Protecting Caroni Swamp

The survey was undertaken last December to investigate what is known about the swamp, what value is held for the swamp and what type of engagement people have with the swamp’s resources.

A snapshot of the survey’s findings is being shared with the national audience to provide a backdrop on issues that need to be addressed for improving management of this protected area.

“Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” is the name given to a four-year project which is being undertaken by the Government with co-ordination support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO).

The project, which started in June 2015, is funded by the Government, UN-FAO, European Union and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

The overarching objective of the project is to improve the way forests and protected areas in the country are managed and it is piloting new approaches to management in six “test” sites. These are the Caroni Swamp, the Nariva Swamp (and associated coastal zone), the Matura Forest (and associated coastal zone), the Wildlife Sanctuary at Trinity Hills in Southern Trinidad (and an eastern extension into the Victoria-Mayaro Forest Reserve), the Main Ridge Forest Reserve in Tobago, and a proposed marine area surrounding the north-eastern end of Tobago.

Protected areas One of the new approaches being piloted is finding out people’s knowledge and views on the assignment of these sites as protected areas. Do people know that these sites are or are intended to be protected areas? Do they see any value in their protection? Do people use these areas or the resources associated with them? Who manages these areas? Does the average person see a role for himself/herself as a co-manager of these sites? Do people believe that these sites and their integrity under threat in any way? What ideas do people have about managing and/or improving these areas? To get answers to these questions among others, a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey was undertaken at each of the six sites. The Caroni Swamp contains a bird sanctuary and is considered to be a main roosting site of the national bird. It is a popular domestic and foreign tourist destination, research site, and an area for key livelihood activities including eco-tours, birding, fishing and oyster harvesting.

The survey around the Caroni Swamp involved 1,349 participants.

Respondents were drawn from ten communities, from as far north as El Socorro South and as far south as Brickfield. Sixty-six percent of the respondents were males, and 70 percent of all respondents were over 31 years.

Ecological value Ninety-eight percent of respondents said that they knew of Caroni Swamp, however, 59 percent did not know of the boundaries of the protected area. When asked what they knew of the swamp, 1,179 respondents said they knew of the ecological value of the swamp, while 586 noted economic importance.

Only 174 respondents indicated knowledge of its protected status.

Regarding knowledge of endangered species in the swamp, 65 percent of respondents said they knew of endangered species there, while 31 percent did not know.

Of those who said they knew of endangered species, 33 percent identified the scarlet ibis, while ten per cent listed snakes and nine per cent, caimans.

People cited pollution, resource exploitation and illegal activities as key threats to the swamp. On a scale of one to five, with one being no importance and five being very important, 79 percent of respondents felt that the swamp was very important and two percent felt it was not important at all.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they did not know who manages the area, while 52 percent identified as many as 16 Government agencies in addition to the Forestry Division (17 percent) as managers. A small percentage (three percent) believe that tour operators/tour guide groups are managers of the swamp.

Improving surveillance The number one response to the question, “What needs to be improved?” was monitoring and surveillance. This was followed closely by maintenance, infrastructure and development, and on-the-ground management.

Key suggestions for this “on-theground management” included management of irrigation systems, implementing a fee for access, and developing the area as a national park.

People saw a role for themselves in the management of the swamp, with some recommending employment as litter wardens, assisting in patrols and educating others about the swamp; some simply said they were willing to help “in any way” to protect the swamp.

Going forward The survey findings uncovered some key areas for attention.

While knowledge of the Caroni Swamp was high among residents, its boundaries were unknown.

The ecological importance is understood, yet the swamp still experiences several threats to its ecological integrity, including pollution – due to the fact that it receives outflows from 33 per cent of the local population – and resource overexploitation – which is aggravated by a lack of resources to enforce and maintain the site’s protected status.

The “Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” project is providing the platform for addressing some of these matters, by facilitating collaborative work among various agencies in the public sector, and communication with civil society and private sector, in contrast to unilateral approaches that may have been undertaken in the past.

A clear statement of the objective of setting aside sites like the Caroni Swamp under protected status is being developed, which is mindful and realistic of the many overlapping and conflicting pressures, livelihood connections and public views.

A National Protected Area System plan will be drafted for stakeholder consultation and there will be consideration of protected area co-management.

With a project structure that results-oriented to match Government’s mandate for measuring impact, the time is now for improved action.

To find out more about progress on the project, visit the project blog at http://eppd-tt.blogspot.

com/p/gef-improving-forest- and-protected-areas.html and follow the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/protectedareastt