Trinidad and Tobago
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© 2009 BirdLife International Juan de Dios Martínez Mera N35-76 y Av. Portugal Casilla 17-17-717 Quito, Ecuador. Tel: +593 2 2277059 Fax: +593 2 2469838 [email protected] www.birdlife.org BirdLife International is a UK-registered charity No. 1042125 ISBN: 978-9942-9959-0-2 Recommended citation: DEVENISH, C., DÍAZ FERNÁNDEZ, D. F., CLAY, R. P., DAVIDSON, I. & YÉPEZ ZABALA,I.EDS. (2009) Important Bird Areas Americas - Priority sites for biodiversity conservation. Quito, Ecuador: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 16). To cite this chapter: WHITE, G. (2009) Trinidad and Tobago. Pp 351 – 356 in C. Devenish, D. F. Díaz Fernández, R. P. Clay, I. Davidson & I. Yépez Zabala Eds. Important Bird Areas Americas - Priority sites for biodiversity conservation. Quito, Ecuador: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 16). The purpose of the information contained in this book is to support conservation initiatives in the Americas, for which it may be reproduced. Using this information for commercial purposes is not permitted. If part or all of this information is used or included in any other publication, BirdLife International must be cited as copyright holder. Those who provided illustrations or photographs in this book have copyright over them and these are not permitted to be reproduced separately to the texts accompanying them. The presentation of material in this book and the geographical designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of BirdLife International concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Membership of BirdLife International does not imply any opinion or position with respect to sovereignty issues on the part of BirdLife International Partner organizations. Graphic design: Alejandro Miranda Baldares ([email protected]) Translations: Christian Devenish, Ítala Yépez Zabala & Amiro Pérez-Leroux Maps: David F. Díaz Fernández, Ítala Yépez Zabala & Christian Devenish Edition of Spanish language country chapters: Ítala Yépez Zabala, Carlos Huertas Sánchez & David F. Díaz Fernández Graphic design volunteer (Spanish language country chapters): Adriana Valencia Tapia 3ULQWHGLQ(FXDGRUE\3ROLJUi¿FD&$ This publication and all country/territory chapters in their native languages are available for download at www.birdlife.org/ 0TWVY[HU[)PYK(YLHZAMERICAS /, ÊEÊ/" " .YHOHT>OP[L :JHYSL[0IPZ,\KVJPT\ZY\ILYÅ`PUN[VYVVZ[PU*HYVUP:^HTW;; 7OV[V!.YHOHT>OP[L ;YPUPKHK ;VIHNV *V\U[Y`MHJ[ZH[HNSHUJL (YLH! RT2 7VW\SH[PVU! 1,300,000 *HWP[HS! 7VY[6M:WHPU (S[P[\KL! ¶ T 5\TILYVM0)(Z! 7 ;V[HS0)(HYLH! OH 0)(JV]LYHNLVMSHUKHYLH! 19% ;V[HSU\TILYVMIPYKZ! 468 .SVIHSS`[OYLH[LULKIPYKZ! 1 .SVIHSS`[OYLH[LULKIPYKZPU0)(Z! 1 *V\U[Y`LUKLTPJZ! 1 .LULYHSPU[YVK\J[PVU The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island state located where the Lesser Antilles island chain meets mainland South America. Trinidad is the larger of the two islands and has an area of 4828 km2. It is highly indus- trialized and hosts 95% of the population. Economic activities are mainly energy based due to national reserves of oil and natural gas. The major population centers are on the west coast at Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. Tobago, 35 km to the north-east of Trinidad has an area of just over 300 km2. It has a degree of local governance WKURXJKWKH7REDJR+RXVHRI$VVHPEO\DQGLVVSDUVHO\SRSXODWHGZLWKWRXULVPDQGÀVKLQJUHSUHVHQWLQJWKH major economic activities. Trinidad has three mountain ranges: the Northern and Southern Ranges run along the north and south coasts, and the Central Range runs diagonally from north-east to south-west. The Northern Range rises to 940 m at El Cerro Del Aripo, while the Central and Southern ranges are more diffuse, rising to 307 m and 303 m at Tamana Hill and Trinity Hills respectively. The basins between the ranges are generally low-lying, with swamps where the larger rivers meet the sea at Caroni (a mangrove-dominated swamp) on the west coast and Nariva (dominated by herbaceous swamp and swamp-forest) on the east. Bordering WKH&DURQL6ZDPSDQGH[WHQGLQJGRZQWKHZHVWFRDVWRI7ULQLGDGDUHH[WHQVLYHFRDVWDOPXGÁDWV The south and east coast are characterized by long sandy beaches and occasional headlands. The north and north-east coasts are steep and rocky with occasional sandy beaches. Due to the RXWÁRZIURPWKH2ULQRFRWKHZDWHUVDUHJHQHUDOO\WXUELG7REDJRLVFKDUDFWHUL]HGE\WKH&HQWUDO5LGJH which forms the “backbone” of the north-eastern half of the island. The highest point is at 549 m but WKHUHDUHQRZHOOGHÀQHGSHDNV7KHZHVWHUQHQGRI7REDJRLVORZO\LQJZLWKDFRDVWDOSODLQGUDLQLQJLQWR two coastal wetlands. The coast of Tobago comprises sandy beaches alternating with rocky headlands. While VWLOOLQÁXHQFHGE\WKH2ULQRFRWKHZDWHUVRII7REDJRDUHPXFKFOHDUHUZLWKDQH[WHQVLYHRIIVKRUHFRUDOUHHIDQG fringing reefs in many of the bays. =PJ[VYPH4H`HYV-VYLZ[9LZLY]L;;PZHWVZZPISLZP[LMVY;YPUPKHK7PWPUNN\HU7PWPSLWPWPSL). 