Environment Tobago Newsletter - Sept-Dec 2017

E n viron men t TO BA GO n ewsl etter

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 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 News

1

Tobago’s biodiversity

2

THA Bird Count 2017

3, 7

Articles

4

Ecology Notes

8

Tobago’s butterflies and moths

9

What’s Happening @ ET

10

Notes to contributors

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Environment TOBAGO

September—December 2017

53rd Meeting of the GEF— A Summary Monday 27th November, 2017

Representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) and members of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council convened on Monday, 27 November 2017, at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, for a dialogue on issues related to the 53rd meeting of the GEF Council. The consultation took place the day before the Council meeting opened. It was attended by our President, Mr. Bertrand Bhikarry.

In the Group 1 session, Victor Kawanga, GEF-CSO Network Chair, opened the Consultation and introduced Akhteruzzaman Sano, GEF-CSO Network Vice Chair. Sano provided an overview of Network activities, including a session on knowledge management, national and regional level engagement, and strengthening indigenous peoples’ contributions at the local level.

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

Introducing REPP Sept-Dec 2017 Editor: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Assistant Editor: Raymond Aaron Design & Layout: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Technical Support: Enid Nobbee Contributors: Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Patricia Turpin Environment TOBAGO Photographs: Matt Kelly

The “Ridge to Reef Education program (REPP) for Secondary Schools in Tobago”, is a project designed to expose students at all ten (10) secondary schools on the island of Tobago, to learning about and experiencing field trips to, ecosystems that are of tremendous economic and cultural value to Tobago namely:  Coral Reefs & Wetlands - via the Buccoo Reef Marine Park (BRMR)  Rainforests - via the Main Ridge Forest Reserve (MRFR).

This program will begin roll out in second school term (January 2018) and has been made possible by grant funding from the Fernandes Memorial Trust I. Delivery of content will include in-class lectures/presentations, accompanied by guided, educational field trips to said sites. These will be delivered by competent and qualified professionals. This project will target young people, 13 18 years old within the high school system. The project also includes a special summer training programme for relevant teachers. While emphasis will be placed on delivering information and experiences and training relevant to the syllabi of the target audiences, content and will include messages on how Tobago can become more resilient to Climate Change impacts.

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

Tobago's biodiversity

Top (left to right): Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) and Veiled Lady Mushroom (Dictyophora indusiata) Bottom: Golden Orb-weaver spider (Nephila clavipes) (Photos by Matt Kelly)

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THA Tobago Bird Christmas Count Matt Kelly The 13th Annual THA Tobago Bird Christmas Count took place on Thursday, December 14, 2017. At least 60 people participated on six teams to scour the length and breadth of the island, to count and document Tobago’s birds. The event is organized by the THA Department of Forestry.

The Christmas Bird Count was started in the year 1900, by noted American ornithologist, Frank Chapman, as a counter-measure to the slaughter of birds he saw at that time. Chapman came up with the bird-friendly, harmless format that is still used today; which is to count every bird that can be found within a 24-hour period. This event has since grown into an internationally celebrated event, with teams participating from every corner of the globe.

Tobago’s results will be sent to the U.S. based National Audubon Society, which collects and coordinates the international results. This 24-hour tabulation becomes a snapshot in time, which can be compared year-by-year, and may show trends in the populations of the many different bird species.

I was assigned to a team to explore the areas of Scarborough, Lambeau, Plantations, Friendship, Cove, and Turtle Beach. Our team tallied over 50 species. Preliminary results show the total number of species found by all of the teams to be over 100. It was a great day of birding, exploring Tobago, and meeting new people. Since anyone can participate, I highly recommend everyone take part next year!

Top (left to right): Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) and Semi-palmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) Bottom: a little skink (Mabuya sp.)

(Photos by Matt Kelly)

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

ARTICLES Environment Tobago position on the proposed Sandals DevelopmentSE Tobago Patricia Turpin -VP ET

“The risk of impairing the livelihoods of Tobago residents who use this area is high."

Environment Tobago has been continuously asked to define our position on the proposed Tobago Sandals project. Despite being viewed as anti-development, we have been very consistent with our opinions over the years on the environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed development within an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA).

