Robinson-Regis gets marine report

The First State of the Marine Environment (SOME) Report (2016) scientifically assesses the state of Trinidad and Tobago’s coastal and marine ecosystems, habitats and species, and their sustainability.

The report shows how these resources have been affected by a range of natural and human pressures such as land pollution and climate change.

Impacts include degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and beaches, mainly by pollution. These negative impacts have made such ecosystems more vulnerable to the impact of climate change and other emerging threats such as invasive alien species like lionfish and sargassum blooms.

The study emphasises the safeguarding of TT’s fisheries resources as a key source of livelihood and nutrition for many marginalized groups and communities. The report includes a 2017 to 2020 Action Plan to mitigate such harm.

The thematic areas are: coastal development, ecosystem conservation and restoration, sustaining coastal livelihoods, vulnerability to climate change and pollution.

The report will be publicly launched in April. Given the current state of the marine and coastal environment, the report urges public and private stakeholders to arrest the impacts and to conserve the coastal and marine ecosystems.

Robinson-Regis also recently received the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB’s) Risk Resilient Coastal Zone Management Programme for TT and Design and Feasibility Study on Climate Resilience and Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

The IDB study showed which areas are likely to be heavily impacted by future climate change including agriculture through soil aridity; human health through the spread of water borne diseases and human settlements through increased flooding and the loss of natural coastal defenses.

The study also proposes some solutions focusing on the communities of Manzanilla, Guayaguayare, San Soucis, Otaheite and Speyside in Tobago.

The study’s objective is for the IDB to provide the Government with an economically and technically justifiable coastal management programme.