Wild Tobago

Faraaz Abdool, birder and environmentalist, wonders what’s going on at Asa Wright Nature Centre, closed 20 months by Covid-19 ; first published in the Newsday. Photos by Faraaz Abdool Is the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) slowly slipping from our landscape and history? Are the verdant hills which once were its crowning glory now reclaiming the lodge? As the saga surrounding this ecotourism pillar continues, only one thing has become clear – there are far more questions than answers. Most people have fond memories of the place, its location, and the many birds which frequented the grounds on the property. Innumerable visitors from all walks of life have traversed its corridor to the main veranda. Gentle footsteps quicken as the majestic Arima Valley looms into view. Eyes open wider, most gasp unconsciously under sensory overload. The scent of the lush forest. The frenetic twittering of more birds than one can focus on at any given moment. The buzz of their wings as bej...

  Dr Anjani Ganase looks at two similar Caribbean islands, two hours apart, with very different island ecosystems; and shares what we should learn from Curacao. All photos by Anjani Ganase   On a map, Curaçao is positioned as the mirror opposite to Tobago. Both share a vague resemblance to a cigar. Tobago is named for Tobacco. The origin of the name of Curaçao is unknown but thought to be given by the Arawaks who lived on the island. While Curaçao is 61 km long and 7 km wide, the island follows a northwest to southeast alignment, Tobago is shorter and fatter - 41 km long and 12 km wide - with a northeast to southwest alignment. It is the islands’ locations, geological histories and ecologies that make Curaçao and Tobago so distinctive with regard to their considerable natural wonders and biodiversity. View from Mt Christoffel, highest point on Curacao, shows an expanse of scrubland Tobago's Main Ridge Forest Reserve On the shoulder of South America C...

Divers “collect” images of these undersea creatures, much like birders pursue the birds in their habitats. This piece is an ode to some weird and wonderful little creatures of the marine world. Dr Anjani Ganase, marine ecologist, looks at nudibranchs   If I were to mention that this piece is about sea slugs, you might imagine the slimy land slugs that raid your crops and leave in their wakes unapologetic trails of slime. However, sea slugs, also known as nudibranchs (pronounced noo-dee-bronkh), on the other hand, have evolved to become some of the most vibrant marine critters adapted with flamboyant costuming in vivid colours and eccentric patterns. They have amassed a following of divers - similar to birders - who travel the world to collect images of these tiny creatures.   Sheep nudibranch, Tulamben, Bali. Credit:  Toby Matthews / Ocean Image Bank What are nudibranchs?   Nudibranchs are part of a large group of sea slugs (opistobranc...

At this defining moment in human history, will the world’s representatives make the right choices. Whether they do or not, there are things that the rest of us must do to live with climate change. Pat Ganase comments. (First published Newsday Trinidad and Tobago November 4, 2021) We imagine it could be worse. It could be a zombie apocalypse. Or New York city freezing over in one day. Or a hurricane that sits for 20 hours over one island and demolishes every structure. Or a tsunami that ends 230,000 lives in an instant. Our current life-threatening situation is the prospect of a hotter world, with more violent storms, flooding and drought, and sea level rise, maybe next year or next decade. Perhaps not imminent enough to make us truly fearful.   The truth is the earth is a dynamic natural system, self-regulating and balancing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean. This balancing act comes with consequences as humans continue to pump excess CO2 into the ...