7OV[V!.YHOHT>OP[L Politically, Trinidad and Tobago is associated with the West Indies. Bio- Originally, Trinidad and Tobago would have been almost entirely forested, geographically however, the islands are distinctly South American, with and both islands still maintain comparatively large areas of forest cover, 7REDJRVKRZLQJVRPH$QWLOOHDQLQÁXHQFHVThe mountains in northern recently estimated at 44–48%, although arguably just 15% is in a natu- Trinidad represent an eastward extension of the coastal cordillera ral state. Forest has been cleared to make way for development and of Venezuela, and at the closest point Trinidad is only 11 km from agriculture, with traditional crops of cocoa, coffee and citrus once Venezuela’s Paria Peninsula. Indirect evidence suggests that the two were occupying large tracts of land. Many of these areas are now semi-aban- FRQQHFWHGDVUHFHQWO\DV\HDUVDJR'XHWRWKLVFORVHDIÀQLW\ZLWK doned and support mature secondary-growth forest. In Trinidad, ever- 6RXWK$PHULFD7ULQLGDGDQG7REDJRKDYHDFRQWLQHQWDOÁRUDDQGIDXQD green seasonal forest predominates in the lowlands where rainfall is characterized by high species richness and low levels of endemism. Both high. Moving towards the south and west of the island, the dry season ,VODQGVOLHRQWKHFRQWLQHQWDOVKHOIDQGDUHLQÁXHQFHGE\WKHRXWÁRZRI is more pronounced and the forest grades through semi-evergreen sea- the Orinoco River and the South Equatorial Current, resulting in com- sonal forest to deciduous forest (this latter being best developed along paratively nutrient-rich and low salinity coastal waters. The islands have the north-west peninsula and on the offshore-islands). In the Northern a seasonal tropical climate with a wet season from May to December and Range (above 240 m) there is generally no seasonal drought and lower DGU\VHDVRQIURP-DQXDU\WR$SULO$QQXDOUDLQIDOOLVKHDYLO\LQÁXHQFHG montane rainforest occurs. This grades into montane rainforest above by topography. Average annual precipitation in Trinidad is 2200 mm FPDQGÀQDOO\DERYHPDUHVPDOOSDWFKHVRIHOÀQZRRGODQG (ranging from 3500 mm towards the eastern end of the Northern Range, In Tobago, the natural vegetation of the lowlands is seasonal forest to 1300 mm at the westernmost points of the island). On Tobago, average although this has almost all been removed for urban development and annual precipitation is 1427 mm in the west to 2363 mm in the north-east. agriculture. The Main Ridge on Tobago supports rainforest which, Trinidad and Tobago lie at the edge of the Atlantic Hurricane Belt with however, is still recovering (structurally) from the devastating the last major hurricane being Hurricane Flora in 1963. Hurricane Flora in 1963. The legal framework for protection of wildlife and natural areas in Trini- commodation in the Arima Valley. The centre actively manages an area of dad and Tobago has recently been reformulated. The former system was 526 ha which includes one colony of Oilbirds (Steatornis caripensis) and characterized by a wide range of regulations managed by a number of support local conservation initiatives through education and publications. different government agencies leading to gaps and overlaps. The new sys- P-a-PWT has the objective of captive-breeding and release of threatened tem, progressively being implemented, provides for a single government waterfowl in Trinidad. It makes a major contribution to public awareness agency—the Environmental Management Authority (EMA)—to coordi- and education on conservation issues, especially where wetlands are in- nate all environmental management activities. The EMA, together with the volved. A particularly encouraging development is the contribution be- Forestry Division (which is responsible for the management of protected ing made by community-based groups, including Nature Seekers Inc. and areas in Trinidad), both fall within the Ministry of Public Utilities and Grande Riviere Environmental Awareness Trust, to the conservation of the Environment1. Protected areas in Tobago are the responsibility of the sea-turtles and the Trinidad Piping-guan (Pipile pipile; with support from Tobago House of Assembly and governed by the Tobago House of As- the Wildlife Section). sembly Act. The country has an extensive system of formally designated protected areas, including wildlife or game sanctuaries, nature conser- Trinidad Piping-guan has been the focus of 25 years of basic research, pub- YDWLRQUHVHUYHVVFLHQWLÀFUHVHUYHVIRUHVWUHVHUYHV5DPVDUVLWHVDVZHOO lic awareness and some community-based efforts by Nature Seekers Inc., as historic sites, natural landmarks and recreation parks.