Wild Tobago

  Faraaz Abdool puts the spotlight on the bird whose habitat is the mid-Atlantic and breeding ground the rocky islands off Tobago’s north.   The Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic is unique among all other seas as all its boundaries are oceanic. While the body of water itself was named after the ubiquitous sargassum seaweed found within it, there is a small, cryptic seabird that now carries this name: the Sargasso Shearwater. Its scientific name – Puffinus lherminieri - is in honour of the Guadeloupe-based French naturalist Félix Louis L’Herminier, who, with his son in his later years, spent considerable time studying the flora and fauna of the Caribbean.   An adult Sargasso Shearwater makes its way to its burrow. Photo by Faraaz Abdool Sargasso Shearwaters are pelagic birds, meaning that they are superbly adapted to life on the ocean. They are from the order of birds colloquially known as “tubenoses” which comprises four families of ocean wanderers: shearwaters, alba...

Dr Anjani Ganase continues to advocate different indicators for a thriving economy. In the Wellbeing Economy, human and environmental health are one and the same. We need new political thinking and vision for wellbeing in Trinidad and Tobago. While I mentioned the Doughnut Economy in last week’s article, there are several new economic models that focus on human social wellbeing and environmental health rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.   Another example, the Wellbeing Economy stipulates that human and environmental wellbeing go hand in hand with the foundational values of fairness, participation, nature, purpose and dignity. One example where wellbeing economics should be applied is in agriculture and food security. On island nations, such as Trinidad and Tobago, our land is limited and there must be clear management of its use to sustain our water and natural resources, and healthy agricultural practices for food security. Our land resource mu...

The Blue Green Agenda, part 2 Dr Anjani Ganase continues to envision a different direction for Trinidad and Tobago, setting a path to social wellbeing without depleting our natural resources. “Forward and upward” has always been the mantra of human progress, in the words of economist, Kate Raworth in her TED Talk. The GDP is the only metric used to assess country progress, regardless of whether or not citizens are thriving. There is need to revise this outlook to truly reflect the complexities of human prosperity. Growth measured by GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was invented in the 1930s a world very different to the one we experience today. Then, the market economy was in its inception. Fast forward 100 years, we have significantly progressed quality of life, reduced extreme poverty to less than 10 % (still some 700 million people), and we are at the height of growth in the era of mass consumerism and entertainment. Unfortunately, the benefits we have reaped ...

  Is there a political party that will take up the challenge of an economy based on nature? Dr Anjani Ganase asks.   The dialogue of elections in Trinidad and Tobago seems to be stuck on construction and crime. Meanwhile the world is shifting rapidly from the era of globalization while enduring a climate crisis. The health of our people is intertwined with the health of our environment. The same environment which provides clean water and food security also provides areas of learning for innovation, adaptation and education. Should a vision of our future not set goals for conservation of nature today, and secure sustainability for future generations.   Let us begin to craft a new manifesto and use it to guide us.   The Buccoo Marine Park is visited by thousands since the 1940s. What actions have we taken to conserve it and make it a site of study? Photo by Anjani Ganase   Corals in the Buccoo Marine Park are affected by mass bleaching, ...

Guest writer, Eugenia Thomas reports on the 17 th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium, which she attended with a team of scientists from The University of the West Indies and the NGO SpeSeas The 17 th Deep-Sea Biology Symposium was held in Hong Kong in January this year. Our team of four scientists from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, and local NGO, SpeSeas, attended to present current research. This was a milestone event as it was the first time a team of this size represented Trinidad and Tobago, including first timer Barbados, highlighting the growing interest and importance of Caribbean nations involved in deep-sea exploration and research. Caribbean countries account for territory that is more than 85% deep ocean (ocean deeper than 200 meters). The ocean is our largest ecosystem, and plays a key role in every aspect of lifestyle and livelihood directly or indirectly, providing industry and services from fisheries to climate regulation. For those...