuracy. We've been polluting the world oceans since we crawled out of it so long ago; it's safe to say now the signs are coming in that it's had enough. Here in our little world we've imposed a localized state of emergency with all the brashness of a noisy child. When nature imposes her planetary SOE it will be quiet, without fanfare or PR, but it will most certainly be weird.

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Volume 6 Issue 4

Tobago – for adults only Bertrand Bhikarry Environment TOBAGO

“Better heads than mine obviously saw potential in the project beyond the goat racing. “

I was loafing one November evening in the Works Conference room when I heard the term 'mature tourist destination' applied to Tobago. The presenter, in what was the second in a series of THA sponsored lectures took the time to elaborate, but in essence he meant to say, any destination that must build additional products to hold visitor interest, has in fact lost its shine.

It was a simple phrase, enough so that one could forget it in the pursuits of a day job, but it stayed with me. Since words are cheaper to write than concrete is to pour, I think I'll take a look at what we've done along the lines of visitor accommodation. By this I mean entertaining tourists, not bedding them.

Naturally most amateur researchers would go for the rainforest and the reef packages without stopping to think, but I'll make an exception and start with the Buccoo Integrated Facility. In the beginning I'd have made spurious comment on it, but on afterthought the edifice may prove out. Better heads than mine obviously saw potential in the project beyond the goat racing. Even now as I write, I hear rumours of other activities happening there; most notably the Empowerment Foundation of Tobago's literary gambit - their proposed wordfest.

A Word Festival to be held in Buccoo is a good start in a great direction, and the benefits to be derived by the local population go far beyond the visiting public's contribution. I even hear talk of kiddies Carnival being held there in time. I'd go to see kiddy mas in the Buccoo racetrack. It's covered, so I see no point in me blocking potentially harmful ultraviolet rays in Scarborough. As it is young masqueraders can parade their costumes in a mini-savannah environment. And they'd have bathrooms even, sparing the streets and walls of the capital the annual urine bath. So the Facility gets the nod as a positive concept.

However, at times a good thing can be a bad thing. How so? I have a feeling the negatives associated with wastewater and other outputs from the Integrated Facility might just outweigh the positives. So I'm back to the environmental impact bugbear again - there's no escaping me. Admittedly many have expounded at length on the attractions of sustainable development, but the idea has not gained traction among our decision makers, at least not in a manner that we can easily see. Maybe the definition of the term ought to be immortalised onto signboards and planted among the myriad others which now proliferate our very 'mature' destination.

Actually 'sustainable development' was a hot topic even way back as 1992. At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders arrived at a number of agreements that would encourage, even enforce the practice.

In hindsight, it seems only works that address global warming are receiving attention from the international media. But the Summit of '92 produced other equally portentous accords, the Convention on Biological Diversity was one of the key agreements signed off on.

The CBD required participating governments (including the GoRTT) to develop local plans to ensure that indigenous and migrant lifeforms have space and food.

In areas where degradation had already impacted, measures must be taken to restore those. The complete list is published on the CBD's website (http://cbd.int/decisions/) but two items in there that this commentary would highlight is; the urgent need to educate a resident population about the sanctity of biodiversity, and the establishment of protected areas to ensure that following generations are not denied nature's heritage.

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If Tobago has fallen foul of the agreements taken by our government at the CBD, maybe it was due to the haste in preparing the destination for a tourism trade. Or maybe it was because the island, by virtue of potential enhanced by the promised development, has encouraged a higher resident (and mature) population.

Whatever the reason, the increasing incident stressors to the natural environment are the same and requires an adult outlook to mitigate or to forestall.

The thing is, will our destination manager (the THA) adhere to the tenets of the CBD and its ingrained accords? Or will there be more half thought out development schemes that our people must seek to justify only after presence becomes fact? Why my obvious turnabout? Could be because in this instance I see the welcoming and open fields of Mt. Pleasant reaping the harvests of a now constrained goat racing fraternity. Maybe an intrinsic something was overlooked at in the design of the Buccoo edifice? That jockeys might want huge payments to run at one location and ask much less at the other?

To avoid such grim considerations, the future and adult approach is to invite citizens to hold widespread discussions over a periods long enough to ensure the ramifications of a project are known to everyone. When that becomes a norm, it'll be the first indication that Tobago has matured as an island. Only then can we move on to the saving of the island space.