The most troubling aspect of this proposal has been the total lack of transparency, consultation; as well as the behind the scenes developments that have been the hallmarks of these negotiations. To be very clear with our opinions, we will discuss this issue in three sections- environmental, social and economic impacts and risks.

Environmental- The area earmarked for development is Golden Grove and Buccoo Estates for 750 hotel rooms in two separate areas. Excluding No Mans Land. To date, no current plan has been publicly disclosed. What was previously shown was a copy of the original development plan. No attempt has been made to date to apply to the Town and Country Planning Division (TCPD) or Environment Management Authority (EMA) for a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) No Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been done. The original CEC has expired since 2006.

Environmentally, Golden Grove Estate surrounds partially the Bon Accord Lagoon & Buccoo Reef Complex- an ESA, a Ramsar site and Marine Park. It includes the lagoon and mangrove forests. Buccoo Estate includes the mangrove forests and marshlands that are also part of this complex ecosystem.

I don’t think we need to emphasize more the importance of these areas to coastal protection, fish nurseries, tourism related activities, flood control, filtration, and avian migration. Great care has to be taken in the conditions laid down for use of this area for development.

Social impacts- The risk of impairing the livelihoods of Tobago residents who use this area is high. Fishermen, hunters, food gatherers (crabs, etc), fisheries nurseries, science classrooms, public beach use (no private beaches in Tobago), water sports, and traditional use of the wetlands by locals are all at risk. Added to this is the sense of exclusion from heritage areas.

Economic- What exactly will these benefits be and when will they happen? We are told the Sandals operators will bring in an influx of high end visitors, much needed destination marketing, airline transportation from different regions, jobs and training for hotel staff, construction jobs during the building phases, a boost for agriculture development and an influx of foreign exchange. Forgive us for being skeptical about these claims. a) No evidence/data has been shown as to how many jobs will actually be created for Tobago based tourism practitioners/staff in whatever sphere including cooks and gardeners. b) How many temporary construction workers?

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c) What are the tax concessions being offered? Who is building the hotelsthe Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) or Sandals? d) Where do visitors to the resort pay their bills? Overseas or locally?

Since Sandals is normally all inclusive (will ancillary services such as, scuba, tour operators, car rentals be locally included) Unless bills are paid locally, how will Foreign exchange be increased.

Agriculture- There has been no move to develop this sector in Tobago, which receives very little budgetary allocations. So it is obvious that the tax free importation of food /produce will take place.

In conclusion, Environment Tobago can only state that unless transparent disclosure of development plans, public consultation and fulfillment of the environmental requirements of an EIA takes place, the population of Tobago will continue to believe they have been hoodwinked and deceived in an underhanded and destructive use of their natural resources and heritage, for secretive and nefarious gains. Please do it properly, as required by law. Do not employ the process of “ministerial override” to impose this development on the people of Tobago.

Environment Tobago- Position Sandals Development- Ancillary and Utility services Part 2 Patricia Turpin-VP ET Part one dealt with the concerns regarding the proposed Sandals development in southeast Tobago are multifaceted and will affect all businesses and residents of the area. We will discuss these concerns as elucidated in various “Town Hall” events held in 2016 in Tobago.

Utilities (water)- In the last three to five years the largest problem faced by tourism related accommodations and residents in the area was a lack of potable water.

During this time rationing and truck borne supplies became the norm due to: Maintenance of the Courland and Hillsborough reservoirs has been of low priority. The holding capacities of both areas have been compromised by siltation in times of heavy rainfall. No corrective desiltation has taken place to increase the holding capacity of these dams for greater output-despite the awareness of the problem.

The southeast Tobago underground aquifers have been reduced to approximately 21m below surface (normally just over 7.5m below ground) due to excessive pumping and lack of recharge rainfall. This opens the aquifers to salt water intrusion and we are currently unaware of the extent to which this has taken place.

New wells have been drilled in the Auchenscheoch and Courland areas but their capacity is also unknown.

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“The risk of impairing the livelihoods of Tobago residents who use this area is high."

