Wild Tobago

Pat Ganase goes on holiday in Charlotteville and takes a turn in the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. (All photos by Pat Ganase)   Zolani Frank lives at the Campbleton end of Charlotteville beach in Man-o-War Bay, at northeast Tobago. We know him from a recent tour of Little Tobago which Zolani (call me Zee) regularly conducts.   On this day, he proposes a walk in the woods through the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. It’s not a hard hike he assures us, and we’ll go “as the vibes take us.” Let’s take the Northside Road from Charlotteville. We rise above Campbleton; Man-o-War Bay is spread behind us. There’s Booby Island, Lover’s (Pink Sand) Bay and in the furthest distance Pirates Bay. The hills above are green with rainy season overgrowth. Scars of raw earth show where the land slipped in the last rainy season. Bamboo clumps tower above many tall trees. “Bamboo is now 30% of forest biomass in Tobago,” says Zolani. An iguana lazes on one sturdy bent bamboo. ...

In the Lesser Antilles, there are three designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves, St Kitts and Nevis, Tobago and Martinique. Joanne Husain looks at how the UNESCO designation is being used to define Martinique’s land and ocean territory.    In the heart of the eastern Caribbean between the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia, lies the French island of Martinique. Known as “The Island of Flowers,” Martinique boasts a unique combination of breathtaking landscapes, marine marvels, exceptional biodiversity and rich culture alongside a commitment to sustainable economic and social development. On September 15, 2021 Martinique was inducted into UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. This is the island’s second major UNESCO recognition after the inclusion of Martinique’s traditional Yole Sailboat on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List in December 2020.   A group of birders along one of the beautifully maintained forest trails in the Pitons du Carbet, the oldest mounta...

  Experience Tobago culture this month: the energized Carnival called the Freedom Festival October 28 to 30, or the more contemplative Art Trail to be revealed November 3. Pat Ganase reports.   As some flock to the Tobago Carnival this weekend, others may choose to get away from the revelry. They may seek quiet in nature on the cool forested Main Ridge or the beaches that punctuate the coast of northeast Tobago. You can escape into the forest from Roxborough (on the east) or from Parlatuvier or Bloody Bay (on the west coast). But if you choose to tour the beaches, you might start at Castara following the Northside (coastal) road through Englishman’s Bay, Parlatuvier, Bloody Bay, L’Anse Fourmi, Man o War Bay all on the Caribbean coast. At Charlotteville, the Northside Road runs into the Windward Road and you climb the highest part of the island to descend on the Atlantic coast, Speyside, King’s Bay (at Delaford), Roxborough, Belle Garden. This route also takes you on the ...

Research and study are intrinsic to current ecotourism trends; is Tobago ready? The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere designation for Tobago’s Northeast region presents an opportunity for all of Trinidad and Tobago to be forward thinking. Pat Ganase reports on the first steps. What’s in it for me? Is this indeed the response of most Tobagonians when they are told that Northeast Tobago has been designated by UNESCO a Man and the Biosphere (MAB) region, a learning site in nature where research and science and innovation might result in nature-based solutions to improve human lives? Aljoscha Wothke, key technical expert on the Government’s application to the UNESCO MAB governors, believes, “Tobago is beginning to understand. This is the best tool currently available for economic development. There are many international organisations looking at Northeast Tobago. I am very excited for the next steps which include management plans, all aspects of training including g...