E
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
March 2018
WOMS- Waste Oil Management Systems for T&T
Consultations with a legal representative from the BASEL convention will meet with stakeholders from Tobago on 31st January at the DIQE (Division of I n f ra s t r u c t u r e , Q ua r r i e s a n d Environment) conference room, Shaw Park from 9 am to 12 noon. To discuss policy and law in the development of a pilot/commercial scale waste oil (lubricating- from vehicles) plant at Cove Industrial and Business Park.
Current storage pool for waste vehicular oils Infinity Pool—Studley Park
hat’s inside
ET News
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Tobago’s biodiversity
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World Wetlands Day
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Upcoming Events
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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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Launch of EU /Cropper Foundation/ Environment Tobago project dealing with the Extractive industries and mining
Ambassador Biesebroek (centre) poses with grant beneficiaries including the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Environment Tobago, The Cropper Foundation, Oilfields Workers' Trade Union , the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association and other specially invited guests at the Grant Ceremony. (ET rep Kerton Jobe present) —at European Union in Trinidad and Tobago.
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Environment TOBAGO newsletter
Are you aware of the dangerous chemicals you’re exposed to on a daily basis? March 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
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
Local representatives from environmental, OSH and health groups and organizations are participating in a shareholder consultation workshop on the update of the National Implementation Plan (NIP) on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Trinidad and Tobago today at the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment. Among other activities the group is focusing on prioritizing risk, exploring policy and possible action plan. Represented are the Tobago House of Assembly, Environmental Management Authority, Tobago Emergency Management Agency, Tobago Regional Health Authority, Trinidad and Tobago Fire Services, Environment Tobago, Chamber of Commerce, Tobago, BCRC Caribbean and CARPHA.
Photos from the Stockholm Convention talks
Tobago's biodiversity
(Photos by Matt Kelly)
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
World Wetlands Day 2018 “Urban wetlands make cities livable” Teachers, students and partners were present to celebrate World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on February 2nd, throughout the world. On this island, we speak of wetlands as swampy, smelly, and nasty places suitable for dumping garbage when in fact, wetlands are composed of mangrove forests and marshes. They are critical to our coastlines and protect our communities from hurricanes and floods, provide nurseries for fish, crabs, lobsters, caiman, oysters and a myriad of birds and mammals that depend on them for food. Thirty years ago, Tobago had 16 beautiful wetlands. We now have 4 remaining due to human pressure in construction, filling in, burning and pollution. It is critical that we do all in our power to conserve and prevent their destruction. The most important of them is the internationally designated Bon Accord Lagoon complex. Prizes and certificates were issued to the schools and students participating in ET’s Clean School Program. At the event, ET’s new REP /Ridge to Reef Education Program was launched. This program will expose our ten secondary schools and students to ecosystems of economic, biological and cultural importance to Tobago, such as coral reefs, wetlands and rainforests. ET would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge our sponsors and partners; Bhp Billiton, JB Fernandes Trust, Department of Natural Resources & Environment, Forestry, Fisheries and Education of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and finally the Scarborough Library team and the press.
ET Vice President, Pat Turpin and Secretary/THA of Agriculture and Fisheriesgives prizes to recipients of ET’s Clean School Programme
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Environment TOBAGO newsletter
Some photos from World Environment Day Celebrations February 2018 - Clean School awards and RREP project
Barry Lovelace singing wetland calypso and a skit performed by the Forestry Division on environmental demonstrations/activism
Some of Tobago's bird life
Top (left to right): Red-crowned Woodpecker( Melanerpes rubricapillus and Royal Tern ( Thalasseus maximus) Bottom: Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) (Photos by Matt Kelly)
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
UPCOMING EVENTS
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!
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Environment TOBAGO newsletter
ARTICLES Sustainable Development. Opportunity for the hawks or Challenge for the doves? Bertrand Bhikkary—President ET
“Sustainable Development Goals or the SDGs is now a part of the universal lexicon."
Sustainable Development or SD in short form, became a popular term over 30 years ago when Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister, presented to the UN the result of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Her report as Commission Chair was entitled 'Our Common Future' but shall probably be remembered in time as the Brundtland Report. The document provided a common definition for the term sustainable development; development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Looking back at what has transpired since 1987 we see that SD gained traction, possibly because it provides the commonest of bases for the planet's diverse peoples and nations. Yet looking forward - even as we thank the people whose work enabled the Summit of Rio de Janeiro (1992), Rio +20 (2012) and more recently the Paris Agreement (2015), we find the talk has essentially been done yet work that will impact directly is largely absent. True, as of February 2018 one hundred and ninety sovereign states have agreed to take steps towards measures that may (or may not) mitigate global warming, the calamity forced on humankind before its time, and largely due to unsustainable development practices. Speaking positively though, Paris 2015 had another big outcome. Beyond the pledges made by the participating countries, Sustainable Development Goals or the SDGs is now a part of the universal lexicon. Arguably too, the SDGs also pose another basketful of issues. Realistically and despite the optimism that went with 'Paris' only the most naive of souls will see SD as a virtual flower, a construct that shan't need watering - or care. Consider the following. Sustainable Development (or more specifically the 17 new SDGs) at its apex of promise require political will and focus for adoption, beyond what has ever been seen in that sector. It also goes beyond the single government platform; in that many of the measures that need to be taken (think common shore agreements), involve regional and in some case global accords. It gets even murkier. Balancing economic, social and environmental costs and proving the benefits of development against these even at the national level, is a most herculean task to say the least. And it probably doesn't help when one considers also, mundane little matters like who shall apply and implement SDG principles. They overlap. The simple solution may well turn out to be a global supreme environmental authority (a green court?). These are the big questions obviously and more than likely will spawn - if this is not already fact, a plethora of programmes that will attempt to measure, analyze and thus eventually legitimize people groups or cadres who will wield the big stick. Dame Brundtland may be proud that she was at the forefront of the SDGs, they do hold promise. But what Sustainable Development holds out also is opportunity. As history shows, the people who grasp same aren't always as altruistic as they first make out. Let's hope the early birds in this instance are the doves not the hawks.
“The risk of Environment TOBAGO newsletter
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ECOLOGY NOTES What is a Niche? Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Many terms in ecology are used often and interchangeably, the terms “habitat” and “niche” being two such terms. A simple way of telling these two terms apart is to think of a habitat as an organisms’ physical location or “address”, while its niche can be thought of as the job or “profession” it carries out in that location. An example is an earthworm in a garden. The garden is that organism’s habitat while the worm’s ability to break down organic matter in the soil is its profession. The niche concept is a way of thinking about which factors are most important resources. So that they will compete with each other for them. In order to occupy the same habitat and have access to these resources, the individuals adapt to doing different jobs. The best example is the observation of finches by Charles Darwin during his visit to the Galapagos Islands, where he noticed that those with different beak shapes and sizes feed on different food in the same habitat. In every species each individual is slightly different from each other, so if an individual’s beak is a bit thicker and bigger than another member of his species, he can feed on seeds rather than on insects, so that both individuals are able to co-exist in the habitat while feeding on different resources. They also carry out different jobs, one as a seed disperser of the plant and the other in controlling the pest population that can attack the tree. Nothing is ever so simple and in ecology there are many different types of niches for instance there is the fundamental niche and the realized niche. The fundamental niche shows the area or distribution where that species can do that particular job. For instance the barnacle Diagram showing the difference between a fundamental and (Chthalamus sp.) can do its realized niche job of being a filter feeder sifting out small particles of food from the water both in shallow coastal water or higher up on the rocks of the sea shore. However, if a one were to do a survey, one would realize that this species does not dominate that habitat and shares it with other barnacle species. This leads to the concept of the realized niche, which is the part of that niche or the real location that species occupies. The realized niche is often smaller than the fundamental niche since the number of individuals is regulated by being preyed upon or competition between the species for resources such as space and food. I hope that this helps you understand our environment a little bit more!
“Many terms in ecology are used often and interchangeably ."
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:
No new members this period
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 2nd Quarter 2018 issue of the Bulletin is June 10, 2018.