Coral Reefs and Reef Research in Tobago

Environment TO BAGO new slett er
E
nvironment
TOBAGO (ET) is a nongovernment, non-profit,
volunteer organisation , not
subsidized by any one group,
corporation or government
body.
Founded in 1995, ET is a
proactive, advocacy group
that campaigns against negative environmental activities
throughout Tobago. We
achieve this through a variety of community an environmental outreach programmes.
Environment TOBAGO is
funded mainly through grants
and membership fees. These
funds go back into implementing our projects. We
are grateful to all our sponsors over the years and
thank them for their continued support
W
hat’s inside
Coral Reefs and Reef
Research In Tobago
1
They are not what
they seem
3
Project L.E.A.P.—An
Update
3
What is a Lek?
5
Environmental degradation in T&T (pt 3)
5
Book Review
7
Activities @ ET
8
What’s happening @
ET
9
Notes to
contributors
10
Volume I Issue3
September 2007
Coral Reefs and Reef Research in Tobago
Jennie Mallela,
Dept Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
The Coral reefs of Tobago are incredibly complex habitats which are both ecologically and
economically important to the island. The local reefs are home to hundreds of marine species which
include colourful reef fish, corals, huge sponges, urchins, octopus, manta rays and sharks. Reefs act as a
natural barrier, dissipating wave energy and protecting the shoreline from wave damage and coastal
erosion. This protection is especially important during high energy events, for example during the hurricane season, where reefs and mangroves form the first level of defence for the shoreline protecting it
against strong currents and waves. The reefs of Tobago are also important to the local economy of the
island attracting thousands of local and international
tourists and divers to the island.
So what is a coral? Many people do not
realise that a coral is a living animal, some hard coral
species can live for hundreds of years. However, like
all animals they can be damaged, catch diseases and
die. The coral animal is called a polyp and secretes a
hard outer skeleton (calcium carbonate rock) around
itself, and it is this skeleton that forms the primary
structure of the coral reef (known as the coral
framework). Hundreds of coral animals (polyps) can
occupy each coral colony. Coral polyps have small
tentacles which are used to stun and capture prey,
and polyps often feed on plankton (microscopic
plants and animals in the water) which drifts past.
However, up to 90% of a corals energy requirement
actually comes from microscopic plant (algae) known
as Zooxanthellae, which live in the coral tissue. The
colour of a coral (e.g. green, brown) is also determined by the Zooxanthellae. Whilst providing the polyp with energy the Zooxanthellae also process waste
products from the coral animal, but rely on sunlight to photosynthesise. We call this coral polyp –
Zooxanthellae relationship ‘symbiosis’, both organisms
(the animal and the plant) rely on each other to survive
and have a mutually beneficial relationship. Corals grow
very slowly, for example, brain corals like the giant brain
(Colpophyllia natans) at Speyside grow at a linear rate of
about 1 cm a year, whilst branching corals grow at a
slightly faster rate, for example, Staghorn coral (Acropora
cervicornis) can grow at a rate of about 12 cm a year.
This slow growth makes coral very vulnerable to damage (e.g. from reef walking and boat anchors) as they
can take a long time to recover and grow back.
Whilst the reefs are clearly important to the
continued ecological and economic well-being of Tobago they are also being threatened by a number of
Anchor Damage to reefs
local disturbances. These disturbances include: sediment
Photo by: Jennie Mallela
Page 2
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
September 2007
Editor:
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Assist Editor:
Christopher Starr
Design & Layout:
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Technical Support:
Nolan Craigwell,
Jerome Ramsoondar
Nigel Austin
Enid Nobbee
Contributors:
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Christopher Starr
A.B. Hilton Clark
Jennie Mallela
Jahson Alemu
Photographs:
Jennie Mallela
Ryan Mannette
French Angelfish on Culloden
Reef
Photo by Jennie Mallela
Reef
Cause
Sediment runoff
from the land
into the sea
Poor building
tices, dredging,
estation, road
ing, mangrove
ance.
