For the Future of Buccoo Reef

Dr Shivonne Peters- McPherson proposes Marine Spatial Planning techniques and programmes for all coastal and oceanic areas around Trinidad and Tobago

 

Our twin-island nation Trinidad and Tobago is considered a small island developing state (SIDS) whose future will surely rest heavily on development of its blue economy. Trinidad’s aspiration is supported by a long history in the oil and gas industry, while Tobago’s economy has been tourism-based. Scientific advancements in the blue economy sectors, such as blue biotechnology and ocean energy are making changes across the globe, but to date have to be fully understood and explored in Trinidad and Tobago whose ocean territory is about 15 times its land.

The potential for development and the benefits can be tremendous, even as we struggle to manage land-based pollution, unsustainable harvesting, habitat destruction and climate change. The development of the blue economy should facilitate the transition to renewable energy, place opportunities in the hands of remote, rural and coastal communities, promote economic growth, and conserve important coastal and marine habitats. All this can only make us more resilient to global shocks and the growing impacts of climate change.

 

Reef tour boats bring visitors to the Nylon Pool in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Photo by Shivonne Peters- McPherson

 

Considering our marine territory

One of the ways to enter and manage our blue economy is through Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). MSP is a tool that is used to identify and understand the uses of the marine space and make collaborative and coordinated decisions concerning the sustainable use of ocean resources. The process encourages information and education while facilitating communication and collaboration across a wide group of stakeholders. A long-term plan engages stakeholders to balance the conflicting demands of development and conservation.  Through the MSP process, conflicts are resolved towards consensus with key stakeholders concerning the allocation of various zones for activities, thus reducing conflicts over competition for space and resources. Throughout the world, MSP success stories are common; in the Seychelles to expand marine biodiversity protection; the management of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park; in Barbuda where zones were created to manage the island’s entire marine jurisdiction.

Marine resource management and conservation is one area in which MSP is particularly advantageous.  As in many other countries worldwide, marine habitats in Trinidad and Tobago are often difficult to manage as they already facilitate a host of human activities and livelihoods; for example, the EEZ may already have been mapped for oil and gas exploration without regard to bio-resources.

Let us consider the Buccoo Reef Marine Park, one of the most ecologically important areas and one of Tobago’s main tourist attractions. The Marine Park is relatively small in size, covering an area of seven km², nevertheless, it supports countless socioeconomic activities, namely reef tours, kite and windsurfing, jet skiing, kayaking, swimming and snorkelling, cooking and partying. These activities are concentrated in popular areas like the Nylon Pool and No Man’s Land, which are part of the Buccoo Reef Complex. Efforts to effectively manage this space have been ongoing since 1995 (we may consider the start of protection the late 1970’s when the area was designated). Significant challenges still exist today. Marine Spatial Planning can provide solutions to these issues, ensuring sustainable management both now and for generations to come.

 

Map depicting the location of tourism-related activities in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Map source: Peters et al. (2023).

A Plan for Buccoo Marine Park

A recently concluded project developed a model Marine Spatial Plan for the Buccoo Reef Park. This project considered the socioeconomic activities, temporal changes in the area, and ecological health of the Park, and used findings from these three areas to create a model MSP. Socioeconomic activities were found to occur within close proximity to one another, for instance motorized water sports, non-motorized water sports and swimming all occurred in the same general area. Not surprisingly, frequent user conflicts were reported by many stakeholders. Significant changes to the size of marine habitats were also observed over a 27-year period, where habitats such as coral reef colonies decreased in size while seagrasses adjacent to the Nylon Pool expanded. The coastline from Mount Irvine to Pigeon Point experienced erosion and this is evident in the loss of coastal vegetation and the recent erection of stabilization structures along sections of the coastline. Some coral reef habitats in the Buccoo Reef were found to still have critically endangered species such as the Acropora, and high fish diversity.     

The findings from the assessments of the socioeconomic activities, temporal changes, and ecological health informed the development of the MSP which recommended these zones: Strict Conservation Zone (marine), Strict Conservation Zone (terrestrial), Managed Area and Multi-use Zones. Marine conservation zones will protect critically important coral and fish species, thereby ensuring long-term reef resilience and diversity, while terrestrial conservation zones were designed to protect key terrestrial habitats, namely mangroves, that have an impact on the MPA and surrounding areas. Both conservation zones will limit human activities. The Managed Area zones will allow for sustainable and wise use with strict management of key areas on land including erosion-prone areas and wastewater treatment facilities. Multi-use Zones were designed to facilitate a range of compatible socioeconomic activities, with minimal conflicts. This model MSP facilitates a range of socioeconomic activities, affords strict protection to key habitats, manages at-risk and important sites, and can serve as a model for other critical coastal areas in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

A Tool for Marine Spaces

Marine Spatial Planning is undoubtedly gaining momentum as a tool that can facilitate the effective use and management of our spaces that serve a blue economy. A few weeks ago an announcement was made concerning the development of a Marine Spatial Plan for the Gulf of Paria. The Gulf of Paria is a semi-enclosed inland sea that covers an area of approximately 3,000 square miles off Trinidad’s western coast. This dynamic area supports industries such as energy, transportation, shipping and fishing, and is also home to critically important habitats such as mangroves. The communities using the Gulf of Paria may be very different from those whose livelihoods depend on the Buccoo Reef Marine Park, but the spirit of conservation and willingness to arrive at consensus must be the same.

We must come together to define and defend zones for various activities. We must agree on rules and management of the spaces. Collaboration can only bring benefits through reducing user conflicts, safeguarding key habitats and species, and encouraging wise use among all stakeholders.

The future we see begins with small steps, and discussions about what’s possible. Let us create among our coastal communities the willingness to work for a future that benefits all, humans and other creatures.

 

(Dr. Shivonne M. Peters-McPherson developed a model Marine Spatial Plan for the Buccoo Reef Marine Park for her PhD dissertation. She is a part-time lecturer and regional consultant specialising in sustainable development and marine protected area management: shivonne17@hotmail.com)

 

References:

Peters-McPherson, Shivonne (2024) A model Marine Spatial Plan for the Buccoo Reef Marine Park based on socioeconomic, spatio-temporal and ecological assessments. University of Trinidad and Tobago.

S M Peters, R Guppy, D Ramsewak, A Potts, Socioeconomic dimensions of the Buccoo Reef Marine Park, an assessment of stakeholder perceptions towards enhanced management through MSP, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 80, Issue 5, July 2023, Pages 1399–1409, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad066