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nvironment 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 en viron men tal activit ies 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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Environment TOBAGO
June 2018
Ground-breaking Environmental Rights Agreement for Latin America and the Caribbean
After more than 6 years of intense meetings and negotiations, a regional agreement on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters otherwise known as Principle 10 will be finalized and adopted on Sunday, March 4th in San Jose, Costa Rica. The public celebrates with the government delegates of the 24 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries who have shown political will to raise standards for environmental rights in the region and specifically to put measures in place to protect environmental defenders who often come under serious threats while trying to protect the environment and their land rights. The members of the public, including civil society organizations and individuals from across the region actively participated in the negotiation process providing their expertise on environmental issues. The public is proud to have helped shape this ground-breaking agreement which creates for the first time in this region legally binding obligations for States to raise the standards for access to justice in environmental matters across the region and recognize a duty to promote public participation in project, plans, strategies, rules and regulations among others in decision-making.
hat’s inside
ET News
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Tobago’s bird life
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Getting to know TRRP
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Keeping busy!
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Articles
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Ecology Notes
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What’s Happening @ ET Notes to contributors
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The Caribbean team for Principle 10 negotiations- Public Access to information- Landmark agreement- Trinidad-Keshan Kumarsingh (Back Row) and Gef CSO Network member from Antigua & Barbuda-Ruth Spencer(front row-4th from left)
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June 2018 Editor: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Assistant Editor: Raymond Aaron Design & Layout: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Technical Support: Enid Nobbee Contributors: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Bertrand Bhikkary Patricia Turpin Environment TOBAGO Photographs: Matt Kelly, Environment TOBAGO Wikipedia.com
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
This Agreement is an opportunity for Caribbean countries to finally implement laws granting rights to their people to obtain environmental information, participate in decisions affecting the environment and to seek justice in environmental matters. The countries that participated in the negotiations: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and Grenada, have shown foresight in engaging in a process that will radically improve the lives of their people. For small island developing states (SIDS) with particular vulnerability to natural disasters and impacts to climate change this will facilitate engaged and open dialogue to address these challenges.� Danielle Andrade-Goffe, Attorney-at-Law and Elected
Secretary of the Environment, Hilton Sandy and Patricia Turpin unveil the RAMAR Notice at Bon Accord Wetlands/Laggon back in 2005
Some of Tobago's bird life Board of Directors 2016-2018 President: Bertrand Bhikkary Vice-President: Patricia Turpin Secretary: Wendy Austin Treasurer: Andy Roberts Other Directors: Renee Gift Darren Henry Terrance Sandiford William Trim Andrea Tuitt Aljoscha Wothke
Top (left to right): Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) and Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) Bottom: Olivaceous Woodcreeper (Sittasomus griseicapillus) (Photos by Matt Kelly)
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
Getting to know TRREP Environment TOBAGO, in collaboration with key stakeholders of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), will be offering the “Tobago Ridge to Reef Education Program (TRREP)” for secondary schools throughout Tobago during the second and third school terms of the 2017/18 school year. This campaign is based on the rationale that the Tobago economy relies heavily upon the goods and services provided by the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, which include: rainforests, wetlands, beaches, seagrass beds and coral reefs.
The Division of Education, Innovation, and Energy (and by extension, the Ministry of Education), has long recognized the interconnectivity between ecological integrity and socio-economic well-being of our citizens. It has done so by including, at all levels of the school curriculum, topics that require knowledge of, and appreciation for, these ecosystems and the services they provide. The TRREP is therefore designed to “lift” these topics from the pages of the syllabi and textbooks and bring them to life in a more practical way for students and teachers by: • delivering curriculum-relevant, local content on the value of Rainforests, Wetlands, Seagrass Beds and Coral Reefs of Tobago, to senior students (third to the sixth form) of all secondary schools in Tobago; • engaging students in experiential Learning Journeys in three (3) thematic areas • Watershed Ecosystems (e.g., Forests, Rivers, Birds, Wildlife, etc.) • Coastal Ecosystems (e.g. Wetlands, Beaches, etc.) • Marine Ecosystems (e.g. Coral Reefs, Fisheries etc.) • empowering teachers who are responsible for imparting knowledge of the ecosystem aspects of the upper-school syllabi, with methods, information and resource options. These Learning Journeys will be coordinated and conducted by competent professionals from ET and partner agencies such as the Departments of the Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, THA. Safety will be paramount, and therefore, precautions will be in place to ensure the said (e.g., students will not be permitted to interface directly with water bodies).