Of preferences, wants, and needs for Tobago Bertrand Bhikarry Environment TOBAGO ‘If only we knew then what we know now’. Just recently the head of IBM was moaning about bad business decisions he'd made. That if he had it to do again he’d not introduce a novel product before it was quite ready for the world. Tobago faces that exact problem albeit on a smaller scale. We want to sell ecotourism, but the concept may be beyond our ability to deliver. It could simply be we have a preference for selling the 'green' product, but that we do not have the will; we do not want to. Or more precisely it could be because we feel we do not need to.

The stated preference of the tourism division for exporting Tobago as 'Clean Green and Serene' is obviously not in line with what the general population wants. This even though that body of citizenry might say they need it (revenue).

And this leads to an enlightening spell of ‘what if’s’, of people merely hankering for something instead of really wanting it. This is the typical situation of choice and decision as opposed to human's facing desperate need, something which admittedly we’ve been spared so far.

To put it all in perspective we can look at the old Tobago. The one of the small grassy airport, of soft asphalt roads which melted in the Caribbean heat. We wanted to change it and we did. We got the international airport and the Claude Noel Highway. We did so because we preferred bigger planes and wider roads and “bling” autos. We did not want an agricultural base, nor a working sewage system so we chose to forgo the acquisition of those. If I remember, at about that time any bad salesman selling a used Toyota Super Saloon (or a tractor for that matter) got more traction than the poor soul selling the best waste disposal system in the world. Obviously we didn’t choose far beyond our preferences.

Today we’ve about had our fill of roads that kill us and planes that make us

“we can look at the old Tobago.

The one of the small grassy airport, of soft asphalt roads which melted in the Caribbean heat. “

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wait. And our food supply? Our sewage system? Well, we prefer not to talk about those don’t we? But we should lighten up as we demonstrate over and over that we can exist up to our necks in the proverbial ‘preference’. Indeed humans have arisen (they say) from the muck of the oceans. What is not said is that humans can exist without eating. We can’t, and to ensure we do continue to have nourishment, we must sometimes give up our preferences in order to satisfy those needs. It’s the same old story.

In cutting to the chase therefore; we seem to be indulging our fancies at the risk of our food supply and of our health. And while we can delude ourselves that we have luxury of rejecting the hard choices, the evidence is growing that Tobago is set upon a path of unsustainable development. The rampant destruction of the island for a short term gain (revenue) is something we are all guilty of, so the pointing of fingers is not enough. The big questions are; Are there areas which are not open to negotiation, areas which will cause us immeasurable grief if left unattended, but if fixed can deliver instead a world class product? Or through its managing its earning potential properly let it assure our needs?

There’s lots, the rainforest for one, but Buccoo Reef and the Bon Accord Lagoon comes easily to mind also. While not a subject that can be dispensed with in any short commentary, the reef and its mangroves should be placed high on our list of preferential fixes. It already has the track record of a major tourism money earner, and yet it can feed us real meals if managed well. Note at the same time, its loss can kill us almost as surely as empty plates will. If there was ever a time for setting aside preferences, and paying heed to (real) needs, Tobago is at that point with the Buccoo ecosystem. Note that IBM recovered from the markets lack of receptivity to their poorly delivered product that time, but can we recover in a Tobago that made wrong development choices?

ADVOCATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: IAN LAMBIE’S LIFE AND STRUGGLE—Part 2 Jo-Anne N. Sewlal & Christopher K. Starr Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies (The followed biographical essay is based in large part from Ian Lambie's and interview conducted by e-mail by in May-June 2011.)

At the time Ian joined the Trinidad Field Naturalists' Club (now the Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists' Club) in 1958, he had no special appreciation for the environment. In government at that time, the environment was placed under the Ministry of Health. It took some years for it to be generally appreciated that "environment" refers to the natural environment, and "conservation" is the wise use of renewable natural resources. Even today the government -- to which "natural resources" means oil and gas -- does not appreciate the need for proper management.

No one incident was the catalyst for awakening Ian's interest in environmental conservation. Rather, it developed gradually, beginning with an interest in wildlife conservation, at first in the destruction of forest mammals by hunting, then in birds, especially the decline in the populations of songbirds. Then came the threat to the scarlet ibis colony in the Caroni Swamp and Rousillac and the macaws in the Nariva Swamp.

