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AUGUST 2 0 0 7 Issue 7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR H O T O F F T H E P R E S S Events, announcements and news from around the region. Que Pasa? C O U N T R Y F O C U S : HONDURAS An Interview : With His Excellency Lifestyles:An Education in Friendship Expats : The Anatomy of a Transpat Consumers : The Retail Therapy Call Opportunities : Investments & Jobs S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S Conference : Wholesale Investments Grenada : First Carbon Zero Tourist Nicaragua : Surviving a Papagallo Guatemala : Teco Tours & Thermal Panama : Cockfights v.Sesame Foam Under Tobago : Protecting the Reefs P I C K O F T H E M O N T H Utila, Honduras Waterfront Homes Costa Rica Gated Community Villas Honduras Sale Affordable Business

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E S

Saving Skeletons in Tobago - The Galapagos of the West Indies
By Joanne Scharer

Tobago, “the Capital of Paradise, clean, green, serene,” proclaims the Tobago Department of Tourism website (http://www.visittobago.gov.tt/ ), an assertion that captures the laid back essence of this small jewel of an island.

Sixteen miles long and seven miles wide, just off the coast of Venezuela, Tobago lies 21 miles (33km) northeast of her bigger sister and more industrialized commercial center, Trinidad. The island is surrounded by the serene, postcard perfect Caribbean on its north coast with the tumultuous Atlantic on its southern and western sides.

Compared to the other islands in the Caribbean chain, Tobago is less developed, less visited and, with much to discover and explore on this small island, she exudes a mysterious appeal.

Tobago is a rolling mass of coral and volcanic rock and is home to the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere—Tobago’s remarkable wildlife has earned her a reputation as “The Galapagos of the West Indies.” For those with a penchant for exploring the underwater world, the waters surrounding the island hosts some of the richest and most colorful coral reefs in the Caribbean, with 40 species of corals and over 600 species of fish.

Unfortunately, these spectacular aquatic arenas are some of the most threatened ecological habitats.

The Caribbean’s Coral Reefs

The Caribbean Sea, the second largest sea in the world, is a semi-enclosed sea located between North and South America and bordered by Central America to the west. Noted for its numerous and magical islands, the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea are a key component of its shallow water ecosystem.

In addition to coral reefs, the Caribbean includes a variety of ecosystems including pristine coastal wetlands, lush lagoons, mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coastal upwellings. These provide critical habitats for some the Caribbean’s rainbow of flowering plants, birds, and wildlife and especially for threatened species such as sea turtles and manatees.

Coral reefs, considered the equivalent of terrestrial rainforests, are the most diverse, productive marine communities and create the biggest, most stunning structures made by living organisms.

15% OF THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS ARE IN THE CARIBBEAN

Although only 15 percent of the world’s coral reefs are in the Caribbean, the Caribbean’s reefs are some of the most awe inspiring. Local communities profit from their fish life and commercial draw, and tourists marvel at their beauty and uniqueness.

A coral reef is actually a thriving living system; a symbiosis between plant (zooxanthellae) and animal (polyp). Polyps gather together to form colonies that secrete calcium carbonate, creating a collective limestone "skeleton." Successive generations of polyps build on top of older "skeletons" leading to reef formation.

Through nature’s delicate communion between plant and animal, the corals are the basis of life in reef communities and the reef’s continuous renewal allows for innumerable species to co-exist. For example, reef systems are home to an estimated one million species and there are more species per unit area of coral reef than in any other ecosystem.

Still, researchers estimate that less than 10 percent of the Earth’s reef organisms are known to science.

The Caribbean’s coral reefs not only provide a dwelling for colorful marine life and sights beyond description, the reefs also offer ecological and economic benefits. Reef structures are erosion resistant and offer a natural buffer against waves, storm surge, and floods. During storms, including hurricanes, reefs protect coastal shores and help prevent the loss of life and property in coastal areas.

The natural chemical and biological decomposition of reefs creates plentiful sediment that nourishes beaches and contributes considerably to the formation of the Caribbean’s luxurious sandy beaches and inviting sheltered harbors.

Coral reefs are also an important economic resource for the Caribbean. The dollars spent each year on recreational fishing trips, diving tours, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses based near island and mainland reefs make up the economic base and provide livelihoods for residents of numerous coastal towns and villages.

As a primary food source, coral reefs provide a wide range of edible fish, mollusks, and crustaceans on which many developing coastal communities depend.

Finally, it is estimated that 1.5 - 2 million people around the world keep aquariums and, if managed properly, marine aquarium fish could become a profitable source of income in coastal zones with limited resources.