University of the West Indies: http://sta.uwi.edu/fsa/
lifesciences/jmallela.htm and The Buccoo Reef Trust: http://
www.buccooreef.org/landsea.html
Consequence
Solution
pracdeforbuildclear-
Sediment runs onto the
reef, smothers coral and
other organisms, prevents them from feeding, and in extreme
conditions can kill and/
or bury the reef
Do not allow sediment to
runoff the land into the
sea.
Build
sediment
catches/traps when building
houses and roads etc.
Sewage and nutrient pollution
Sewage input from
local dwellings and
nutrients from fertilisers (e.g. on golf
courses)
Sewage and nutrients
result in algae and seagrass blooms on the
reef. These plants can
grow faster than the
coral and may smother/
kill them.
Treat sewage properly. Do
not put too much fertiliser
on the ground. Do not
allow it to runoff on to the
reef. Make sure sewage
outfalls are a suitable distance from the reef.
Reef walking
Tourists and locals
walking on the reef
You can break and kill
coral and other organisms you walk on. One
footstep can kill years of
coral growth.
Do not walk on the reef.
Educate tourists and tour
operators. If you see damaging practices happening
speak out.
Anchor damage
Boats dropping anchors on the reef
Anchors break coral and
damage/kill the organisms they land on
Use boat moorings and do
not anchor on the reef.
Bleaching
When a coral is
stressed (e.g. due to
elevated water temperature or poor
water quality) the
Zooxanthellae
leave
The corals become
white because they have
lost their colourful
Zooxanthellae. If the
Zooxanthellae do not
return the coral dies.
Try to maintain good marine water quality conditions. If bleaching does
occur
corals
recover
quickly if water quality is
good.
Board of Directors
2006-2008
President::
Patricia Turpin
Vice-President:
Kamau Akili
Secretary:
Fitzherbert Philips
Assistant Secretary:
Greta Akili
Treasurer:
Shirley Mc Kenna
Directors:
Bertrand Bhikarry
Tanya Clovis
Tramaine Charles
Hyacinth Armstrong
Claudette Allard
Geoffrey Lewis
and nutrient runoff from Tobago, sewage pollution, poor development practices, reef walking, anchor damage and most recently bleaching (when the Zooxanthellae leave the coral). Further
details of these disturbances are given in Table 1. Currently research at the University of the West Indies and the Buccoo Reef
Trust is investigating how these disturbances influence reef
health, reef growth, reef dwelling organisms and reef resilience/
survival. We are currently monitoring reef sites around Tobago
to assess reef fish communities, coral health, coral growth, coral
disease and bleaching. We also have a series of studies designed
to investigate reef growth and reef destruction at reef sites in
‘good’ and ‘poor’ water quality. Findings so far indicate that good
management practices are essential to the continued survival of
local reefs. How can you help with improving management practices? Some simple solutions are given in Table 1. Further details
of coral reef research can be found at the following websites:
Dr Jennie Mallela is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies whose project
focuses on coral reef ecology; including the influence of environmental disturbances, climate change,
land-sea interactions, marine resource management and coral reef conservation and restoration.
Volume I Issue3
Page 3
They are not what they seem
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
It is human nature to classify things and one way of doing this is by giving it a common name.
This would be based on the organism’s appearance, habitat, or lifestyle. However, some common
names do not accurately reflect the organism it is being used to describe.
This is true of insects, one such insect is the Velvet ant. Despite its common name, Velvet
ants are not true ants. That is to say they do not belong to the same family
Formicidae but rather to the wasp family Mutillidae. But the term “velvet
ants” refer to the wingless females which have body constrictions similar to
ants and a dense covering of hairs, which may be in a variety of patterns consisting of red, yellow, orange, silver or golden. Males have wings and resemble wasps therefore it is difficult to differentiate the male and female of the
same species unless collected during the act of mating.