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Key Messages of TRREP •
Why Forests, Coral Reefs, and Wetlands are important for Tobago with references to local studies of the goods and services Tobago ecosystems provide. • Forests, Coral Reef, and Mangrove Ecology and Biology • Climate Change as a threat to Tobago's ecosystems and well being • What we can do to conserve and protect these ecosystems – A call to action! Where and how to find additional resources and information (E.G. Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries, Environment Tobago, Buccoo Reef Trust, Speyside EcoMarine Park Rangers, Currently, TRREP is offered on a facilitation basis so if you wish to participate, please contact ET’s Education Coordinator, Barry Lovelace
Photos from TRREP
Some photos from the field trips and lectures conducted with secondary school students who took part in the programme. We were also honoured to be visited by Ms. Inca Mohamed, JB Fernandes representative for the Caribbean. Our funder for the project along with BHP Billiton
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY!
On June 7th ET facilitated the St. Joseph Secondary Girls School with their School-Based Assessment, "Tourism between Store Bay and Pigeon Point and its Impacts on Buccoo Reef". The study involved a lecture on Buccoo Reef and they conducted survey questionnaires (tourists, residents, businesses and boat owners).
On June 8th ET was engaged in a KACSAP training session for new inspectors from the Department of Environment, Forestry, Fisheries, Education, and EMA. Inspections will be done between June 10th- 30th.
Kerton Jobe represented ET on the 6th and 7th June at BHP Billiton annual spill response training and deployment exercise which was conducted at Thompson River at Rockley Bay, Tobago, this year.
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Environment TOBAGO newsletter
Flip flops and sandals were the dress code for the launch of the International Year of the Reef (IYOR) 2018, on Friday June 8 th (World Oceans Day) At the Medulla Gallery, 37 Fitt Street, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Some of the members and partners that collaborated on Coral Reefs of Trinidad and Tobago included; SpeSeas, Wild Tobago, Institute of Marine Affairs, The University of the West Indies, University of Trinidad and Tobgao, Buccoo Reef Trust and Trinidad and Tobago Field Natualists’ Club and ET in association with the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) The evening included feature speaker Prof. John Agard, tropical island ecologist, and a display and auction for coral reef creations created by Cocobel Chocolates.
More of Tobago’s Bird Biodiversity
Birdlife at the Bon Accord Ponds (Photos by Matt Kelly)
“The risk of Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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ARTICLES On Repurposing, Reusing, Reducing and Refusing to Use Bertrand Bhikkary—President ET When the environment wars began the Big Conversation was simple enough, just focus on the 3 R's they said. But a lot has changed. The science came in and as the blind man said “It ain't pretty”. Environment's problem of course is not just a planet thing, it's got a lot to do with humans. We who brought nature to its knees in search of a better life for us and ours. We call it unsustainable development. But some people are trying. These days I have the privilege of spending time with a young man who began his career with us at ET. Ryan Allard now has a doctorate in modern transportation systems or some such. Mine has been time well spent. Urged on by the number of things our talks take in, yours truly has discovered that while Tobago may not be the favourite to produce the definitive silver bullet to global warming, in practice small communities like ours can provide unique test-bed conditions. Which brings us to the 4 R's, re-purposing, reusing, reducing and refusing to use. Plastics and wood are the poster children as regards repurposing in Tobago, though big sister Trinidad certainly has enough for both. Plastic is now ubiquitous enough locally and (thanks to all who made it so) PET on the whole needs no pitch for ridding it from our rivers, shores and seas. What plastics remedial work does need though is a locale – a community who can demonstrate the stuff can be used responsibly. And Tobago can be that place. Its incoming volume of PET while largely unquantified is low enough to be reused for fence posts, box drains, roofing and even as a material component for road building. Tobago you see is at that place in its development where things are relatively rustic or in some cases rundown enough, for the most modern of approaches to be considered. Wood re-purposing in Tobago to my knowledge has not been tried by anyone except perhaps a particular guest house owner cum farmer who tried to make mulch from cutoffs. He stopped when the power-takeoff on the tractor he rented broke. That was ten years ago. The House of Assembly through its Agriculture Division may have discussed something similar also, though odds are when the budget for discussion lunches dried up so did the initiative. Still, ongoing practice in Tobago find TTEC clearing a 10M swathe under every power-line passing through the countryside – and then