Wild Tobago

Shivonne Peters-McPherson discusses the changing face of the popular party site in the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. All photos courtesy Shivonne Peters-McPherson Tobago has long been known for her diverse, pristine and unique marine environments, spanning colourful coral reefs, dense mangroves and white sand beaches. This beauty propelled the island’s popularity in the 1990’s and 2000’s as an ‘unspoilt’ destination, perfect for visitors seeking a benign nature experience. Along the island’s south-western coastline, beaches such as Pigeon Point, Mount Irvine Bay and Store Bay are popular. Underwater adventures are found on coral reefs such as Kariwak Reef off Store Bay, or reefs off the northern coast such as Charlotteville and Speyside. Among Tobago’s top beaches, one specific beach is memorable, No Man’s Land.   In 2020, the occasional boat visited No Man’s Land     No Man’s Land is now a regular stop for food and liming on many tour operators’ itinera...

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 i...