They range in size from about 0.05 to 2.5 cm, with males being larger than
females and possessing wings. Where they are found can also indicate their
gender. For instance, males are usually found feeding on flowers while females are usually seen running across open ground or less often across vegeVelvet ant
tation and up tree trunks. Their diet consists mostly of nectar but females
© 2007 Encyclopedia
would consume bees and wasps.
Britannica, Inc.
Despite their “fuzzy” appearance they can deliver a powerful sting. With a
stinger almost as long as its body, only the females have a stinger as it is doubles as an ovipositor used to lay eggs on the larvae of wasp and bees so when the ant larvae hatch they
consume the larvae of the other species. But why do they have such a dense pelt of hairs in the first
place? The hairs trap air between them providing the insect with insulation during periods of cold and
reduce water loss via evaporation during high temperatures. This coating of hairs also provides them
protection from wasp and bees when they invade their nests to lay eggs.
Both males and females produce a squeaking sound to warn potential predators by rubbing a
stridulating organ on their metasoma. They can also be considered romantics as the males literally
sweep the females off their feet holding her with his jaws.
Another insect with a misleading common name is the Ant
Lion, which is actually reserved for the larvae of the order Neuroptera.
Antlions get this common name because the larvae feed chiefly on ants.
They can reach up to 1½ cm in length, where the males are slightly
smaller than females.
The larvae of some species hide under debris or bits of wood
and attack passing prey. But some dig shallow pits mostly in sandy soil
which we are most accustomed to seeing. On finding a suitable site
these rough, wedge-shaped larvae will construct a funnel-shaped pit Ant lion
usually 1-4 cm in diameter. The diameter of the funnel closely matches © 2007 Wikipedia.com
the side of its resident which can range
from 10-12 mm. This is done using its flattened head and the posterior
end of its abdomen which is tapered to push and lift sand during the
excavation process. Their bodies have bristles in conjunction with forward-directing claws, both of which help the animal to move backward
through soil or anchor itself against forward motion. These pits may be
confused with the entrances to leaf-cutting ants. However, the entrances to these nests are raised while that to the pits are flat and the
perimeter is lined with a ring of loose sand.
When ants or other small arthropods fall into the pit they are seized by
Pit built by Ant lions
the large jaws of the waiting larvae, which sucks the body fluids from its
© 2007 Wikipedia.com
prey before discarding its exoskeleton out of the pit. These pits can stay
around for a long time as the larvae often fast and hibernate for extended period of time, so that larvae can take up to three years to fully develop.
So what do the adults look like? They resemble adult damselflies with a few exceptions, like a
softer body, pointed wings and shorter clubbed antennae when compared to other members of that
order. Adults are rarely seen as they are active during the evening.
So please, do not judge an animal by its common name.
MISSION STATEMENT
E
nvironment
TOBAGO
conserves Tobago’s
natural and living
resources and advances
the knowledge and
understanding of such
resources, their wise
and sustainable use and
their essential
relationship to human
health and the quality of
life
Page 4
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
Project L.E.A.P. – An Update
Jahson Alemu
Bloody Bay Poison Frog
(Mannophryne olmonae)
Photo: Ryan Mannette
“Some amphibian
biologists consider
Batrachochytrium
dendrobatidis as a
major cause of
population declines
of amphibian
species confined to
most montane rain
forests worldwide”
It has been a year since Project L.E.A.P., began the Bloody Bay Poison Frog project began in Tobago. The objectives of the project sought to assess or re-assess the conservation status of the Bloody Bay
Poison Frog, by assessing the population density, the range of distribution, habitat requirements/preferences
and threats facing the frog and its habitat. Surveys were also conducted to determine the presence of the
chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the pathogen responsible for the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis and possible decline and extinction of amphibian species worldwide (Berger et al 1998).
