Slow death of Caroni Swamp

By CEOLA BELIX Tuesday, May 29 2007

The Caroni Swamp is the largest area of mangrove in Trinidad and Tobago at approximately 40 square miles. It is home to an extensive variety of wildlife, including the silky anteater, the capybara, the tree boa, the spectacled caiman, the fiddler crab, and more than 180 species of birds, such as the blue heron, the snowy egret and of course, the scarlet ibis. As many as a few hundred visitors flock to the swamp during the peak tourist seasons of the year, such as Carnival, Easter and Christmas time.

All this, however, is common knowledge to the average Trinidadian. Social studies in primary school taught us all about our national bird and its nesting places in Trinidad and Tobago. What most people may take for granted however is that the swamp, like any other wildlife habitat, is a sensitive ecosystem, whose stability can be devastated by even small changes in climate and senseless human interference.

Travelling along the Number Nine channel, visitors to the sanctuary can see that the banks of the canal are littered with styrofoam coolers, plastic bottles and paper bags.

Guide, Khemraj Bhaggan of Nanan’s Tours, explains that the majority of rubbish is actually brought into the swamp via the channel which connects the Caroni River to the swamp’s extensive waterways.

Although several appeals have been made to the Ministry of Works and Transport to have the river blocked off, nothing has been done and, as such, the garbage flows freely into the swamp at every high tide.

With no one present to clean the banks of the canals, sometimes the guides themselves must take initiative to clear the area of all refuse, to prevent any animals choking on plastic bags or consuming bits of sytrofoam.

Pollution is not the only threat facing the swamp. The extended dry season this year has the potential to severely impact on the natural wildlife at the swamp.

Water in the swamp area is brackish in nature, that is, of a higher salinity level than freshwater, but not as salty as seawater; due to the lack of freshwater in the swamp at this time, salinity levels are higher than usual. The mangrove themselves are not negatively affected by the high level of salt in the water, as the three species of mangrove, which grow in the swamp all have a means of extracting freshwater from the brackish water.

However, some of the fauna within the swamp cannot cope with the lack of freshwater as easily. The spectacled caimans are retreating further and further inland as salinity levels rise, and Bhaggan predicts that the iguanas will soon be dying of dehydration.

The iguana population is also under pressure from human interference. Poaching of animals within the swamp has been a serious problem over the past few years, namely the hunting of the national bird itself, the scarlet ibis.

As recently as three weeks ago, there was a reported incident of hunters poaching birds in the Number Four mangrove clump.Bhaggan himself was on hand to witness the crime, “Some fellahs passed us there going around, they had a lot of birds on the trees. When we reach here and we switch off, we just hear gunshot. All the birds went up in the air. The other day, we park up waiting for birds, not a bird eh even pass.” This paints a frightening picture of what will eventually happen to the main attraction of the swamp, if the birds do not feel safe in their own “sanctuary.” The lack of patrols in the area makes it even easier for poachers to enter the swamp and prey on the nesting birds. The Forestry Division of Trinidad and Tobago is responsible for the protection and maintenance of the area, but, due to the recent theft of their boat engines and a lack of a willing labour force, there is no regular security for the birds or the other animals living in the swamp. The guides themselves are powerless to defend against these predators who may ultimately cost them their livelihood.

These are just a few of the serious issues challenging the longevity of the swamp and the creatures within it. Why isn’t more being done to protect the natural habitat of Trinidad and Tobago’s wildlife? In an area that is unique to the entire Caribbean, and an internationally recognised sanctuary and nesting area for the scarlet ibis, considerable effort must be made to preserve and protect such a delicate ecosystem before it is gone.