“ To many p eopl e t hes e tall pea ks make fo r a c hallen ging b ut s cenic hike. B u t t hey a re not jus t a no the r t all m oun tain to climb . ”

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“How about alternative energy sources? Solar power might be the answer."

Environment TOBAGO newsletter

c) Maintenance and replacement of ageing pipelines results in massive loss of water supplies. d) The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) solution is the placement of a desalination plant at huge cost at Cove Industrial Estate- a desalination plant in this area will have a significant impact on pristine offshore reefs, vital for fisheries, biodiversity, coastal protection and tourism. Then there is the issue of brine/salt produced in the process of desalination, where returning this to the sea under increased temperatures (part of the process) will put a final end to the reefs. e) The citizens solutions bear hearing out.

1) As a policy, roof top rainwater catchment for hotels and residents must be employed and encouraged 2) A small desalination plant as suggested by Mr. Callender was submitted to the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the THA. This plant would service the Crown Point area and is planned for placement near the NP holding tanks with outfall pipes in the area 2 miles offshore in a current that will take the brine away from Tobago reefs and out to sea. Whether these citizens suggestions will be considered is questionable seeing that tenders have already gone out for the Cove Estate. So what will Sandals do with this scenario.

Electricity- For the last 15 years, despite the introduction of the power plant at Cove Industrial Estate and booster/sub-station at Studley Park, widely touted as the answer to all of our problems for instance, the constant biweekly power failures for the entire island. The effect has been catastrophic for businesses, tourism plants and citizens, with huge losses in machinery and equipment in all areas. How about alternative energy sources? Solar power might be the answer. However, the current cost of these systems are prohibitive for the average person. What will Sandals do? Will they build their own plant? Use solar power? Or put an added strain on the existing grid.

Sewage and Wastewater- The reputation of WASA for the maintenance of sewage plants in southeast Tobago is notoriously dismal and poor. Reports on record show that the lack of maintenance is a major problem in the Bon Accord area. Raw sewage has been witnessed going into the Bon Accord Lagoon, which is an ESA, via open drain from this plant, as well as the Buccoo development into the marsh area on several occasions. The risk to the health of the residents, visitors and the ecosystem cannot be overstated.

Currently, WASA is rerouting sewage and wastewater to the Plymouth area, where it will be treated and discharged to the sea. Southeast Tobago is connecting to this system. What will Sandals do? They will have to put in their own system and what will it be???

Transport- Environment Tobago does not need to elucidate on the ongoing issues of the sea and air bridge. The entire island relies on these services for goods and services. This is not a new problem. We continue to be affected and see no current light at the end of the tunnel. Sandals has claimed they will solve the airlift problem? The how has not been explained.

Fort Granby- The latest issue in the Sandals odyssey. It was reported in the first two weeks of August 2017, that a team of persons including surveyors from the Division of Works, Quarries and Environment (actual title escapes

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me) and the Secretary, Division of Natural Resources headed by the Director, visited the Ft. Granby area to assess the possibility of constructing a jetty in that vicinity. This jetty is solely for the purpose of transporting aggregate from the quarry to the Sandals development area by barge.

The risks and impacts of such a decision would be highly destructive, to both jetty and environment. Ft. Granby is a historical, tourism site, as the first seat of government in Tobago. It is visited by tourists constantly and used as a picnicking site. The Fort faces the Atlantic and is often battered by high waves that make a jetty untenable. This area has beautiful, pristine offshore reefs. There is an alternate jetty partially built 1.6km from this location on the Studley Park flat that would require completion and addition of an L for a barge to come alongside. This area is protected from rough seas and winds.

Why add to the destruction of the island environment? One can only speculate that moving the Division of the Environment from Natural Resources to the Division of Quarries and Works was done to facilitate this sort of activity. We hope that this is not true. So as you can see, the issues surrounding the Sandals development are many and wide ranging and require extensive thought, consultation and transparency. Environment Tobago hopes that we have covered the issues and that our position is clear. DO THE RIGHT THING.

Photos from the THA Bird Count 2017 (cont’d) “ To many p eopl e t hes e tall pea ks make fo r a c hallen ging b ut s cenic hike. B u t t hey a re not jus t a no the r t all m oun tain to climb . ”

Left: Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) Right: (top to bottom): Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea )and Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) (bottom)

(Photos by Matt Kelly)

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Environment TOBAGO newsletter

ECOLOGY NOTES What is Parthenogenesis?