The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is the pathogen responsible for the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. In areas such as Australia and Central America, chytridiomycosis is thought to
be causing the decline of anurans (Berger, et al. 1998; Lips 1999); and may also be responsible for the loss of
otherwise healthy animals (Daszak and Cunningham 1999). Some amphibian biologists consider Bd as a
major cause of population declines of amphibian species confined to most montane rain forests worldwide
(Daszak and Cunningham 1999; Weldon et al. 2004). Bd has been found in most amphibian populations on
every continent, except for Asia: Africa, Australasia-Pacific, North America, and South America (Lips et al.
2003a; Weldon et al. 2004). To date, there has been limited assessment of the spread of the pathogen
thoroughly in the Caribbean, but has been detected in countries such as Puerto Rico (Burrowes et al.2004)
and Dominica (Fa et al. 2004)). Worldwide, extensive research is being done to track the spread and attempts have been made to curb the spread of the pathogen.
Amphibian species likely to decline from Bd are stream-associated (McDonald and Alford 1999),
endemic, have a large body size and occur at high elevations (Lips et al. 2003b).
Habitat requirements, presence and initial population surveys were conducted across six major
river systems (Louis D’Or River, King’s Bay River, Doctor’s River, Roxborough River, Bloody Bay River and
Argyle River) and twenty-one minor water courses along the north-eastern coast between Bloody Bay and
Charlotteville. The distribution and habitat requirements have been assess and incorporated into a Global
Information System (GIS) for further spatial analysis. The Bloody bay Poison Frog was positively detected at
five out of six major river systems, and fifteen of the twenty-one minor water courses. The range of distribution has not changed significantly since Hardy’s survey in 2004. Relative population densities varied from
none to very abundant at various type localities.
Probably one of the most interesting and alarming discovery during the last year was the positive
detection of Bd on Tobago using the DNA analysis, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Follow-up studies
are currently being considered to determine the extent of the spread across Trinidad and Tobago.
Project L.E.A.P. has made conservation education a major aim of this project and continues to
work with schools. A series of posters has also been produced about the Bloody Bay poison frog, local
biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago, threats facing biodiversity and how everyday citizens can assist in conservation of the natural environment. And most recently, at the “Vanishing Species Symposium” in Tobago,
local leaders in conservation biology and the relevant authorities were made aware of status of the Bloody
Bay Poison Frog and the significance of the detection of Bd for Tobago.
References
Berger, L., Speare, R., Daszak, P., Green, D.E., Cunnningham, A.A., Goggin, C.L., Slocombe, R., Ragan, M.A.,
Hyatt, A.D., McDonald, K.R., Hines, H.B., Lips, K.R., Marantelli, G. and Parkes, H. 1998. Chytridiomycosis
causes amphibian mortality associated with population declines in the rainforests of Australia and Central
America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA. 95:9031-9036.
Burrowes, P.A., Joglar, R., Green, D.E. 2004. Potential causes for amphibian declines in Puerto Rico. Herpetologica. 60(2):141-154.
Daszak, P. and A. A. Cunningham. 1999. "Extinction by infection." Trends in Ecology and Evolution 14(7):279
Fa, J., Hedges, B., Ibéné, B., Breuil, M., Powell, R. and Magin, C. 2006. Leptodactylus fallax. 2006 IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species.
Lips, K. R.1999. Mass Mortality and Population Declines of Anurans at an Upland Site in Western Panama.
Conservation Biology.13(1):117-125.
Lips, K. R., Green, D. E. and Papendick, R. 2003a. Chytridiomycosis in wild frogs from southern Costa Rica.
Journal of Herpetology. 37(1):215-218.
Lips, K. R., Reeve, J. D. and Witters, L.R. 2003b. Ecological traits predicting amphibian population declines in
Central America. Conservation Biology. 17(4):1078-1088.
McDonald, K. and R. A. Alford. 1999. A review of declining frogs in northern Queensland. Declines and
disappearances of Australian Frogs. A. Campbell. Canberra, Environment Australia. 14-22.
