Wild Tobago

Managing and conserving marine life around our shores is as important as regulating development on the land. Dr Anjani Ganase speaks for life in the ocean and advocates planning that extends to the ocean beyond the coastline. Marine spatial planning is the responsibility of everyone who enjoys an ocean activity.   As islanders we see our ocean backyard as vast and endless. The science tells us different. Historically, islands of the Caribbean have recorded overreach of ocean resources. Fisheries and industries have expanded from coasts to deep sea areas that have never been explored before. Coastal communities are washed by pollutants in the form of oil and plastics from neighbouring islands which choke beaches, mangroves and coastlines. Sensitive areas are encroached upon and degraded by industry and development.    Coastal erosion along Pigeon Point will get worse with sea-level rise. Photo by Anjani Ganase   Pigeon Point beach area marked off with buoys. Photo by Anjani Gana

Endlessly exploited and damaged, the Buccoo Reef ecosystem is a remarkable national resource that is demonstrating resilience even in the face of climate change. Shivonne Peters-McPherson writes about the life on Buccoo Reef and our need to treasure what remains and what is coming back.   Buccoo Reef is not dead! They say that the only thing that remains of this once thriving ecosystem is an extensive seagrass community. That’s not true. While many may remember the Buccoo Reef circa the 1980s and 1990’s, a time when areas such as Coral Gardens were vibrant and full of pristine corals and an abundance of reef fish, life on the Reef changes and is persistent. There is no doubt that Buccoo Reef has been heavily degraded. Scientific studies show a decline in coral cover, especially at shallower depths. There is   an overgrowth of macroalgae, which often smothers corals and results in coral mortality. The average person who visited the reef decades ago will indeed see

From the frontline of research on coral reefs around Tobago, Dr Anjani Ganase is seeing how human activities on shore affect life in the ocean. Here, she makes an appeal to consider five gifts for a healthy ocean. All photos by Anjani Ganase   World Oceans Day (June 8) was last Saturday, but maybe we should start thinking of our ocean every day, or at least for the month of June. Here are my five wishes for the ocean around Trinidad and Tobago. These confront the five main challenges that our marine ecosystems face. Here are some things that we can do as individuals, communities and a country to protect our piece of the ocean.   By becoming familiar with all our ocean ecosystems - like these seagrass beds in Bon Accord lagoon -  our children learn to love the ocean. Photo by Anjani Ganase Protect our marine biodiversity by law: Trinidad and Tobago is home to eleven environmental sensitive species, including five species of marine turtles, and three environmen

  Dr Anjani Ganase reports from the front lines of science looking for solutions to our rapidly warming ocean.   Coastal defences are better when nature is involved.   In Trinidad and Tobago, a common solution to any flooding or erosion event is the installation of a box drain or retention wall. Pouring concrete or straightening a riverbed ignores the downstream negative impacts, the loss of ecological systems and the prevention of any future adaptation. Box drains, concrete walls and such permanent constructs do not respond to climate impacts and require high-cost maintenance in the long run. This is a common problem worldwide with 40 % of Japan’s coastlines hardened by coastal defences. These engineered solutions are referred to as hard defences – directly referring to the hardening of the coastline or the riverbed.   In contrast, soft - also known as ecosystem-based - solutions aim to mimic natural ecosystem functions - mangroves, back beach habitats

When last did you see a ray at the beach?   Farahnaz Solomon, marine biologist and fisheries expert, tells us about these mysterious creatures and asks us to look for skates and rays in our waters.     Trinidad and Tobago may be home to as many as 30 species of globally threatened skates and rays. What do we know about them? How can we appreciate and protect them in our waters? Local NGO and advocate for marine life, SpeSeas, has started a project aimed at unravelling the mysteries of rays: just how many species are there and where exactly do they live? Some of us have heard fishermen’s tales of the majestic manta – sometimes called devil ray - often sighted out at sea. Some of us have seen the southern stingrays and spotted eagle rays on the reefs or at the beach.   And a few have witnessed the fevers (a collection of rays is called a fever) of cownose rays migrating along the coast. Skates and rays are fishes that are closely related to sharks. They are often ref