Wild Tobago

One does not exist without the other it seems. Dr Anjani Ganase reminds us of the special relationship that comes with being small islands in the vast oceans that generate these storms. The Bahamas sits in the hurricane belt and has one of the highest, if not the highest, history of hurricane for the Caribbean. Its infrastructure and society is adapted for hurricanes. Yet, the devastation that Dorian has left is another reminder of how much we underestimate the impacts of climate change and how much we (humans) are lagging in preparing ourselves for the future of a changed climate. The only other Category 5 hurricane to pass directly over in the Bahamas in recent times was Hurricane Andrew, which had maximum wind speed of 265 km/hour and passed over Bahamas within 12 hours. Dorian, on the other hand, had maximum wind speed of 295 km/hour and sat over the Bahamas for over two days! The destructive winds, rainfall and storm surge devastated communities and this is only the most obviou...

Anjani Ganase, marine scientist, calls upon business to claim its share of ocean wealth while helping to conserve and manage Tobago’s offshore resources. This feature was first prepared for Contact, the magazine of the Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce; and is reprinted in the Tobago Newsday on November 23, 2017 We think of the ocean and its resources as vast and endless. Goods and services provided by the ocean for humans have been estimated to be about 24 trillion USD in assets (World Wildlife Fund, 2015) more than the economy of most nations. These goods include fishing, harvesting of materials and procurement of medicine, as well as services through shoreline protection, wave energy extraction, shipping and tourism. This asset value is grossly underestimated, as it doesn’t consider the crucial roles of the ocean in regulating climate, the air we breathe and stabilising temperature, nor does it consider the intrinsic cultural value that we place on the ocean (WWF 2...