Weldon, C., du Preez, L. H., Hyatt, A.D., Muller, R. and Speare, R. 2004. Origin of the amphibian chytrid
fungus. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 10(12): 2100-2105.
Volume I Issue3
Page 5
What is a Lek?
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
A lek is formed when males of a species gather for the purposes of competitive mating displays,
which may be visual or vocal. They are established on a daily basis before and during the breeding season.
Each male occupies a territory called a court within the lek. The same males occupy the lek every day in
their respective territories. The head male or alpha-male gets to occupy the centre court while the males
of lesser ranks, B-males occupy the central surrounding areas in the lek, and the subordinate males are
scattered around the lek or occupy the boundary.
Leks are usually formed by birds, which in Trinidad and Tobago would be the the white-bearded manakins
(Manacus manacus) and the golden-headed manakins (Pipra
erythrocephala). The number of individuals in leks formed by
birds is usually 25 to 30. Males prepare and maintain the
leks by removing any leaves or twigs on the forest floor in
the selected area. Displays are held on the ground, on low
branches or twigs and sometimes in the canopy Bird species
that utilize leks, the males are not needed in terms of taking
care of the young. Such species exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism; this means that the males and females do not
look alike. The females are usually cryptic while the males
are colourful and showy. There is also unequal breeding
success between the sexes, since the males can impregnate
Diagram showing locations of males in lek
more females and in turn have more offspring.
There are two main types of leks; the classical lek according to their status
where the males are within sight of each other and ex- © 2007 Wikipedia.com
ploded leks where the competitors are very far apart so
that vocal signals are used, for example, male Hammer-head bats.
So, besides birds other animals form leks, such as wasps and fish. The latter of which construct
mounds of sand, the male who builds the tallest mound wins the female.
But no matter the species the goal is the same, to attract females for the purpose of reproduction.
“Leks are
established on a
daily basis before
and during the
breeding season”
Environmental Degradation in Tobago (and Trinidad) – Part 3
A.B. Hilton Clarke
It is no surprise that the illusion or delusion exists that the environment does not appear to
belong to anyone in particular and no one authority visibly assumes its responsibility. Very few step
forward to identify themselves with its protection and thus everyone assumes the environment is fair
game to be used and /or abused at will, knowing that those concerned will be swamped by the lethargy and the self destructive suicidal inheritance of our inherently immature protective services, legal
bottlenecks inherent penchant for paperwork and rewards for unaccountability.
Daily, the environment continues to be visibly abused by squatters, roadside vendors, illegal
temporary structures, deforestation, destruction of wetlands, false advertising and hoodwinking by
major developers, sand and gravel mining, incompetence by the Town and Country Planning Division,
Road and Agriculture and Health divisions . There is illegal fishing and hunting, illegal dumping of industrial waste, poor garbage disposal, no recycling, air pollution, an ineffective Bureau of Standards
and above all an unprofessional Human Resource pool.
Tobago is the ideal laboratory to implement new methods and to act as a hallmark to observe their results. One suggestion is to have a separate and distinct environment ministry supported
and financed by international associations and personnel from foreign governments. Experts should
be contracted for ten to twenty years from China, U. S. A. Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, U. K. and Canada.
We should establish a department of conservation at the University of the West Indies
(UWI) and simultaneously reduce the importation quota on all foods that can be grown here by a ¼
every year for the next three years, catapulting us after the hue and cry to produce and grow more
locally over a three year period. Hopefully, most of the land lying fallow will be utilized and efforts
“It is no surprise
that the illusion or
delusion exists that
the environment
does not appear to
belong to anyone in
particular and no
one authority visibly
assumes its
responsibility.”
Page 6
“Responsibility
seems to be the
gene that is missing
in most of our
DNA”
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
made to conserve water for the dry season crops. The result will be more employment, greater land
utilization and lower food imports through an expanded, more efficient Agricultural Development Bank.
