Blue Carbon is no reason to feel blue
Have you ever described yourself or someone else as “feeling blue”? In that case you are using a phrase coined from a custom among many old deepwater sailing ships. If the ship lost the captain or any of the officers during its voyage, she would fly blue flags and have a blue band painted along her entire hull when returning to homeport. I would like to think that this is true because it perfectly fits my narrative but given that the internet source was quite dubious it probably isn’t. Another source indicated that the use of the colour blue to mean sadness goes all the...
Taking time to appreciate our Mangrove Forests
Our coastlines, especially the Gulf of Paria, were once lined with large trees with entangled roots beaming with wildlife, where our grandfathers and fathers hunted crabs to put in the Sunday callaloo, and for oysters sold in spicy sauce around the Queen Parks Savannah. Back then we did not fully understand he importance of these coastal forests, so as much as 50 % were cleared to build houses, businesses and ports. What are you talking about, you may ask? It’s our mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are spectacular and prolific ecosystems that are usually located on the boundary between land and sea. Mangrove trees are salt-tolerant trees, also called...
A view from the hill: The impacts of sedimentation on the coastal environment
If you have the opportunity to go to San Fernando Hill or the Lady Young Road in Port of Spain, you can have an unobstructed panoramic view of the Gulf of Paria and its environs. Viewing the coast from these vantage points gives you another perspective of human impacts on the coastal environment. Our impact is very evident after heavy rainfall when you look out only to see a large brown plume of sediment moving across the blue waters. Sediment is washed down from hillsides and plains into drains and rivers, eventually reaching the sea. The magnitude of these plumes is unknown for the...
Making believers out of sceptics: Wetland’s Hidden Treasures
by Attish Kanhai “What about the area in front of Five Islands Amusement park?” was the suggestion from a colleague as we planned our activities for World Wetlands month (February 2022). “I don’t know, is there nice?” came my sceptical reply. “Well there’s a lot of birds and the place is quite scenic,” was the subtle retort. I remained unconvinced and with some trepidation, I prepared for a site visit. Granted it was five minutes away from the office and I am not much of a bird watcher, “How bad could it be?” I thought to myself. To my knowledge, much of the coastline in the western peninsula...
World Wetlands Day 2022 – Tree Planting Ceremony
In the context of World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2nd February, the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), organized a tree planting ceremony on the compound of the IMA. The tree species that were planted were not wetland type species like mangroves but species such as Pommerac, Soursop, Chatagne, Sour Cherry and Lime to name but a few....
VALUE – MANAGE – RESTORE: LOVE YOUR WETLANDS
Black-bellied tree ducks in Icacos Swamp by Rahanna Juman ...
Wetlands: Key in Coping with Climate Change
Red Mangrove Trees within Caroni Swamp – Ramsar Site Photo Credit: Lorraine Barrow, IMA...
Marine Science Contributions to a Sustainable Future from our Female Scientists at the IMA
In an interview with the IMA, Ms. Alison Clausen of the Paris Office of the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), noted that the UN is creating a framework to galvanise global support for championing the health of our oceans. Ms. Clausen states that science has for decades documented the demise of our oceans but now the global scientific community must use science to provide solutions – and that scientific community includes women....
Wetland and Water
In Commemoration of World Wetland Day 2021 Prepared by Rahanna JumanInstitute of Marine Affairs We are in a growing water crisis that threatens people and our planet. Water use has increased six fold over the past century and is rising by about 1% a year. We use more water than nature can replenish, and are destroying the ecosystems that water and all our life depend on most- wetlands. Rincon Lagoon Water covers about 70% of our planet, so we think that it is plentiful. However, freshwater—the stuff we drink and irrigate our farms with—is incredibly rare. Only 3% of the world’s water is freshwater, and two-thirds of that...
Wetland Biodiversity: Why It matters?
Prepared by Dr. Rahanna Juman, Director (Ag.) Institute of Marine Affairs As the world commemorates World Wetlands Day on February 2nd with the theme ‘Wetland Biodiversity: Why its Matters’, a December 2019 publication by Diaz et al in Science revealed that most indicators of the state of nature, whether monitored by natural and social scientists or by indigenous peoples and local communities, are declining. Consequently, nature’s capacity to provide crucial benefits has also declined, including environmental processes underpinning human health and non-material contributions to the quality of human life. These trends in nature and its contributions to people are projected to worsen in the coming decades, unless rapid and integrated action is taken to...