Aside from the economic and ecological benefits of coral reefs, recent research has linked compounds found in coral reef species with treatments for heart disease, cancer, HIV, arthritis, human bacterial infections, viruses, and other diseases and researchers believe that coral reefs will increasingly become an important resource for nutritional supplements, pesticides, cosmetics, and other commercial products.

Coral Reef Conservation

Unfortunately, the coral reefs in the Caribbean, as in other parts of the big blue, are showing signs of stress and degradation.

Although reef structures have been around for 450 million years and coral reefs as we know them today date back 195 million years, reef survival requires a sensitive balance of temperature, light, depth, water clarity, salinity and water movement.

Because coral and coral reefs are living things, they are easily destroyed.

Throughout Florida and the Caribbean, elkhorn, staghorn, and fused-staghorn coral (all three are of the Acropora genus of corals) were the dominant reef-building coral species for most of the past half-million years. However, over just the last 30 years, these highly sensitive species have suffered an unprecedented 80-98 percent decline throughout significant portions of their range.

The losses to these corals over the past three decades are of particular concern because they provide most of the Caribbean’s coral cover and three-dimensional structure, and they are good biological indicators of the health of the reef ecosystem and of the global environment.

Also, these corals are the only Caribbean corals with accummulation rates that may be fast enough to keep up with rising sea levels. Some believe that experts have known for several years that these species are facing extinction, but have failed to act upon this knowledge and put protections in place.

If corrective and conservation efforts are not taken immediately, the corals could go extinct in the near future, resulting not only in the loss of irreplaceable forms of marine and wildlife but also millions of dollars in tourist, recreational, medicinal and subsistence income. In fact, some environmentalists claim that coral reefs around the world are so jeopardized that 50-70 percent will cease to function as healthy ecosystems in the next 50 years unless restorative action is taken immediately.

How are coral reefs threatened?

58% OF THE WORLD'S CORAL REEFS ARE UNDER THREAT FROM HUMAN ACTIVITIES

In 2001, according to the World Atlas of Coral Reefs published by the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Centre (www.unep-wcmc.org/ ), 58 percent of the world's coral reefs are under threat from human activities.

Some of the major threats include pollution from commercial sea vessels, sewage from land-based developments, sedimentation, increasing coastal populations and tourism resulting in over fishing and destructive fishing practices, coral mining, abuses and mismanagement of the aquarium trade, coral used in souvenirs such as jewelry, bleaching arising from abnormally high sea temperatures and global warming, predation and disease, and coastal development.

Protecting Tobago - Coral Cay Conservation and the Buccoo Reef Trust

Coral Cay Conservation (CCC), a not-for-profit organization that sends teams of volunteers to survey some of the world's most endangered coral reefs and tropical forests, began the Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP) this April.

TCEMP is a two year (2007-2009) collaborative effort to develop habitat maps of invertebrate, fish, algae, marine plant and coral diversity as well as human impacts and coral diseases on Tobago’s reefs. CCC’s mission is to protect these crucial environments by working closely with the local communities who depend on them for food and livelihood (http://www.coralcay.org/ ).

CCC is working in partnership with The Buccoo Reef Trust

(http://www.buccooreef.org/), a non-profit organization specifically created to assist in addressing the threats facing Tobago's marine environment and to explore opportunities for the sustainable development of marine tourism, fishing and aquaculture in the Caribbean region as a whole.

The Buccoo Reef Trust, named after a 10-acre coral reef with 40 differing multi-coloured species and covering more than twelve square meters of the Caribbean Sea bed between Tobago’s Pigeon Point and Buccoo Bay, has an established reputation in Tobago and internationally for reef conservation.

The Trust’s mission is, “To work in the Caribbean to develop capacity in the area of tropical marine sciences that enables people to protect the marine environment while ensuring sustainable use of the region's aquatic resources.” On a larger scale, the Trust envisions, “A world in which the marine environment of tropical islands is conserved for the benefit of future generations while maximizing present opportunities for sustainable livelihoods that enhance the quality of human life.”

Coral Cay’s contribution to Coral Reef Conservation

CCC assists coral reef conservation by conducting baseline surveys of the natural resources of countries with limited financial and technical resources to do the job themselves. This information can then be compiled and analyzed in order to formulate recommendations for sustainable management and conservation.

CCC believes that sustainable management plans can only be developed by local stakeholders through well-informed decisions requiring a basic knowledge of the existing resources within the area. CCC provides biodiversity information and local environmental capacity such that decision support tools (e.g. habitat maps) can be developed to aid local environmental management strategies (e.g. community-based marine protected area designation and management).

CCC employs a variety of survey methodologies including a “Reef Survey” technique and “Reef Check.”