Meanwhile, the government should declare a state of emergency on all matters pertaining to the environment. Cabinet should appoint a tribunal to deal with its implementation and control and have an
international staffed regiment enforce accountability. What is really needed is a benign dictatorship to
get things done immediately. But as it appears to be happening in the Tobago House of Assembly, to
whom is a benign dictatorship responsible? And who is going to bell the individual little petty dictators?
Usually people who are not qualified or learned tend to become critics and appear to enjoy mental
orgasms from the swing of their monotonous voices.
The government must offer a multitude of scholarships to fill appropriate voids and the successful recipients and their guarantees be held responsible or suffer the consequences. Meanwhile in
the long run it would be more profitable, as should already be to bring experts to Trinidad and Tobago
than to have officials at government expense go to the far corners of the earth to seminars and return
unable to impart what they heard.
We cannot expect solutions or build responsibility when the infant human animal observes
both teachers and parents disagreeing among themselves about under whose authority discipline, honesty, morals, responsibility, ethics and remorse begins and ends. The result is an irreversible unstable
psychological mental environment.
With very few psychologically stable identifiable role models in government and public life to
emulate. It’s a miracle that some of us get through the educational system as it exists, apparently sane
and sober. Psychologist and psychiatrists are discussing the topic with increasing alarm and I strongly
suggest that child psychiatrists psychologists be permanently employed by the education ministry and
permanently attached to schools from the primary level through college and that the civil services and
industrial arenas all proven areas of human interaction. Psychiatrists in Trinidad and Tobago psyche.
Our education system therefore, so far seems to qualify the majority of us for honest employment and the government has no choice but to employ people who are looking for jobs but not
necessarily work. People who only portray ambition, enthusiasm, dedication and fortitude when on the
picket line for better working conditions, longer lunch periods more rest periods, no time-clocking in
and out, moiré overtime, earlier retirement, health care etc, but never suggest compulsory High School
Diplomas as per requirement.
These idiosyncrasies are a clarion cry showing that the physical and mental environment and
education are cloned as well as Siamese twins and the glaring absence of ethics, conservation, 21st century food production which should be compulsory subjects on the school curriculum.
The immediate major hurdle of course, is who we going to get to teach these subjects? Using
educational T.V to reach the masses qualified foreigners on a contract basis using community centres,
schools, churches and temporary pre-fabricated halls. Has any company in Trinidad and Tobago been
ever held responsible and penalized for industrial waste or admitted to indiscretion? Is there any such
government department studying the effects of Industrial waste on the health of the population or even
a branch of U.W.I students doing a study?
Responsibility seems to be the gene that is missing in most of our DNA and I suspect that it
has been replaced by a dominant gene for dishonesty and corruption. However, let us hope that it will
re-appear spontaneously or if we get struck by lightening within the next five or six generations. The
degradation should therefore be addressed by all parties concerned with alacrity, alarm and aggressiveness in all the other chronic national problems such as white collar crimes, poverty, drug abuse, alcoholism, pandemic psychological disorders, inherited or acquired.
Overall the nation loses because the retired professionals with all this wisdom and experience
are shelved or overlooked and thereby refuse to step forward because they are aware of the bureaucratic bedlam and bumbling and prefer to keep their council and retain and preserve what is left of their
sanity.
Because environmental conservation involves a sane, sober, mental and psychological state of
mind in individuals and since most of us are not learned enough to constructively and logically contribute, we tend to resign ourselves to an apparently hapless situation and become expert critics.
Volume I Issue3
Page 7
Book Review: UNDER THE SHADE OF A COOLIBAH TREE
Barry P. Moore 1978. Life on Forty Acres. Faringdon: E. Classey 184 pp.
[Ninth in a series on "naturalist-in" books.]
Christopher K. Starr
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
Barry Moore was born in England in 1925, where he did his university degrees. He emigrated to Australia in
1958, where he had a successful career as a research chemist. In 1968 he bought a badly overgrazed 40-acre (16-ha)
plot in the country outside of Canberra, named it Calosoma after a genus of conspicuous ground beetles (Carabidae),
and set out to restore it.