paying to dump it in the landfill at Studley Park. There's also a steady stream of some pretty valuable old timber hitting street corners every day as Tobagonians toss out their old (cabinets, presses and kitchen tables) to make room for new designer plastic wood. Would (pardon the pun) Tobago could get of its collective butt and find a use for such a beautiful resource. This last cannot be hard, Tobago still has its fair share of artisans in woodworking and a ready market in the holiday villa sector. Reusing. What can Tobago have to reuse? You'd be surprised. Food waste – to serve pig or even duck farms, old tires to get chunked (thanks to SWMCOL) for insertion to wherever, steel or metal discards that can be harvested for resale or stockpiled until it can be sold or melted. The two big opportunities here are old
“just focus on the 3 R's they said. But a lot has changed. "
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Environment TOBAGO newsletter
appliances and e-waste from computer. “Big opportunity” as Donald Trump might say. Reducing waste might require a different approach given Tobago's minute size speaking 'consumeratively' and to coin a bad term. Waste in Tobago might be defined as doing things wrong, inefficiently and or ineffectively. Take for instance the fuel cost to carry back empty shipping containers – because no mechanisms legislatively or physically exist to fill them. Currently these costs are carried by the business community (and passed on to the consumer). But not everything requires a programme. Reducing waste can also occur when a shopper walks with his or her own bag. So to make the argument once more, achieving a reduction mindset might merely need revisiting bad practice. Refusing to use is where the Tobago community might score big in the sustainable development games. We are still relatively unsophisticated in that many members of the community have the knowledge of life and life skills that many 'developed' places no longer place value upon. A test case in point may be the once traditional making of toys (kites, scooters), actions that bind families, communities, reduce or even forestalls crime not to mention reduce obesity and improve health. Again, this has been touched upon (thanks JD Elder and others) before. At this point I do need to make a plug for Environment Tobago. We in the NGO, having recognized the waste, rot and pollution of all that this community once held dear, have joined forces with others in mainstream civil society. You see the solutions, as do the problems, lie with us (the humans).
Seeking sustainable finance for and from Bertrand Bhikarry
“Common sense would argue anyway that borrowed money is better than grant money."
Protected spaces in T&T, whether savannah, forest, reef or wetland are facing increased pressure daily, forcing degradation to what could soon be a point of no return. It’s probably just as big a problem as the current shortage of money, but because nature doesn’t talk the latter issue is perceived as more critical to our survival than the former. Interestingly the solutions to both problems may come down to a mere matter of management, not that any of its going to be simple, given the range of considerations that can arise where the making of money and the taking of natural resources are concerned. Further, some of the major players arguing for protected spaces management have their collective and beady eye on the money that could be made from selling 'nature’. Although nothing’s wrong with that - if the locality itself doesn’t get lost in the process. Others and this is just opinion, are in it solely on the grant funds – money for nothing as the band said. This is something that may be true to a point though it’s too broad an accusation to pin on any one sector, what with grant-seeking proposals covering every desk from Civicus to Private Enterprise to State. Of even greater interest is the line of thought from a third grouping which is; Mandate, Legislate, Regulate, and achieving that, Borrow, Develop, Market the protected areas to every nook cranny and niche in the global tourism sphere. Thing is, at the end of the day this third approach - let’s call it Seeking Sustainable Financing, may prove the best way for Trinidad and Tobago to monetize our parks and forest reserves. It is this third approach we need to focus upon. If only because grant
“The risk of Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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funding - the usual go to, should only come after the addressing of factors that negatively impact grant-driven hoped for outcomes. Common sense would argue anyway that borrowed money is better than grant money. In that the former lends an enterprise more than just a dollar. It forces the element of organic or natural growth, imbues the ethic that nothing is free. Last though hardly least, it embeds a culture of stewardship, of taking care of the things that matter for the longer run. Lest there is confusion as to our stance, we speak here in favor of the old-fashioned business model where all of the above is added to packaging a quality product. The economy pundits will say this more'n likely will translate into sales. Good sales foster growth – Search for Sustainability all but over. Simple right?