A reef survey involves laying down a 50m long rope over the reef. Volunteers swim along the rope and count the number of each species they see.

Surveys provide detailed information about a small part of the reef. As volunteers conduct more and more surveys, a picture of how the entire reef is doing forms. A reef check involves collecting quantitative data on species that are indicators of reef health and fisheries (such as giant clams, humphead wrasse, and parrotfish).

Occasionally, CCC conducts other surveys including sedimentation tests, mangrove surveys, quantitative monitoring on fish, and bleaching of corals. These are often undertaken at project partner request or when particular disturbances, such as development or hurricanes, affect local reefs.

While CCC is widely recognized for its pioneering work in the assessment of coral reef ecosystems and tropical forest, the environmental education and awareness programs that run alongside biophysical data collection are less well known.

They recognize the importance of including all stakeholders within a region in an environmental education and awareness program. The programme targets a diverse range of audiences including local schoolchildren, village community leaders, resort guests, dive instructors, and tourism guides using a combination of outreach visits and on site events.

Counterpart training is also offered as part of the CCC Marine/Forest Scholarship Award Program (scholarships for host country participants wishing to make a contribution towards the protection and sustainable use of their coral reefs) or through specialized workshops.

In addition to the training CCC provides the local community, CCC expects all its expedition staff and volunteers to be, “aware of and respect the culture and customs of the local communities within the host country.”

AS A NON-PROFIT ORGANISATION, CCC RELIES LARGELY ON VOLUNTEERS TO EXECUTE ITS PROJECTS

As a non-profit organization, CCC relies largely on volunteers to execute its projects.

An online interview with CCC founder Peter Raines (www.coralcay.org/press/interview_pete_raines.php ) reveals the motivation behind using volunteers, “In the early 1980's, I graduated as a Marine Biologist and it became clear to me that the plight of coral reefs was on the ascent…There just were not enough scientists in the world to survey the status of reefs. It became clear that one way to assist scientists in the scientific community was to establish a volunteer based program- using people off the street and training them up to undertake certain baseline survey work.”

Expedition volunteers for marine projects must commit for a minimum of one week (two weeks for dive trainees) up to twelve weeks (although it is possible to volunteer for longer).

A volunteer’s work week (Monday to Friday) focuses on research with a wake-up call for breakfast at 5:30 am.

Although a team of local and international staff are available to provide guidance and oversee expedition activities, according to the CCC “Expedition Guide” (www.coralcay.org/expeditions/expedition_guide.php) volunteers are “expected to take an active part in managing all aspects of expedition life, including the more mundane chores such as helping keeping the expedition base clean and tidy.”

Volunteers generally live together in basic, sometimes remote, and potentially coed housing and with minimal if any amenities.

Guidance from the “Expedition Guide” says, “During your expedition you may be spending your time living in a remote tropical location and do not need a suitcase full of clothing. Ideally, you should aim to be able to pack your belongings into one rucksack.”

Still, even with a less luxurious or comfortable way of life than volunteers are accustomed to, CCC informs potential volunteers of a pay off, “you can be confident that your participation in a CCC expedition will have a direct and lasting effect.”

The Tobago Coastal Ecosystem Mapping Project (TCEMP)

The primary aims of the TCEMP are to

1) Map the ocean bottom dwellers (otherwise known as the benthic community and includes worms, clams, crabs, lobsters, sponges, and other tiny organisms that live in the bottom sediments) and fish communities in order to identify key areas of ecological and commercial importance for the inclusion in governmental management plans;

2) provide data on reef health and threats to current reef health as part of a larger Caribbean monitoring program,

3) generate basic fish and coral species lists; and

4) provide training and conservation education opportunities for local Tobagonians and environmental awareness programs for school teachers and students.

The project is a component of the Trinidad & Tobago “Integrated Watershed and Coastal Area Management” (IWCAM) Project (http://www.iwcam.org/), one of nine demonstration projects for the IWCAM in eight Caribbean Sea countries, funded by the Global Environment Fund and executed in Tobago by the Buccoo Reef Trust.

The TCEMP and IWCAM will help ensure the long-term protection and sustainable use of Tobago’s precious coastal ecosystem.

A CCC May update on the Tobago project released June 12, 2007 (www.coralcay.org/tobagoupdate.pdf ) reported that volunteers “have seen some degraded reefs and some large stretches of sand, but have also seen beautiful reefs with plenty of live coral cover. It’s great to know that some of Tobago’s reefs are still holding out in face of serious challenges.”

