Welcoming Long Distance Travellers

How do we make visitors welcome on our islands and in our seas? By preserving habitats and food sources. But most importantly, by appreciating the visitors. Dr Anjani Ganase considers the meaning of Trinidad and Tobago’s signing the Convention to conserve migratory species such as sharks, birds, turtles and the Monarch Butterfly. 

On December 1, 2018, Trinidad and Tobago became the 127th country to sign on to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, as part of the United Nations Environment Programmme. According the Convention, countries must recognize that migratory wildlife and the environments that support them are irreplaceable, have extant value for future generations and it is our responsibility to wholly care for these organisms. Signatories of the Convention are mandated to actively protect migratory wildlife and the habitats they utilise when they occur within the country’s jurisdiction. This includes their food sources and the quality and connectivity of ranges within the country.

Trinidad and Tobago may claim these giant leatherbacks as residents because they were hatched here. They are  however citizens of the world and should be accorded safe passage on other shores but especially in the ocean. Photo courtesy Michelle Cazabon-Mannette

Protecting migratory species has always been a conservation challenge; as migratory animals do not abide by national boundaries but regularly relocate to environments suitable for different aspects of their lifecycles - feeding, mating and raising their young. Migration routes of certain bird species span the poles: the Arctic Terns migrate far enough to experience two summers in a year. Even between their overwintering and breeding destinations, there are designated stopover points that birds utilise for rest and food. This goes for all travellers by air, land and sea; and indeed migration is very risky business. Whales feed in the nutrient rich, cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, while breeding and rearing their young occurs in the tropics. Hawksbill and Green turtles residing on our coral reefs in Tobago as juveniles are born in the northern Caribbean where they return when it is time to mate. Having as many countries as possible sign on and be active in the protection of migratory species will therefore improve survival rates.

The list of migratory species mentioned in the convention is extensive – nearly 200 species of mammals, 380 bird species, 10 species of reptiles namely marine turtles and saltwater crocodiles, over 20 species of finned fish (oarfish, shovelnose and sturgeons), nearly 40 species of sharks (threshers, hammerheads, white sharks) and one species of insect, the Monarch Butterfly. The Monarch Butterflies are world travellers, traversing long distances across North and South America, with Trinidad and Tobago on their path. As an island nation, we mostly get visitors from the ocean and the sky. Hundreds of species of animals listed under the Convention are known to Trinidad and Tobago, including several species of birds and marine animals. The marine animals consist mostly of megafauna, such as marine turtles, humpback whales, blue whales, and manatees.

Trinidad and Tobago does not have a history of actively protecting marine life, with only one marine area designated for active management. Yet protecting the species and the habitats they utilize - such as nesting beaches, coral reefs or even sections of open ocean - are essential to fulfill the mandate of the Convention. The next steps for Trinidad and Tobago therefore will be to establish policies – and laws - to protect the organisms and their environments. Special considerations are needed for endangered organisms to maintain existing numbers, and to manage and improve populations though research, ecosystem management and education. There is a lot of emphasis on scientifically backed management and protection practices along with social engagement and education. 

There are exceptional challenges in active management of marine life, specifically the marine megafauna – whales, dolphins, sharks and marine turtles (when they’re not nesting on the beaches). With the exception of sharks, many of the species are no longer as aggressively targeted for food, and currently the biggest threats to this marine life are the impacts of industry on the open ocean. The economic exclusion zone of Trinidad and Tobago is mapped for oil and gas stakeholders rather than by ecosystem. We have a long history of seismic surveying that requires the use of air guns, which are known to impact marine life. Apart from this, there is significant boat traffic through our waters, which makes them noisy and confusing for marine mammals that use sound to navigate and communicate. Noise may even result in beaching. This is one example of disturbances that need to be considered for this Convention. Other threats include degraded water quality – we have frequent incidences of oil spills - and marine trash such as plastics and ghost nets abandoned by fishermen; all of which can be deadly to migratory species. 

Trinidad and Tobago has also signed on to a Memorandum of Understanding for the conservation of migratory sharks (39 species). By signing this, Trinidad and Tobago’s Government acknowledges the importance of sharks and the need to act for their protection. Trinidad and Tobago must consult with its marine scientists to come up with a conservation plan for migratory sharks. This will be a most challenging exercise considering our cultural attachment to shark meat. Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction and an opportunity to collaborate with other nations in the region on this venture. 

Tadzio Bervoets, the Director of the Nature Foundation in St Maarten, applauded Trinidad and Tobago saying:

“This is a huge step for shark and ray conservation in the Caribbean and the Atlantic basin in general. Sharks are some of the most threatened marine species on earth and it is great to see that Trinidad and Tobago, who have had challenges managing the species in the past, are now joining the effort to conserve the species not only in their territorial waters but joining the wider Caribbean.” 

Considering that a few of the Tiger sharks he tagged in St. Maarten travelled down to Tobago, he sees an opportunity for research and conservation collaboration between the two island nations. 

Finally we need to consider how our current plans might be impacted by climate change. The West Indian Manatee, also listed, is a nationally protected species, but its main habitat, the Nariva Swamp, a freshwater wetland is under threat of sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion, as our east coast continues to erode. Many turtle nesting beaches are under threat of coastal erosion because of sea level rise; and warming temperatures may impact the viability of eggs. Warming temperatures may shift or reduce the size of wetlands and other habitats utilised by migratory birds. This is the opportunity for the Government to be proactive and consider all forms of direct and indirect, present and unforeseen threats, and to collaborate with experts and scientists to plan the best strategies of protection and management. Such strategies will undoubtedly also provide opportunities for education and tourism.

 

Hawksbill turtles hatch on our shores but travel far beyond our reefs and seagrass beds. How do we make the ocean safe for them? Photo courtesy Ryan Mannette