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Then, beginning in 1963, came an interest in sea turtles, including the slaughter of the leatherbacks at Matura. Ian brought this to the attention of the Club, which visited the Matura Beach during the nesting season. The Club was later to discover nesting beaches at Las Cuevas, Paria Bay, Tacarib, Grand Riviere, Big Bay in Toco and in Tobago at Grafton Beach, Turtle Beach and Bloody Bay. In 1965, after preliminary enquiries amongst the residents of Matura Village, the Club began a study of the breeding biology and nesting behaviour of sea turtles, with Dr Peter Bacon as co‑ordinator. In May 1973, a report on "The Status of Sea Turtles in Trinidad and Tobago", based on the Club's observations over the previous eight years, was submitted to the Minister of Agriculture. It recommended amendments to the existing turtle protection legislation. As a result, Act No 23 of 1975, "The Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations", was proclaimed. The Club, then, was a pioneer in turtle conservation in T&T, a fact not known to many of today's conservationists.

Another achievement of Ian Lambie and the Naturalists' Club was their leading role in the 1973 protest against the transportation of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from the Point‑a‑Pierre refinery to the Shell bottling plant via the Blue River and No. 9 Drainage Canal in the Caroni Swamp by the Shell barge Pelican. This was the first ever organised protest by interested conservation groups under the banner of the Blue River Action Committee in favour of the protection of the environment. This protest was successful and resulted in the construction of a facility at Sea Lots for the receipt of LPG from the refinery.

The first annual Trinidad Christmas Bird Count was held in December 1969. The compiler was the well-known ornithologist Richard ffrench. When ffrench retired to England in 1985, Ian assumed responsibility for organising the bird count and became the compiler until he relocated to Tobago. In 1998 he handed over the functions of compiler to the young and enthusiastic Vishnu Debie.

During 20 years (1961 to 1980) as the secretary of the Field Naturalists' Club, Ian paid a great deal of attention to the junior members' development. As adults, many of them have pursued careers as biologists, science teachers, veterinarians, and in environmental engineering.

As the president/CEO of the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) from 1975 to 2001, Ian was concerned to afford staff members opportunities to improve their skills through training. Training opportunities were available not only to the household staff but also to gardeners and field workers. The natural history guides/interpreters had opportunities to improve their knowledge and to gain experience at nature centres abroad, their expenses met by the AWNC. Staffers also had opportunities to complete their O-levels and in one case to pursue studies at the UWI. This latter former employee has attained a master's degree in Tourism Management.

The organisations to which Ian devoted many years were both recipients of national awards. The Club received the Medal of Merit (Gold) in 1980, and the AWNC, in addition to its several international awards, received the Humming Bird Medal (Gold) in 1993. In 1995 Ian was the recipient of the Humming Bird Medal (Gold) in recognition of his work in environmental conservation.

In retirement, Ian continues to advocate for change in natural resource management, environmental and Ian Lambie representing the wildlife conservation. As an example, he has written TTFNC receiving the gold Medal of Merit in 1980

“No one incident was the catalyst for awakening Ian's interest in environmental conservation. “

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to the Minister of Agriculture to query why graduates in Agriculture are not afforded more incentive to pursue a career in this field. Along with Prof John Spence, he recommends that they be allocated adequate lands and soft loans for the purpose.

Tobagonians, being predominantly from an agriculture background, are very aware of the value of land ownership, even if only for subsistence farming. Land Ownership is a traditional goal with most Tobagonians and with the country folk in Trinidad.

“Despite efforts initiated more than 40 years ago, there is no enforced management plan for Buccoo and other reefs in Tobago. “

During his decades in environmental advocacy, Ian has had a number of disappointments.

Naturalists and conservationists in T&T have not been able to convince the various governments and decision makers of the importance of properly managing our natural resources, so that their degradation continues.

The country is without a physical development plan or a land use plan. Good arable land continues to be covered with concrete and is lost forever to the growing of food crops.

Forests continue to be removed, leaving the topsoil unprotected and threatening our underground aquafers. The removal of the soil cover results in the rapid run‑off, sedimentation of our streams, and in poor water quality and flooding during the rainy season.

The hunting closed season is not vigorously enforced. Wild meat is available for purchase and is served at some country restaurants and village harvest festivals (some of them are government-sponsored), even during the closed season.

Despite efforts initiated more than 40 years ago, there is no enforced management plan for Buccoo and other reefs in Tobago. There is no zoning of activities, and the coral continues to be destroyed by boatmen and their reef‑walking guests.

