Wild Tobago

Dr Anjani Ganase reflects on the ocean as a source of life; and the possibility that where there is water in the universe, there might be life. Breathe in and out, look around, see life all around us. Life as we know it is the culmination of evolution that started over three billion years ago on this planet in our ocean. We have evolved enough to be able to trace our origins but also to seek out other origin stories in our solar system and beyond. Life requires the presence of energy, organic molecules to be organised and structures and water as the medium for chemical reactions and transport of elements and nutrients. Our planet is home to a large body of waters, the ocean occupies 70 % of planet earth. It is the keeper of climates and maintains life. Our planet received deposits of frozen water from space over billions of years from comets and asteroids colliding with the surface of the planet. As the planet warmed, the water collected to form the ocean.   Wh...

Dr Anjani Ganase, coral reef ecologist, brings the latest scientific research on an extinct giant shark, how tonka bean trees make space in the Panamanian forests and how our ears are like fish gills. Our evolutionary origins are fishy The outer ear of a mammal is oddly shaped and weird looking. The ear folds seem unnecessary in contrast to the smooth conical disc devices, like the satellite dish, that we’ve invented to collect sound signals. The path of evolution is meandering and mysterious. All land animals evolved from the ocean, a place that really has no use for an ear. However, on land, the growth of ears provided clear benefits for mammals. Researchers from the School of Medicine, University of Southern California found that the outer ear of mammals can be linked evolutionarily to the gills of ancient fish. Both organs share a unique tissue called elastic collagen that make the outer ear (and gills) flexible but durable. In present day, the tissue is predominantly found ...

Do we know all of Trinidad and Tobago’s Environmentally Sensitive Species? Dr Anjani Ganase suggests wider research and inquiry to expand the list, and to expose all citizens to what needs to be protected. TT’s list of Environmentally Sensitive Species Under the legislation, the Environmental Management Act (2000), species listed under the Environmentally Sensitive Species Rule are afforded full protection in Trinidad and Tobago. Under this Rule, the species can be animal or plant, may be endemic to Trinidad and Tobago or spend only part of its life cycle in our territory. Furthermore, any plant or animal listed for risk of extinction and overexploitation by any international convention that the government of Trinidad and Tobago is party to is eligible for becoming an ESS. The Rule limits the cutting, picking or uprooting of plants; and prohibits hunting and disturbing protected animals, especially during sensitive periods such as breeding season or during migrat...

Dr Anjani Ganase wonders about the quality of information that is used to drive campaign promises; or voting for that matter.  Good governance begins with a good understanding of the country’s needs, what is required for its social, economic and environmental wellbeing. While there is no single system for governing the process by which governments seek to achieve social wellbeing, surely inclusion, transparency, accountability are necessary principles; in addition to information. Governments must make decisions on the knowledge they possess while recognising that gaps can be filled in through collaborations with regional/ international agencies, NGOs, academia and civil society including the private sector.   The benefits of any decisions must consider the needs of all its citizens, communities present and future. Most important is the role of the citizen in holding governments accountable to their governance. For a scientist the currency for good decisi...

  Faraaz Abdool puts the spotlight on the bird whose habitat is the mid-Atlantic and breeding ground the rocky islands off Tobago’s north.   The Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic is unique among all other seas as all its boundaries are oceanic. While the body of water itself was named after the ubiquitous sargassum seaweed found within it, there is a small, cryptic seabird that now carries this name: the Sargasso Shearwater. Its scientific name – Puffinus lherminieri - is in honour of the Guadeloupe-based French naturalist Félix Louis L’Herminier, who, with his son in his later years, spent considerable time studying the flora and fauna of the Caribbean.   An adult Sargasso Shearwater makes its way to its burrow. Photo by Faraaz Abdool Sargasso Shearwaters are pelagic birds, meaning that they are superbly adapted to life on the ocean. They are from the order of birds colloquially known as “tubenoses” which comprises four families of ocean wanderers: shearwaters, alba...

Dr Anjani Ganase continues to advocate different indicators for a thriving economy. In the Wellbeing Economy, human and environmental health are one and the same. We need new political thinking and vision for wellbeing in Trinidad and Tobago. While I mentioned the Doughnut Economy in last week’s article, there are several new economic models that focus on human social wellbeing and environmental health rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.   Another example, the Wellbeing Economy stipulates that human and environmental wellbeing go hand in hand with the foundational values of fairness, participation, nature, purpose and dignity. One example where wellbeing economics should be applied is in agriculture and food security. On island nations, such as Trinidad and Tobago, our land is limited and there must be clear management of its use to sustain our water and natural resources, and healthy agricultural practices for food security. Our land resource mu...

The Blue Green Agenda, part 2 Dr Anjani Ganase continues to envision a different direction for Trinidad and Tobago, setting a path to social wellbeing without depleting our natural resources. “Forward and upward” has always been the mantra of human progress, in the words of economist, Kate Raworth in her TED Talk. The GDP is the only metric used to assess country progress, regardless of whether or not citizens are thriving. There is need to revise this outlook to truly reflect the complexities of human prosperity. Growth measured by GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was invented in the 1930s a world very different to the one we experience today. Then, the market economy was in its inception. Fast forward 100 years, we have significantly progressed quality of life, reduced extreme poverty to less than 10 % (still some 700 million people), and we are at the height of growth in the era of mass consumerism and entertainment. Unfortunately, the benefits we have reaped ...