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

“Parthenogenesis is nature’s immaculate conception."

The word “parthenogenesis” is a combination of two Greek words, “parthenos” which means “virgin” and “genesis” which means “creation”. So that parthenogenesis can be translated to mean “virgin birth”. Parthenogenesis occurs in both plants and animals, where it is a common occurrence in plants and referred to apoxmis. However, this article will focus on parthenogenesis in animals.

Basically parthenogenesis is when embryos grow and develop into new individuals from an unfertilized egg. It is referred to as a form of asexual reproduction.

But more accurately it is an incomplete form of sexual reproduction. Parthenogenesis is not to be confused with hermaphroditic individuals who are capable of producing both sperm and eggs therefore, producing fertilized eggs.

Parthenogenesis also occurs naturally or can be artificially induced in some species. We do not realize it but many of us see animals that reproduce by this means every day. A common example is the gecko or “wood slave” that we find scurrying across the ceiling and walls of our homes. Some animals that reproduce via parthenogenesis include arachnids and insects such as, spiders, scorpions, bees, mites and parasitic wasps. This type of reproduction also occurs in a few vertebrate species as well for example, fish, amphibians, reptiles and rarely in birds. However, it has been artificially induced in mammals.

Let us take a closer look at the mechanism of parthenogenesis. There are two types of parthenogenesis; obligate and facultative. Obligate parthenogenesis cannot reproduce sexually while those that are facultatively parthenogenic can switch between asexual and sexual reproduction. Parthenogenesis is not as rare in nature as one would think and it is estimated that over 2,000 species carry out facultative parthenogenesis based on observations. Also many more species are believed to reproduce via this means but may not have been observed as yet.

Offspring produced via parthenogenesis cannot be considered clones of their parent. This is because of the two mechanisms through which parthenogenesis occurs; haploid and diploid. In both mechanisms, the unfertilized egg they were produced from was formed through meiosis. The splitting of the cell produced an egg with half the chromosomes of the mother. Diploid parthenogenesis occurs when two of these haploid cells fuse together to form parthenogenic offspring. It should be noted that offspring, formed through this mechanism are genetically different from their parent.

But why has parthenogenesis evolved in the first place? It may have evolved due to the unavailability of mates. It must be noted that parthenogenesis and apomixis does not involve genetic material from males. In parthenogenesis it may not be beneficial to produce males as they cannot give birth and in turn increase the population size and existence. However parthenogenesis can result in male offspring which occurs in bees and is referred to as arrhenotoky. When female offspring are produced as in aphids it is termed thelytoky.

But what are the advantages of not requiring a mate to reproduce? The first

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advantage is that it requires less time and energy as the organisms does not have to go in search of a suitable mate and court them in some species. Therefore it allows these organisms to occupy relatively stable environments, so organisms that are not mobile benefit from this method. However, organisms that reproduce do not possess the diversity that allows them to be able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore many asexual organisms also practise sexual reproduction as well.

This theory can be supported by a type of facultative parthenogenesis seen in animals. Some species carry out what is known as cyclic parthenogenesis so that offspring produced via parthenogenesis develop into one sex. But when mates are available offspring that are produced sexuality belong to the other sex.

Therefore parthenogenesis is just another example of how diverse and adaptable and resilient our planet’s biodiversity is, when it comes to surviving.

Tobago's butterflies and moths

“ To many p eopl e t hes e tall pea ks make fo r a c hallen ging b ut s cenic hike. B u t t hey a re not jus t a no the r t all m oun tain to climb . ”

Top (left to right): Red Rim Butterfly (Biblis hyperia) and Common Morpho (Morpho helnor) locally called the “Emperor” Bottom (left to right): Unidentified moth and Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) (Photos by Matt Kelly)

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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.

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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.

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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 TT$15 per card or TT$100 for a pack of Drawstring bags-TT$130

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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

GUIDELINES TO CONTRIBUTORS 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 1st Quarter 2018 issue of the Bulletin is March 10, 2018.