ECOLOGY NOTES What is an Ecosystem? Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
The term “Ecosystem” has become an environmental “buzzword”, used loosely in conversations when environmental issues come up, but often not in its correct context. What are ecosystems? An “Ecosystem” is short for “Ecological System” and is considered the basic unit in ecology. It can be defined as “a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment”. This definition is similar to our broad definition of ecology - relationships between the physical environment and the organisms inhabiting a specific region What is key to remember is an ecosystem comprises of biotic and abiotic components. A lake could be considered an ecosystem. So, could a dead log on a forest A simple ecosystem floor. Both the lake and log contain a variety Diagram from Wikipedia Commons of species that interact with each other and with abiotic factors. Therefore, ecosystems can be either small or large. Biotic and abiotic components are important as they provide boundaries that distinguish one ecosystem from another. Some ecosystems, such as a caves and lakes have very distinctive boundaries. However, in most ecosystems it is difficult to determine where one ecosystem stops and the next begins. Ecosystem boundaries may also be defined by a particular species of interest or topographic features. This article is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the topic. However, I hope that it has made it clear what they are and peaked some interest in them as well.
“The term “Ecosystem” has become an environmental “buzzword”."
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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WHAT’S HAPPENING @ ET
ET is now on Facebook and Twitter We invite everyone on Facebook to join. Here we will post upcoming events, links, photos and videos on ET matters and other environmental issues. ET group link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/ group.php?gid=53362888661&ref=ts And keep up to date on what we are up to by following us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/environ_tobago
Environment TOBAGO Environmental and Services Map of Tobago They are excellent and will be published every two years. Published in January 2008. Requests for these maps can be made to ET office.
Volunteers needed! Persons who are interested in helping with cataloguing and filing of ET’s educational, research and operational material and archiving.
New Members ET has a membership of 433 worldwide, ET welcomes the following member:
Derek Dickenson
Literature Available
The Tropical Rainforest of Tobago — The Main Ridge Graham Wellfare and Hema Singh Published by Environment TOBAGO pp 37 Price: TT120.
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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Environment TOBAGO t-shirts and caps now available
Type: Polos Size: Small, Medium & Large Price: TT$150.00 Colours: Kelly green, royal blue, red, gold and ash grey Description: ET logo embroidered on left breast, sponsor’s logo printed on the back.
Type: Regular tees Size: Small, Medium & Large Price: TT$100.00 Colours: Kelly green, red, black, navy blue, ash, purple, royal blue and black forest Description: ET logo printed on front and sponsor logos on sleeves at the back centre
Type: Lady’s tees Size: Small & Medium Price: TT$100.00 Colours: Lime green, red and black Description: ET logo printed on front and sponsor logo at the back centre
Price: TT$120.00
Orders can be made through the office.
Products featuring artwork from Rainforest Education & Awareness Programme
Tote bags-TT$120
Burlap bags -TT$120
Postcards
Drawstring bags-TT$130
TT$15 per card or TT$100 for a pack of
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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READERS’ FORUM Dear ET Newsletter Readers, Office:
11 Cuyler Street Scarborough, Tobago, W.I.
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 503, Scarborough, Tobago, W.I.
Phone: 1-868-660-7462 Fax: 1-868-660-7467 E-mail: envir@tobago.net
We want to hear from YOU! Comments may be edited for length and clarity. Send your comments to: joannesewlal@gmail.com or envir@tobago.net
GUIDEL INES TO CONTRIBUT ORS Articles on the natural history and environment are welcome especially those on Trinidad and Tobago. Articles should not exceed approximately 1200 words (2 pages) and the editors reserve the right to edit the length. Images should be submitted as separate files. Submit material to any of the following: 1) joannesewlal@gmail.com 2) envir@tobago.net
We are on the web http:// www.Environmenttobago.net
Deadline for submission of material for the 3rd Quarter 2018 issue of the Bulletin is September 10, 2018.