Posts

Easing into Nature

By wildgirl -
Image
Joanne Husain explores Trinidad’s north-eastern forest through Bajnath’s Estate.   Opposite the popular Salybia Beach on Trinidad’s rugged north-eastern coast is an unassuming road that meanders into the lush landscapes of the Matura National Park. With a few residences at the start, this road gradually ascends through shady bamboo groves and forest. The tree line opens here and there revealing stunning vistas of untouched parts of the Northern Range. The road ends at the trailhead to Rio Seco waterfall, but the very last property before this is where you’ll find Bajnath’s Estate.   The Rio Seco waterfall is a popular hiking destination. (Photo by Josh Bajnath) Nature’s own carnival band greets you at the bottom of the steep driveway. Here is Hummer’s Lane, a carefully curated garden with vervain, lantana, heath, heliconia, cosmos and zinnia interspersed with artificial nectar feeders. Tiny prismatic bodies take centre stage. Come alive with the rhythmic flut
Post a Comment
Read more

Tobago's Stony Corals Threatened

By wildgirl -
Image
Our corals are the canaries in the coalmine of climate change. Dr Anjani Ganase is warning of the disease that can wipe out our impressive boulder brain corals.   Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is officially in the Southern Caribbean. Curaçao, Bonaire, Venezuela and even Grenada have reported outbreaks. It is only a matter of time until SCTLD reaches Trinidad and Tobago, and we are not ready.   Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was first recorded in Grenada in 2015 with many confirmed sightings in 2018 and 2019. Bonaire and Venezuela made observations at the end of 2022, while Curaçao observed in the beginning of 2023. Within a single year, many of the reefs of Bonaire and Curaçao have suffered mass die off of their precious brain corals. The rate of mortality is much higher than any previous disease outbreak encountered on Caribbean corals. White-band disease killed over 80 % of the Acropora corals (two species) found throughout the Caribbean within a decade. Ac
Post a Comment
Read more

Sampling the World

By wildgirl -
Image
Faraaz Abdool reports from the international tourism marketplace ITB Berlin held in Germany in March. All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool   The world’s largest tourism trade fair - commonly known as the ITB has been held annually in Berlin Germany since 1966.   The Internationale Tourismus-Börse which means “international tourism market,” seems to include all aspects of natural history and culture, from all over the world. Every year tourism players from across the world journey to Berlin to display, promote, and make new connections to improve their tourism industries, to enhance attractions and pull visitors.   It is an opportunity to network, learn and gain new insight into what might be marketable.   While government agencies such as tourist boards, ministries, and foreign offices occupy significant floor space, there are several exhibitors -   cruise lines, airlines, hotels, tour operators - that offer services to multiple countries. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre draws at
Post a Comment
Read more

When the Moon blocks the Sun

By wildgirl -
Image
Anjani Ganase discusses the phenomenon of a total solar eclipse   On April 8, parts of the USA, Canada and Mexico will experience a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up with the sun and blocks most of the sun’s light to the area of Earth directly in its path. While the full process of the eclipse takes hours for the line-up of the moon and the sun, the time for the total black out of the sun lasts only a few minutes, during which time the sky turns to twilight and in some cases the temperature drops. The last time I experienced a total solar eclipse, I was on a boat on the northern Great Barrier Reef off Lizard Island. The light dipped so much that we were able to see the stars around the sun. The atmosphere was eerie, and it felt as if nature was also silent in observation.   We wondered about the impacts on the ocean life and the behaviours in nature around us.    Solar eclipse of 2017 August 21 in Oregon. Photo by Guiseppe Donatiello CC0 1.
Post a Comment
Read more

Avian Flu and Biosecurity Rules in Antarctica

By wildgirl -
Image
Dr Anjani Ganase discusses how the spread of disease is being curbed in Antarctica through the knowledge and co-operative efforts of scientists and tour operators. Lessons in community and communication that bear being echoed in other ecotourist destinations.   Avian influenza virus (HPAI – highly pathogenic avian influenza -   H5N1 strain) has been confirmed on the continent of Antarctica. Samples were taken from two dead skua birds found by Argentinian scientists near Antarctic base Primavera. Since then, other confirmed cases include one Adelie penguin on Beagle Island and an Antarctic Shag farther south along the coast. In October 2023, the first confirmed case of Avian Flu was recorded in the Sub-Antarctic Islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands as well as the Falkland Islands. Today, the infected species on the island include a range of bird species – skuas, albatross, a gentoo penguin, and even an elephant seal. The genetic assessment of th
Post a Comment
Read more

Developing the Home Market for Ecotourism

By wildgirl -
Image
  Pat Ganase encourages Trinbagonians to enjoy nature in these retreats on our islands. “Tobago has always had ecotourism,” says one environmentalist engaged in tourism. And Trinidad? The country’s best known ecotourism destination prides itself on attracting visitors from all over the world for close to 60 years. Who are these ecotourists that come from elsewhere, to be charmed by where we live here: the nature of forests and seashores and the animals and plants therein. Do they always need to be foreigners.   The best thing about eco-tourism is that everyone can enjoy it, learn from it and become better citizen stewards of our own country.   It does not require massive infrastructure, but does depend on strategic investments in long-term management of natural resources. Perhaps the most important foundation is respect for natural spaces. Any vision of individual or community must be enhanced and supported through policy, conscious use and the reliability of necessary syste
1 comment
Read more