Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp (mangrove)

1. Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp (mangrove) By : AlyanaLym Class : 1J

2. CARONI SWAMP

3. Why I chose this resource ? • When I was younger I used to read about all the amazing wildlife that lived in the natural habitat of mangroves. Also I always wanted to see the Scarlett Ibis settle in the mangroves in a place called the Caroni swamp. Then a two years ago I finally got to see this local wonder. To see the swamp and awaiting the landing of the scarlet ibis was incredible. However, while we were there our tour guide told us how before there where hundreds more ibis who came to settle there, but with the slow destruction of the mangroves their numbers are depleting.

4. MY VISIT TO THE CARONI SWAMP

5. The Caroni Swamp • The Caroni Swamp ­ Is considered to be Trinidad’s largest mangrove wetland. The Caroni Swamp is situated just south of the capital, Port of Spain, on the island’s western shore. Spanning approximately 20 square miles, it is home to over 200 avian species, the most famous resident being the Scarlet Ibis, Trinidad’s national bird. • It is one of the top ecotourism attractions of Trinidad and is a great source of income for local tour guides.

6. The Caroni Swamp Continued… • During the day the birds are said to feed 11 miles away in Venezuela and then return to the island at dusk to roost. In so doing converting the mangroves from a sea of green to scarlet red ­ a spectacle that has become a “must see” for tourists visiting the island. • The swamp is a maze of channels and although the Scarlet Ibis is the feature attraction, there is a vast number of wildlife that inhabit the mangroves including fiddler crabs, oysters, four-eyed fish, tree boa and spectacled caiman.

7. Wild Life in The Caroni Swamp

8. What is a mangrove • Mangroves are extensively developed in the Caroni Swamp because of a salinity gradient associated with the outflows of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, which, are responsible for 20% of total freshwater inputs to the ocean. • There are over 7,000 ha of mangroves at 35 sites on the Island of Trinidad, an additional 10 sites on the island of Tobago, and 2 on the offshore island of Chacachacare. The single largest area is over 3,000 ha in the Caroni Swamp.

9. Challenges The Caroni and other Swamps Face • Some challenges are : the reclamation of large areas for agricultural uses, discharge of industrial effluents and petroleum residues, as well as sewage and solid waste, residential development. • Pesticide run-off has been found at the Caroni Swamp, also illegal rice farming in the Nariva Swamp. There is illegal felling of mangroves for bark used by the tanning industry, illegal settlement and livestock grazing and unsustainable harvesting of oysters and crabs. Oysters are harvested by cutting the entire prop-roots of the red mangrove where they settle

10. Challenges Continued • Another problem is slash and burn farming on steep slopes with highly erodable soils, and deforestation rate of 3000 a year which increases sedimentation in coastal areas. Also Trinidad and Tobago are sites of intense industrial development including several petrochemical plants. Oil spills and loss of oil to the marine environment through effluents and produced water are routine and are estimated to total 120,000 barrels a year.

11. Challenges Continued • With this type of distruction the swamp will become uninhabitatal for the wildlife that depends on it. As home of national bird if this happens • Swamps are included in the system of protected areas but actual protection is minimal in that there is no active management nor are there explicit mangrove protection policies.

12. What Can We Do • We can join organizations such as Fishermen and Friends, Protect Our Mangrove In Trinidad and Tobago to help fight this destruction. This can be done to protest and appealing to our government, through petitions. • Use the media to highlight the destruction so citizens can become aware of the depletion of one our natural recourse • It is important to find solutions to protect the swamp now, so we can avoid environmental accidents such as the BP oil spill.

13. What Can I Do One can also join with NGOs and individuals who make contributions mainly through research, public education or advising policy development. As citizens we can stop throwing our garbage in the road and drains. (especially plastic bottles, which can now be recycled) Organize clean up groups to pick up the garbage which is destroying our recources.

14. Other Trinidadian Swamps that Are depleated Construction in swamp areas like Invaders Bay , is destroying this small mangrove swamp South of the Mucurapo Foreshore Highway where, two centuries ago, Sir Ralph Abercromby landed to take the island for Britain, is being filled in as part of a grand 15-year plan to expand Port of Spain. Helipad at Invaders Bay A river polluted with a whitish liquid was seen running through the swamp. A high scent of chemical pervaded the area. At the Gulf of Paria, beds of dead “mook,” also known as mussels, were also evident. These chemicals came from an abandoned steel mill. That is why activist are against any construction of a smelter plant in Tr5inidad as they fear pollution from the plant will destroy the surrounding environment. The polluted river which runs through a No Hunting Zone at the Point Lisas mangrove

15. This is what could happen to the Caroni Swamp if we do not take care of this natural resource

16. Bibliography • Photos ,Sharon Lym Caroni Swamp Excursion August 2008 • News PapereSeven wonders of Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean Net News Published on Saturday, May 17, 2008 • News Paper Sookraj , R.A. (2010). Stop pollution of mangrove swamp.Guardian News Paper, published February 2010 • Internet www.worldwildlife.org, Trinidad mangroves Sylvia Tognetti and Christine Burdette, 2001