This attractive book is the account of Moore's first eight years at Calosoma, his observations of plants and
animals, and his experiences in restoration ecology. It is illustrated with many of the author's drawings of plants and
especially animals. The prose is sometimes rather belaboured, but one easily overlooks this amid the righteous material.
At about 35ES, the area around Canberra lies between those latitudes with pronounced summer rains and
those with winter rains. Annual rainfall is within the normal range for Trinidad & Tobago, but with a great deal of
yearly variation and no regular seasonality. Rainless weeks are uncommon, and it is rare to go as long as two or three
weeks with no rain at all. Still, occasional severe droughts are an important environmental factor. Allied with this is
the danger of wildfires, as we occasionally hear in news from Australia.
In such circumstances, one would expect the native biota to show marked adaptations to the possibility of fire,
and this is an important theme in the book. Eucalypts, in particular, burn readily but also regenerate well after fire.
Some plants are even dependent on periodic burning of their habitat in order to reproduce. At the same time, human
activities have increased the incidence and severity of fires, so that it is no longer entirely a natural phenomenon.
There is more to restoration ecology than protecting the land from further degradation and letting it heal itself.
Moore listed the native plants from the area and used this as a guide in replanting. CSIRO, Australia's national research administration, had a field station adjoining his property, so that he had the benefit of expert advice. In addition, he actively removed introduced weeds and struggled to keep the numbers of that great pest of Australia's farmlands, the european rabbit, in check.
There is much in this book about native wildflowers and when they appear, with attention to scientific names.
The core of Moore's botany, though, is the chapter on "The Noble Gum" devoted to eucalypts. This group of over
700 species of trees and shrubs -- most in the genus Eucalptus is almost entirely native to Australia. They form the
dominant vegetation over most of the continent and in a wide range of climatic conditions.
Eucalypts tend to monopolize sunlight and soil water, and they litter the soil surface with their leathery dead
leaves and bark, which inhibit the growth of other plants. For these reasons, they account for most of the native
forest. Even so, they are almost never found in pure stands but with several species intermingled. Moore found
seven species on Calosoma, with another five close by.
Aside from eucalypts, marsupials are the group that springs to mind as characteristic of Australia. The gray
kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, was common in Calosoma and the surrounding area. When Moore first moved there,
he had a considerable struggle against poaching. One night, though, a hunter was shot dead by another, which sort of
dampened their enthusiasm. It puts one in mind of the marvelous scene in Crocodile Dundee in which a kangaroo
shoots back at a group of hunters.
There are engaging remarks on some of the other mammals, especially two species of marsupial mice, Antechinus flavipes and A. stuarti. And -- most wonderful of all -- the short-beaked echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus, one of
just five living species of monotreme mammals in the world, was fairly common in the area.
We also find chapters on birds, herptiles and insects. The latter is rather narrowly conceived. It starts out
with several pages on butterflies, a rather obvious choice, before turning to the group that really interests Moore:
beetles. Even these are treated in a rather mundane fashion, so that if there is anything extraordinary about the beetle fauna of Australia or the Calosoma area it is not revealed. Various other orders are passed over in rather perfunctory fashion, but what really annoyed me was the treatment of termites. Australia is remarkable for its moundbuilding termites, yet in two pages on this order no particular genera or species are mentioned, and next to nothing is
said about their nests.
The last chapter is about the uncertain future of the environment in and around Calosoma.
“There is more to
restoration ecology
than protecting the
land from further
degradation and
letting it heal
itself.”
Page 8
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
ACTIVITIES @ ET
•
Annual General Meeting
ET held its annual general meeting on July 18th 2007. It was there that our members
were updated on the year long activities and projects. A snapshot of our financial status
was given. Out of this came the obvious need to ardently pursue funding to maintain
our operational expenses as current funds were insufficient.