Life as a Coral Cay Volunteer/Expedition Staff in Tobago

“I love the mornings. I know it’s weird but it’s true,” says Keith Gibson, one of the first expedition staff on the Tobago project. “Just before everyone else wakes up the house is lovely and quiet. The birds start singing and light slowly fills the valley. It’s a great time of day,” Gibson reflects.

As is the case with most of Coral Cay’s projects, the Tobago project site is based away from hustle and bustle where living is simple and access to modern conveniences is limited, but the picturesque scenery is idyllic and more than makes up for the lack of a few creature comforts.

Although CCC expects to move the project to different locations on the island over the next two years in order to survey the entire island system, the current project accommodation is a secluded farmhouse property, Fiddlers Cottage, overlooking the Arnos Vale valley, a 5 minute walk from the beach.

"I HAV'NT STRAIGHTENED MY HAIR IN NEARLY TWO MONTHS AND I CAN COOK UP A MEAL FOR 23 IN UNDER AN HOUR.."

“I know what I can live without now and the list is surprisingly long,” says Lou, an expedition staff member in Tobago. “I haven’t straightened my hair in nearly 2 months and I can cook up a meal for 23 in under an hour. It’s nice to escape from all of the trimmings and trappings of normal life and go back to more basic living for a while and it makes me appreciate how much of everything at home is so excessive. Life seems simpler and less complicated out here.”

CCC volunteers and expedition staff range from those interested in advancing their careers to those who are interested in contributing to a worthy cause and learning more about the environment.

Helen Knight, a recent volunteer who extended her stay, says this about how volunteering with CCC changed her as a person, “It has certainly made me much more aware of how the environment works and the effect that we as people are having on it and how little we are doing to actually protect the marine environment and even how remote changes such deforestation in rainforests is already impacting and damaging coral reefs.”

Expedition staff member Keith Gibson says the impetus for his joining the expedition is, “I was keen to find work in conservation, ideally in the tropics and ideally on a reef. I get to splash about in the ocean and still feel as though I’m doing something useful. I also really wanted to see the Caribbean reefs again. They are in so much trouble and I felt it was important to try to help to save them.”

"I ALSO REALLY WANTED TO SEE THE CARIBBEAN REEFS, THEY ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE AND I FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO TRY TO HELP TO SAVE THEM.."

Another expedition staff member, Rachel Hale, is excited about the Tobago project because, “the best thing about the site…is the fact that we’re the first one’s surveying the reef in a long time. This means that the data we collect can really make a difference and mean that Tobago might sit up and listen about the state of its reefs. I really hope that as a result of this project we can set up some good coastal and watershed management schemes and really make a difference to the reefs here.”

Volunteers and expedition staff have a variety of experiences and each one walks away from the project with their own thoughts and memories.

“The diving was amazing,” says volunteer Helen Knight, “meeting lots of different people, being a part of open days and teaching school children about the reefs and local environmental so that they can learn to look after the reefs in the future, many of which will depend on them for their livelihoods.”

Expedition staff member, Lou, had this to say about the best aspects of life on a CCC expedition, “getting to live somewhere amazing and really getting to know the culture and the local people… being thrown into a house with a bunch of strangers… getting to know each other and working together to get things done… diving on a daily basis… doing something positive for the environment.”

Keith Gibson gives this advice to those interested in traveling to Tobago to participate in the expedition, “Be prepared to work…we take conservation seriously. We are here to help save the reefs and they are in desperate need of help, particularly in Tobago….you will definitely learn a lot, you will meet some great people and you will help save one of the world’s most precious ecosystems.”

Lou offers similar advice, “Go with an open mind and be prepared to have your preconceptions challenged. Enjoy every second of your expedition & savour the experiences & opportunities that come your way.”

CCC Founder Peter Gaines sums it up like this, “Coral Cay volunteers are the core of Coral Cay. Without CCC volunteers there is no Coral Cay. Suffice it to say that Coral Cay volunteers are equal partners, if you like. They are at the core of what we do, of our capacity, our resource to be able to go out and accomplish biodiversity conservation. The bottom-line is, without Coral Cay volunteers, there is no Coral Cay.”

Note: CCC has had other projects in the Caribbean including the Bay Islands, Honduras. This project ran from 2000 to 2006 and had a similar focus as the Tobago project. The Bay Islands project also included “reef education days” at local schools, dive and conservation training with local fishermen and divers to educate about various aspects of reef conservation, teacher training workshops to encourage local teachers to include reef education in the Bay Islands schools curriculum.

Author: Joanne Scharer is a PADI Divemaster, freelance writer, explorer, world traveler, former public policy wonk, and forever looking for a new adventure. She can be reached at jscharer at earthlink.net.

To read more articles from this author, go to 'author' search options at the bottom of this page. You can also search magazine archives by subject, country or date.

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