There is no adequate, enforced legislation for the conservation of fisheries and other marine resources. Trawling for shrimp with small-mesh nets continues to deplete our fish population and destroy the sea bed. It is estimated there are 14 pounds of by‑catch for every pound of shrimp caught.

There is no meaningful intervention and often no response from the police or the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) relative to noise pollution emanating from bars and clubs in residential areas. The EMA Laws, although defective, must be enforced.

Ian regrets that EMA officials in Tobago seem to see him and others who press for effective enforcement -- rather than the noise makers -- as the problem.

Other threats to our natural environment include noise pollution, and air and water pollution. The dumping of used household appliances, furniture and mattresses into waterways blocks the free flow of water and contributes to flooding.

Published work Ian Lambie was a regular contributor to the now defunct Trinidad Naturalist magazine.

The Asa Wright Nature Centre has published two booklets by Ian on "The Story of the Asa Wright Nature Centre" (2002) and "The Oilbirds of Dunston Cave" (2007).

He has also published several articles in Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists' Club's Living World journal: "1960 to 1980 ‑ Twenty‑one years of Growth", 1991 "Birds recorded during the Christmas Bird Counts 1976‑1980" 1997‑1998 (with Vishnu Debie) "Birds recorded during the Christmas Bird Counts 1981‑1990", 1999‑2000 (with Vishnu Debie) "Birds recorded during the Christmas Bird Counts 1991‑1996", 2001 (with Vishnu Debie) "Peter Bacon (1938-2003) -- consummature naturalist", 2004 (with Christopher K. Starr) "Population of Oilbirds in Dunston Cave 1969‑2008", 2009 "Monthly census of Oilbirds in Dunston Cave January 2002‑December 2009", 2010

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

Page 13

Point Count and Sex Ratio of Tropidacris cristata Angela Ramsey Wildlife Biologist- Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, Tobago House of Assembly.

During the month of October the numerous individuals of the grasshopper species Tropidacris cristata attacked the vegetation on Tobago. This brief study was done to assess the numbers and sex ratios of the individuals on the island., and vegetation it attacked.

Method In Pine Hill, Parlatuvier, Tobago, using 10minute intervals and a total distance of 1.2 km (I50m per interval), these Giant grasshoppers that were visible, were counted on the left (by Darren Henry, Forester - DNRE), and on the right (by William Trim, Forester - DNRE). The time, data, including notes, and observations were recorded (by Angela Ramsey, Wildlife Biologist - DNRE). After the count was completed on the journey back to the start of the count grasshoppers were collected at random, a total of thirteen (13) were collected, placed in a bucket of soap water.

Tropidacris cristata (left) and the damage it causes (right)

Results After examination eleven (11) were identified as females (F) and two (2) as males (M) Sex Ratio – 11 : 2 Darren (L)

William (R)

91

46

31

52

56

52

35 27

21 59

16

62

17

121

65

175

Total 338

588

Table 1: Results of Point Count of Tropidacris cristata, October 19, 2011

NB During the count seven visible pairs of male and female were observed in the mating position, and there were also some visible juvenile T. cristata. The larger counted figures were recorded on Simarouba amara (Simaroubaceae) species (that can infer that Giant grasshoppers favour this tree species).

Total Tropidacris cristata counted - 926

Page 14

Environment TOBAGO newsletter Table 2: List of seventeen plants observed being eaten by Giant grasshopper (Tropidacris cristata), October 12 & 19, 2011. prepared by William A. Trim, Darren Henry and Sharon Clarke-Phillips.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7

Vernacular

Botanical name

Family

Pawpaw Coconut palm Cabbage palm Prestorea palm Cypre Olivier Cassava Milkwood Feed tree Immortelle

Asimina triloba Cocos nucifera Roystonea oleracea Prestorea acuminate Cordia alliodora Buchenavia capitata Manihot esculenta Sapium glandulosum Sapium sp.

Erythrina glauca

Annonaceae Arecaceae Arecaceae Arecaceae Boraginaceae Combretaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Fabaceae

Heliconia

Heliconia sp.

Heliconiaceae

Cedar

Credrela odorata

Meliaceae

Crappo

Carapa guianensis

Meliaceae

Ficus

Ficus sp.

Moraceae

Banana

Musa acuminate

Musaceae

Fine leaf

Eugenia sp.

