Wild Tobago

Dr Anjani Ganase looks at the influence of rivers, the creation of deltas and the places where the sea comes in. River deltas are formed where rivers meet the ocean. The dynamic water movement driven by the forces of waves, tides and river flow all shape deltas and result in unique wetland ecosystems that live within the narrow margins between the land and sea. As seasons change, as storms surge and tides turn, we also observe shifts in the distribution of soil, vegetation and aquatic life that utilise the confines of the delta. Rivers bring soil from inland, and the sediment settles out as the river slows where it nears the ocean. This is because of the flatter, even terrain that occurs when the river reaches sea-level that allows the river to widen as it is no longer is restricted by the river banks and can spill over a low lying flood plain. Apart from the river flow, ocean waves, tides and even the spin of the earth (coriolis effect - which is the deflec...

Mangrove forests provide coastal protection and habitat for many species. Dr Anjani Ganase takes us into an ecosystem that is as valuable as coral reefs, especially to small islands like Tobago. Mangroves are often depicted as uninviting and unfriendly environments, not pleasing to the eye, a little bit smelly and a haven for mosquitos and sand flies. Yet within this narrow piece of real estate between terrestrial forests and marine ecosystems, mangrove forests are lush with marine, estuarine and terrestrial life and, when protected and managed well, rich in biodiversity.  Mangrove forest, Petit Trou, Tobago. Photo by Anjani Ganase Mangrove forests are inshore coastal communities, where they can occur in salt, estuarine or fresh water conditions. They prefer calm waters that allow the mangroves to effectively root themselves into the substrate of the water column without being swept away. Even though mangroves may prefer freshwater conditions - they occur in areas with...

Jahson Alemu, marine biologist, discusses the importance of mangrove ecosystems to the enhancement and protection of coastlines, and also to our future. This feature was first published in the Tobago Newsday on Thursday December 15, 2016 Follow Jahson on twitter: @jahson_alemu. If trees are the lungs of the earth, mangroves must be the kidneys. Like botanical amphibians, mangroves live life on the edge. Uniquely positioned at the dynamic interface between land and sea, they are highly productive tropical coastal ecosystems comprised mainly of trees and shrubs capable of thriving in humid heat, amid choking mud and salt levels in which only a few plant species can survive (Duke et al 1998). If you’ve never seen a mangrove, picture a lattice of tangled tree legs rising up from brackish water. At one point in our history, mangrove forests were treated as wasteland considered only useful as dumps, and haven to bad spirits, jumbies, runaways and criminals. Red mangroves (Rhizophora ...