Our Valuable Marine Systems
Coral reefs and seagrass meadows are some of the most diverse marine ecosystems. Coral reefs are home to 25% of life in the ocean. Seagrass meadows play an important role in keeping the oceans healthy and providing habitat for a wide array of marine organisms. A number of disturbance events have affected Tobago’s marine ecosystems resulting in significant mortality / dieback of critical coral reefs and seagrass beds. Coral reef monitoring (IMA) has shown up to 50 % coral loss from the 2010 bleaching with minimal recovery to date as a result of pollution and overfishing that limit the natural recovery processes. Seagrass beds...
MARIN Tobago, the next phase
The main phase of the MARIN project has commenced following a renewed partnership between bp Trinidad and Tobago and the Institute of Marine Affairs with funding support from bp (UK). MARIN Tobago intends to deliver long-term biodiversity conservation and restoration of Tobago’s marine ecosystems using a multifaceted approach: (1) building sustainable ocean resilience; (2) restoring of Tobago’s coral reefs and seagrass beds; (3) generating ocean stewardship through outreach and engagement. The project will focus on Tobago’s marine ecosystems within the Buccoo Reef - Bon Accord Lagoon Marine Protected Area (MPA), and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve in Northeast Tobago. Both areas hold...
The restoration journey continues, Project MARIN proceeds for another five years.
Media release: September 11, 2023 The MARIN Tobago pilot brings needed attention to endangered coral reefs and seagrass meadows. The report on the pilot phase indicates the way forward for the next five years. The Institute of Marine Affairs’ coral and seagrass restoration project, MARIN, has passed through a successful pilot phase and is now set to enter the main phase with support from bpTT. Based on the success of the pilot project, bpTT has committed US$1 million in grant funding to support a 5-year work programme with the IMA to further their work in coral reef and seagrass restoration across Tobago, working in partnership with NGOs,...
The Marine Resilience Initiative (MARIN) Tobago Project Launch
The Marine Resilience Initiative (MARIN) Tobago Project will be launched at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park, by the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), in partnership with bp Trinidad and Tobago. It is an 18-month pilot which seeks to determine the appropriate and feasible rehabilitation strategies for both the coral reef as well as the seagrass beds that surround Tobago. The coral reef and seagrass beds that are part of Tobago’s marine ecosystem have suffered degradation over decades by a combination of climate change and human impacts. One of the most notable impacts was the loss of up to 50 per cent of hard coral cover...