Our members were very responsive and made several suggestions which we hope will
come to fruition soon. The year ahead promises to be financially challenging but with
the help of members who wish to support and contribute, we can maintain our stewardship of Tobago’s environment.
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Expanding Membership
In an effort to expand our membership, ET is trying to forge partnerships with Tour
companies in Trinidad and Tobago to use as an incentive to join. Also, we have added a
new component to our membership category: Corporate Membership. Organisations
can now show their support by joining their entire staff at highly discounted rates.
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Summer Eco-Camp
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Tobago Wastewater Disposal System Improvement Programme: Pilot Project,
Collette River, Charlotteville
ET has completed Phase 1 of this project, which comprised the Charlotteville Household Survey. Ninety-five households were interviewed. The results and findings along
with recommendations were submitted to the Pan American Health Organisation
(PAHO) and will be used to inform Phase II of the project which will involve the selection of the most appropriate methods to treat grey and black water from these households.
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Tobago Coral Reef Mapping Ecosystems Project
TCEMP ReefCheck SCUBA Award
This course provides training in:
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scuba diving (to PADI Advanced Open Water Certification)
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identification of target marine life forms
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conducting internationally recognized Reef Check global reef monitoring
surveys
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interpretation of survey data
ET’s Project/Education Coordinator has completed this training.
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Participation in the Certificate of Environmental Clearance Process
The Council of Presidents of the Environment (COPE) hosted the last training session
at La Romain and involved an exciting field trip up the Godineau River and swamp.
Both Hema Singh and Giancarlo Lalsingh attended this training in an effort to learn
more about project development and the need for Environmental Impact Assessments
where development is planned in close proximity to valuable wetlands.
Volume I Issue3
Page 9
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Environment TOBAGO—Environmental and Services Map of Tobago
This was published and distributed in June. They are excellent and will be published every two
years. Requests for the maps can be made to ET office.
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Environment TOBAGO—Environmental and Services Map of Trinidad
To be published by January 2008.
Thanks from ET
We would like to acknowledge the following for their contribution to ET and sincerely express our
gratitude:
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Andy Roberts for stationary supplies
Thanks to all our sponsors who contributed to our T-shirt project::
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Blue Waters Inn
Tobago Medical Lab
Healthfoods Specialists Ltd.
BP Trinidad and Tobago LLC
BHP Billiton Trinidad and Tobago
Hilton Tobago Golf and Spa Resort
Tobago Plantations Gold and Beach Resort
WHAT’S HAPPENING @ ET
New Members
Environment TOBAGO
t-shirts
now available!!!
With a membership of 354 worldwide, ET welcomes the
following members:
Contact office for details of sizes,
colours and prices.
Ria Sooknanan-Maharaj
Martin Miesowicz
Sandra Roberts
Marina Roberts
Richelle Roberts
Errol Roberts
Kyawana Shaw-Abraham
David and Diana Thomas
Volunteers needed!
Persons who are interested in helping with cataloguing and filing of ET’s educational, research and operational material
and archiving.
Page 10
Office:
Mailing address:
Environment TOBAGO newsletter
11 Cuyler Street
Scarborough,
Tobago, W.I.
P.O. Box 503,
Scarborough,
Tobago, W.I.
Phone: 1-868-660-7462
Fax: 1-868-660-7467
E-mail: [email protected]
GUIDELINES TO CONTRIBUTORS
Articles on the natural history and environment are welcome especially those on Trinidad and
Tobago.
Articles should not exceed approximately 1200 words (2 pages) and the editors reserve the right
to edit the length. Images should be submitted as separate files.
Submit material to any of the following: 1) [email protected]
2) [email protected]
Deadline for submission of material for the 4th Quarter 2007 issue of the Bulletin is
December 31st, 2007.
We are on the web
http://www.Environmenttobago.net
EMAIL ________________________________________________