Wild Tobago

  Pesticides, phosphates, soap and shampoo, all have an impact on the natural world!   Dr Anjani Ganase looks at how everyday chemical use affects other species and the environment.   We impact our surrounding environment in more ways than we know. Humans alter the physical and biological landscapes and seascapes dramatically and silently. Less obvious are the chemical infiltrations that occur through some of our common activities. Our daily routines –   showering, cleaning the house, driving to work, all casual activities, even when we try to be mindful - all leave a footprint on the environment. Let’s look at a few chemicals that cause unintended collateral damage to wildlife.   The chemicals in our tyres A recently published study finally cracked the mystery of dying salmon in the northwest USA. These deaths have occurred in creeks adjacent to urban centres. For years, scientists would observe salmon suffer behavioural changes including swimming in ...

Can you live without eating beef? What about that semi-stray cat that gets your table scraps?   Faraaz Abdool, author of Casual Birding in Trinidad & Tobago, discusses some personal choices that, taken collectively, can make a difference to the island’s biodiversity. All photos by Faraaz Abdool                       Isn't she cute? Isn't she lovely? Don't be deceived, these lovable pets can be lethal in your backyard! Convenience in the short term can have damaging impacts in the long term. As consumers, we hold the ultimate power in the chain of supply and demand. The consumer decides what is worthy of investment and what’s not. Corporations may seem untouchable in their endless pursuit of profit, but we can shift our attention to local entrepreneurs when we are making our purchases. We have the responsibility of knowing where our food comes from, and this includes all fruits, vegetables, snacks, grains, ev...

Like Joni Mitchell in her song “Big Yellow Taxi,” Faraaz Abdool pleads for his beloved birds: not many will survive the onslaught of toxic chemicals used to rid backyard gardens and agri-holdings of pests. What should we be doing to protect the crops? All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool    Bees are valuable pollinators A poisoned bee lies dead after crawling around convulsing. (Dead bees have been turning up ever since a new neighbour moved in next door to us, he sprays constantly) Let’s not debate what makes a pest a pest. Instead, let’s figure out how we decide what is fit to be freely dispensed into the environment. There is a wide selection of bottles and cans available in your local plant or agro-shop – herbicides and pesticides and insecticides – which do the jobs of getting rid of weeds, “pests” and insects. First of all, do we take the time to read the labels? The sad truth is that most of us don’t, taking for granted that a sense of res...