 Islands need to protect marine biodiversity as well as their onshore natural environments. So believes Dr Howard Nelson one of the three plenary speakers at the inaugural Latin America and Caribbean Congress for Conservation Biology (LACCCB 2018) that was held in Trinidad and Tobago from July 25-27. The discussions around the conference theme “Rainforest to Reef” allowed participants to explore conservation needs and practices in Caribbean, island and marine ecosystems. In this Q&A with Pat Ganase, Dr. Nelson considers some of the challenges in Trinidad and Tobago.
What marine areas are protected? Which should be?
Currently only Buccoo Reef is protected under the Marine Preservation and Enhancement Act. There are many areas that need protection around the country. Deciding which ones get protection is a complicated issue as you not only need to look at protecting unique areas, but places that are important for traditional uses, as well as for important ecosystem processes such as migration, etc. The FAO and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago have been preparing a new national parks plan for the country. I helped develop the draft which was completed a month or so ago. This plan proposes new areas for protection, including deep sea areas, a large coastal and marine area around north-east Tobago, several islands, and coastal areas around Trinidad (such as the reefs at Salybia Bay in Toco). If approved, these will altogether cover about 21% of our Exclusive Economic Zone.
What are good examples (from other countries/ islands) that we should look at?
Across the Caribbean, there are several efforts to increase the size of terrestrial and marine areas under formal protection. The countries in the region are signatories to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), an international treaty that protects biodiversity globally. All member countries have committed to protect, at a minimum 17% of their terrestrial and 10% of their marine areas by 2020.
Good examples across the Caribbean abound. Look at the Codrington Marine Reserve in Antigua and Barbuda. Dominica has set national targets that exceed the CBD 2020 targets: they are aiming at 20% of terrestrial and 15% of coastal and marine areas. Several countries in the region (Bahamas, Grenada, St Kitts/Nevis, and the Dominican Republic, etc.) have also signed up to the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) that seeks to protect 20% of terrestrial and near shore marine and coastal resources by 2020, exceeding the CBD targets. The Belizeans have also been doing amazing work with protected areas of their barrier reefs.
Are there good examples in T&T that should be looked at? Where are they and why have they remained protected?
In T&T we've been slow in developing formally protected areas, as we have relied on the Forest act, Conservation of Wildlife Act and Marine Preservation and Enhancement Act primarily, to designate protected areas. These laws were never designed to accomplish the kind of protected areas management we need in the 21st century. We do have some protected areas that are still in good shape: Trinity Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Little Tobago Island, Main Ridge Forest Reserve, St David's Forest Reserve, Paria and Blanchisseuse Forest Reserves. Many of these areas have stayed in good shape either because they are relatively inaccessible, or in the case of the Tobago areas, are valued for their contributions to local livelihoods. There are areas where local community efforts have led to tremendous conservation success, such as at the coastal beaches in the north-east of Trinidad, and the work of Nature Seekers at Matura.
How would you try to influence people in T&T? Policy makers?
Trinidad and Tobago is a very special place for conservation in the Caribbean. We have the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems; the first forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere; our islands sit on a part of the South American continental shelf that is really interesting from a marine standpoint; and our people have provided some of the best examples of NGO-based conservation action. In spite of this, we appear to lag behind many of our Caribbean neighbors in terms of protected areas management.
Raising our game will require more public and political buy-in. The way to increase this buy-in is to improve the link between people's daily lives and the biodiversity in protected areas. Today, climate change is the biggest threat to biodiversity. It also presents some of the greatest national development challenges in terms of increased infectious disease risk, drought, loss of agricultural productivity and increased risk from storms and forest fires. All these risks can be accentuated or reduced through management of protected areas and biodiversity. Better management of these areas means more livelihood opportunities (jobs); and investments in reduction of the risks of flooding, drought and forest fires. These are not merely "nice to have" but "must have" as we develop our country.
You spent five years at the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC), what do you think a place/ institution such as Asa Wright should be doing to be a model protected natural area and to conserve biodiversity?
Places like the Asa Wright Nature Centre offer some of the best national/regional models of how local ideas about conservation can make a lasting and substantial impact on biodiversity conservation. The longevity of the AWNC and its work on multiple different fronts makes it a tremendous model. To ramp this up, the AWNC could promote the lessons it has learned in the past 50 years, to other national and regional NGO/CBO and national governments looking to replicate its success. |
