Surfing for Conservation

Could enthusiasts of sports such as surfing influence the conservation of their favourite beaches? Anjani Ganase makes the case for surfers in Trinidad and Tobago to champion beaches like Toco or Mt Irvine.

Coastlines that generate outstanding wave formation and epic surf conditions often coincide with areas rich in biodiversity and marine life. It sometimes happens that marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs that support rich marine life below, also support roaring surfing communities above the water.

Photo 1 Surfing at Grange Bay, Tobago. Photo by Nicholas Marsan

All coastal areas are heavily influenced by human activities, especially since over 70 % of the world’s populations are found within 50 km of coasts. As a result, there’s hardly a coast or marine ecosystem that’s untouched by human activity. Indeed many have undergone significant degradation. Popular surfing destinations have not been spared from a wide range of human activities such as coastal development, seabed dredging and the installation of dykes, seawalls and coastal revetments, that result in the alteration of water movement and therefore wave formation.

Surfers around the world have begun actively seeking to preserve the surf breaks along with the surrounding environment, appreciating that their recreational spaces need long-term conservation management. The concept of wave reserves is not new; in fact, the first wave reserve was declared in 1973 at Bell’s Beach in Victoria, Australia. Bell’s Beach is home to the longest running pro surf competition in the world. To this day, this beach remains untouched and protected. At the same time, the beach and its waves bring in millions of dollars of revenue through annual surfing competitions without requiring any permanent infrastructure on the sand. Such alignment of coastal and marine conservation goals for the development of sports and recreational activities can prove to be very valuable for nations working to achieve sustainability as they develop. 

Photo 2 Surfing at Sans Souci, Toco. Photo by Nicholas Marsan

Today, there are dozens of wave reserves established around the world, some with legal protection of the surf and surrounding areas. These activities have been led by organisations such as Save The Wave Coalition and by independent community surf groups in different countries. Researchers found that 37 % of surf breaks already occurred within protected areas, while over two-thirds were not protected, even though they occurred close to biodiversity hotspots. 

About 25 % of renowned surfing locations around the world occur within 5 km of key marine biodiversity hotspots that are not protected. Interestingly, if the existing protected areas were to expand their boundaries by 5 km, then up to 80 % of surf breaks could be protected. Here surfing activity may be able to garner support for expanding conservation that is inclusive of wave reserves. These surf spots range from tiny tropical islands in the Pacific to the south coast of Australia, the Pacific coast of Central America, and the North Sea. Many sites also border terrestrial hotspots. In these areas, the threats to the surfing and the biodiversity are aligned. 

Mt Irvine Bay. Photo by Nicholas Marsan

Strategies such as these are growing in importance and urgency. Today only 15 % of the world’s coastal ecosystems remain intact and undisturbed and most of these pristine coasts are not located in tropical biodiversity locations. Furthermore, the threat of accelerated sea-level rise because of climate change will exacerbate existing maladies. Coastal erosion is a growing issue with natural coastal ecosystems often being squeezed out by the rising seas, and hard coastal infrastructure. Beach sand, a natural form of coastal stabilizer and a habitat for coastal vegetation and marine life, is also being extracted at alarming rates for construction and reinforcement. Natural and eco-friendly socio-economic incentives for coastal protection is the ideal path forward for sustainable development.  

Surfers are one community that might consider combining conservation with eco-friendly sport tourism.  Globally, the surfing industry is worth 11 billion USD, while diving brings in 33 billion USD a year. Here in Trinidad and Tobago, major surf spots at Toco for instance, coincide with beaches that have some of the highest densities of nesting turtles on the island. It is no coincidence that one of the only coral reefs on Trinidad is at Toco. 

Mt Irvine reef in Tobago is another popular surf spot created by the fringing coral reefs that line the headland. It is also a favourite diving location. As coral reefs uphold the waves, it makes sense that the sport becomes an ally in its conservation.

Damien's Bay. Photo by Nicholas Marsan

 

Balandra produced Trinidad’s champion surfer Chris Dennis who has worked to help alleviate social challenges of village children through surfing. Nurturing social and natural environments go hand in hand.

Cultural heritage sites such as these, as well as others to be identified, might be promoted for sport and conservation. There are other activities, such as scuba diving, which may be aligned with more integrative conservation. Isn’t it time that we considered conserving and protecting those natural ecosystems that provide the environment and setting for what we enjoy?

References

Reineman, Dan R., et al. "Conservation Opportunities Arise From the Co-occurrence of Surfing and Key Biodiversity Areas." Frontiers in Marine Science 8 (2021): 253.

Williams, Brooke A., et al. "The global rarity of intact coastal regions." Conservation Biology (2021).