Gov’t needs to act now

Research officers at the Institute of Marine Affairs, Chaguaramas, have made an impassioned plea to government to deal with the worsening disappearance of the Buccoo Reef, not only as a main environmental treasure but in relation to the tourism sector which depends on the reef as a source of income. Rahanna Juman and Richard Hubbard, spoke to Sunday Newsday about the plight of the reef which they described as “critical.” Hubbard lamented: “It is really quite bad now. We’ve lost a lot of corals.” He said the reef can still be saved but it will need urgent attention and it will take a long time before it can regenerate. Juman said it’s not just the sewage plant contributing to the problem but the whole issue of global sea-surface  warming. “So, beside the localised condition you also have world-wide conditions dealing with climate changes,”she said. They explained that reefs grow in environments in which  there are very little nutrients and when there is sewage, it elevates the level of nutrients and the macro-algae, which grows in environments with a high level of nutrients, will eventually smother the reefs and there will be competition for resources.

They said the plankton in the water decreases water visibility so the organisms in the reefs will not get to ‘photosynthesize’ as efficiently as they should. Juman said even the number of species of fish that used to live around or visit the reef have decreased. “We know for a fact that there are visitors who take the fish out of the reef even though it is protected,” she said. They lamented that they have been trying to get the attention of the authorities to act on the matter but to no avail. Juman said another issue of concern is the tour operators allowing visitors to walk on the reef. “A lot of boats still taking people to the reefs and they’re still dropping anchors which is damaging to the corals, you still have people walking on the reef and we know about another problem with garbage disposal in that area,” she said. The research officers said what is needed is for the authorities to help control some of the activities on the reef. “We need drastic action more than ever, because the effects of the degradation are more noticeable now,” said Hubbard.

The research officers explained that even the Nylon Pool will no longer be a natural wonder. “There is no longer a sandy bottom, it is being covered with seagrass,” he said. Juman pointed out that with seagrasses, there will also be a lot of urchins and jelly fish in that area, therefore, the Nylon Pool may become an area unfit for bathing. “A lot of work in terms of research has been done on the Buccoo Reef but nothing is being done,” she lamented. Since 1976, a UWI study done by Professor Julien Kenny showed that even around that time, the reef had started experiencing destruction. They said the evidence now is a lot of dead corals on the ocean bed. The research officers said another area of concern is the fact that with the introduction of housing developments near mangrove swamps, could do futher ecological damage to the island and its marine life.