Myrtaceae

Simarouba

Simarouba amara

Simaroubaceae

Comment ***

***

**

*Visibly the most eaten plant between Bloody Bay and Englishman Bay

*** Arecaceae and Euphorbiaceae are the most eaten plant families **Meliaceae is the third most affected plant family * Simarouba amara (Simaroubaceae) is however the most affected plant species

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

Page 15

SWEET ARE THE USES OF ADVERSITY Gilbert C. Klingel 1940. Inagua. New York: Dodd, Mead 385 pp.

[Twenty-sixth in a series on "naturalist-in" books.]

Christopher K. Starr Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies ckstarr@gmail.com

In 1930 two optimistic young men sailed from Chesapeake Bay to the Bahamas. Gilbert Klingel (1908-1983) had little sailing experience, while Wallace Coleman had none.

Their only landfall came in the form of shipwreck. Struggling exhausted onto land near dusk, they didn't know where they were or even if the island was inhabited.

And it was there that Klingel showed himself a true believer. "From high above, from far up in the firmament came a faint crying -- plaintive mournful notes like those the wild geese sing in the north wind. We looked up and froze in our tracks. From the interior of the island was coming a great flock of scarlet flamingos, wings ablaze in the setting sun. ... Nearer and nearer they came, drying the while, reached the land's edge, circled and returned to the dark interior. And at that same moment the sun dipped beneath the horizon, taking the light away and plunging the land and sea into darkness." Klingel indulges in occasional purple prose, but his descriptions of biota and places can be finely lyrical. Inagua was "a place indefinably sad, a peculiar, pathetic, wistful place where human endeavor seemed to come to naught but emptiness and desolation."

In the morning they walked -- on the way finding a new, endemic lizard, Sphaerodactylus inaguae -- until they met people and learned that they were on Great Inagua. As most rich kids would do, Coleman bolted for home at the first opportunity. Klingel stayed, and Inagua is his account of that initial period and a return visit. He had earlier told a class of students that "no well-planned expedition is subject to adventures", yet this was one long adventure.

The original plan had been to sail from island to island, making biological collections for the American Museum of Natural History. Now the boat was lost, and Klingel was confined to a single island. He took over a small, abandoned house of coral blocks and thatch, using one of the two rooms for sleeping and the other as a laboratory. Having salvaged what he could from the wreck, he set to work as a naturalist. He collected more than 1,700 reptile specimens (but no amphibians), which formed the main material for Noble & Klingel's (1932) monograph. Klingel, who went on to a distinguished career in biology, is best known for his 1951 book about Chesapeake Bay. Among his salvages was a large supply of canned food. However, the labels had all washed off, and without refrigeration he had to eat whatever he opened for the day. One day he dined on "salmon, syruped cherries and canned pumpkin". Klingel felt the solitude, but there was much to do, and the activity lifted his spirits. He made a mass of casual amateur observations alongside his main researches. A key study was into the habits of the minute S. inaguae, the subject of his first ever important discovery.

Besides attention to the land fauna, Klingel spent countless hours watching shore and intertidal animals. It helped that he had his personal bathtub, a little tidepool more than a meter deep. It also had various fishes and other animals, so that he could conduct leisurely observations while he soaked. And it served as a blind from which to watch shore animals.

Great Inagua, at 1,544 km2 the third-largest of the Bahamas, is at the southeast end

“The original plan had been to sail from island to island, making biological collections for the American Museum of Natural History. Now the boat was lost, and Klingel was confined to a single island. “

Page 16

“Another major theme was the interconnectedness of nature, a sense of the web of life before it was widely current. “

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

of the archipelago. It is mostly flat (maximum elevation 33 m), with sandy soil and a low, sparse vegetation. Almost a quarter of its surface is occupied by the very shallow, brackish Lake Windsor with its extensive mud flats. These are just the conditions for flamingo nesting, and one of Klingel's main objectives was to find the expected breeding colony of the caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) that he had seen on his first day. Approaching a flock of roughly 1,000 birds, he got within 50 meters, when they all took flight at once. It was a thrilling sight, and Klingel stood for minutes in mute astonishment.

This magnificent red-pink bird nests in coastal areas and salty lakes around the Wider Caribbean. A female lays just one egg in a season, and the young may take six years to reach maturity. Any species with such long generation time and low reproductive rate will have great difficulty recovering from a population downturn. The flamingo was once heavily hunted for its feathers and a century ago was close to extinction. Today it is strictly protected and doing well. During the March-July breeding season, Lake Windsor attracts some tens of thousands of individuals, and smaller numbers are present at other times.

The roseate spoonbill, Platalea ajaja, was then in much the same situation, and Klingel feared that it could soon be extinct, yet this is another conservation success story. The spoonbill now breeds over a substantial range and has an IUCN status of "least concern". On a visit to Lake Windsor you will see at least a couple of roseate spoonbills.

The account of Klingel's first encounter with this rather spectacular bird is quite gripping. He was far from civilization on a four-day walking circuit of the island, tired, almost out of food and water, his shoes falling apart, a hazardous situation that called for maximum prudence. Even so, seeing a flock of spoonbills fly up a long, mangrove-lined inlet to forage, he couldn't resist following, even as he knew this was asking for trouble.

The mangrove was alive with various birds, and Klingel was drawn ever further in as the spoonbills kept just ahead of him. With night approaching, hordes of mosquitos alit to feast on him, and he "cursed the spoonbills, cursed my own stupidity, cursed the predicament in which I found myself." However, even in his desperation he remained open to new delights. "A soft light stealing across the water distracted me momentarily; it was the moon creeping blood red above the trees; through the stinging hordes before my swelled eyes I could see the coppery hue lighting the edges of the leaves." Reciting a poem to distract himself from the mosquitoes, he finally stumbled out past midnight.

Klingel had an eye for large questions and thought about the landforms seen on his rambles. Another major theme was the interconnectedness of nature, a sense of the web of life before it was widely current. He recognized oceanic islands with their simple biotic communities as an especially good place to study this web. Klingel took a keen interest in the colonization of oceanic islands and islets by new species. On offshore Sheep Cay, the lizard fauna comprised a single arboreal Anolis species, and he discusses how it may have got there. On another occasion he shot 16 sandpipers and examined them for any live organisms they might be carrying, finding several seeds and protozoans.

Klingel is almost lyrical on the topic of smells in nature and the importance of this sense. Noting an interesting tree odour, he went to the trouble of following it to its source by crawling along the ground, where the air was less disturbed. His naturalist spirit is evident in yet another way. Humans are creatures of the sunlight, but many others are not. Far from ignoring nocturnal animals, he spent much time out at night. That is when great swarms of beach hoppers dig their way up through the sand and hermit crabs emerge in masses, along with bats and nighthawks. Some nights he slept outside on the sand.

He also gave a much attention to the sea, with several chapters on marine life, especially in a barrier reef. There everything seemed very light and delicate in a world of deception, camouflage and confusing colours. He admired sharks, and noted that octopuses, at that time generally "considered horrible and exceedingly repulsive", were smart, agile, precision predators, like birds of prey. This attitude came long before sophisti-

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

cated nature movies made it commonplace.

Erickson (1987) tells the story of Great Inagua's sole industry, salt, since its foundation in 1849. It collapsed when the price of salt fell sharply after World War I, and once prosperous Inagua fell into poverty. This was the state in which Klingel found it, and he predicted that without a revival of the industry the island would be depopulated. Having been in places where the economic base had fallen on hard times, I readily recognized his description of a society with no distinct leadership and little social vigour.

New management resumed production and introduced other businesses in 1936.

Major difficulties and a new downturn came in the 1940s and 1950s, until the Morton Salt Company acquired the industry and much of the island in 1955. That continues to be the situation today. The salt works -- an impressive operation, with broad evaporation ponds, gleaming mountains of white crystals and conveyor belts carrying immense quantities to ships -- still dominate the local economy. As long as production remains a paying proposition, Inagua will be peopled.

References Erickson, M.O. 1987. Great Inagua. Garrison, NY: Capriole 294 pp.

Klingel, G.C. 1951. The Bay. New York: Dodd, Mead 278 pp.

Noble, G.K. & G.C. Klingel 1932. The reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies. American Museum Novitates (549):1-25.

Community Announcements •

ET receives award for Conservation and Education from from THA- at the THA ceremony for the culmination of World Tourism Year.

November 30th-2011.

• ET Director _David Antoine passed away in December 2011. Our condolences to the family- we will miss his sage advice.

"The UTC Tobago CSC is in your neighborhood Call us now to share with your group a Seminar on Financial Planning" Manager: Contact :

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WHAT’S HAPPENING @ ET Environment TOBAGO Environmental and Services Map of Tobago

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They are excellent and will be published every two years. Published in January 2008. Requests for these maps can be made to ET office.

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Volume 6 Issue 4

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

READERS’ FORUM Dear ET Newsletter Readers, Office:

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