E n viron men t TO BAGO n ewsl etter Environment TOBAGO March 2014 nvironment TOBA- E GO (ET) is a non- government, non-profit, vol- unteer organisation , not Marine Turtles- Environmentally Sensitive Species subsidized by any one group, corporation or government Environment TOBAGO body. Founded in 1995, ET is a proactive advocacy group that On the 18th February the EMA (Environmental Management Authority) Biodi- campaigns against negative versity Council was reconstituted, to which Environment TOBAGO is a member. The environmental activities throughout Tobago. We first order was to declare environmentally sensitive species for Tobago (and Trinidad) achieve this through a variety which included five marine turtles and White-Tailed Sabre Winged Hummingbird which of community and environ- is endemic to Tobago. This article focuses of these sensitive marine species. mental outreach programmes. Planet Earth has been occupied by ancient creatures, long before man (homo Environment TOBAGO is sapiens) made their appearance. Marine turtles, air breathing reptiles, have been around funded mainly through grants for over 150 million years. These amazing creatures make sea journeys of 1000 to 1400 and membership fees. These funds go back into implement- miles every 2 years- traversing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, before returning to their ing our projects. We are natal (beach of birth) beaches to nest; laying eggs 5 to 7 times during a 4 month period. grateful to all our sponsors rd over the years and thank In Trinidad & Tobago, we have become known as the place where the 3 largest them for their continued populations of nesting sea turtles in the world visit every year. Certain beaches on both support islands have become known as Natal or index beaches- beaches that have the most con- centrated amounts of visiting turtles per year. In Trinidad some of the main index beaches are- Grand Riviere, Fishing Pond Manzanilla, Toco, Sans Souci and Matura. In Tobago- Great Courland Bay, Stonehaven Bay/Grafton, Back Bay/Mt. Irvine. Man-o-war Bay, Cambelton, Hermitage, Lans Fourmi and Starwood. Trinidad and Tobago has 5 species of marine turtles that make their homes here or visit. The Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) with its leathery flexible skin and feeds hat’s inside generally on jellyfish. Then the hard shell turtles- Green turtle (Chelonia mydal) which is a W herbivore, eating seagrasses; the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) also a herbivore; the ET News 1 Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) which feeds on sponges and soft bodied reef organ- Articles 6 isms and finally the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) which is carnivorous-feeding on shell fish, crabs, lobsters and jellyfish. Ecology Notes 11 Marine sea turtles have been exposed to a multitude of negative environmental Book Review 12 issues worldwide-Trinidad &Tobago is no exception-accidental capture by gillnet (used Community 14 by our fishermen), nesting habitat loss due to coastal development and beach degrada- Announcements tion, diseases from human (anthropogenic sources) pollution, plastics ingestion and ex- Upcoming conferences 15 cessive hunting. So much so that, international bodies-The UN and IUCN (World Con- and workshops servation Union) declared all of these turtles “endangered” or “ critically endangered” What’s Happening @ ET 16 and facing extinction. Having survived since the dawn of time –they are facing annihila- tion in this generation. Notes to contributors 18 These animals are fully protected under the laws of Trinidad & Tobago, yet we have witnessed contraventions to the law on many occasions. Poaching is still rampant. Persons visiting the nesting beaches without guides have been photographed sitting/ riding on the backs of leatherback turtles-ignorant to the fact that these turtles have a Page 2 Environment TOBAGO newsletter soft shell- any weight on their backs will compress the lungs and likely kill the turtle. Please be respectful of them. In the fishing industry, gillnets are a major contributor to the drowning of the visiting turtles. This year, 2014, up to 40 leatherbacks have been drowned on the north March 2014 coast of Trinidad. The fishing industry must begin to use turtle excluder devices that can be added to the nets allowing trapped turtles to escape. The use of gillnets should be abandoned. Turtle friendly lighting in our coastal areas is another issue that needs ad- Editor: dressing. Bright lights disorient the turtle and often distracts them from the process of Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal nesting. Excessive noise on the beaches – in the case of beach fetes and “limes” in Trini- Assistant Editor: Christopher K. Starr dad & Tobago poses a huge problem- noise and the trampling of nesting beach areas by Design & Layout: humans and vehicles is common and absolutely unnecessary. Signage indicating nesting Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal turtles must be paid attention to. Technical Support: But all is not lost- to counter the negative effects of human interaction with Jerome Ramsoondar these creatures, the Government of Trinidad & Tobago in September 2011- amended Enid Nobbee Contributors: the Fisheries Act 67.51- Section 4- with a total ban on the hunting of turtles and turtle Bertrand Bhikarry eggs. This has had an amazing effect on the protection and management of Marine turtle Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal populations. Co-management and policing of nesting beaches in Trinidad and Tobago has Christopher K. Starr come a long way. In Trinidad, Game wardens and turtle Conservation groups, such as Photographs: Nature Seekers, Grande Riviere Trust and Fishing Pond Group; and in Tobago, game Eleanor Briccetti Environment wardens, SOS-save our sea turtles and NEST-North East Sea Turtles have ensured a TOBAGO greater degree of onsite protection to nesting turtles during the nesting season. The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has embarked on the second round of added protection. On April 28th 2014, the 5 Marine Turtles that inhabit our waters as stated above were declared ESS’s (Environmentally Sensitive Species) under Section 26(e) and 41: chapter 35.05 of the Environmental Management Act 2000 and The ESS rules of 2001. This will enhance the management of marine turtle species of signifi- Board of Directors cance. Hopefully, it will reduce the “endangered” designation in Trinidad & Tobago. It is 2012-2014 an exciting time for the conservation and protection of these amazing animals through- out the world – impacting on our responsibility towards their continued arrival on our President:: Patricia Turpin shores. Vice-President: Turtle watching is a big tourism drawing card- enable us to continue to share this Bertrand Bhikkary fabulous asset now and into the future, in safety and respect. Secretary: Wendy Austin Treasurer: Shirley McKenna Other Directors: William Trim Kai Trim Rupert McKenna Fitzherbert Phillips Renee Gift Geoffrey Lewis Darren Daly Allan Sandy Top row (left to right): Loggerhead; Hawksbill and Olive Ridley Bottom row (left to right): Leatherback and Green turtles Environment TOBAGO newsletter Page 3 Getting to know the Environmentally Sensitive Species- White Tailed Sabre- wing Hummingbird Environment TOBAGO On 17th June, 2005, the White tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird (Campylopterus ensipennis) was declared an ESS (Environmentally Sensitive Species) under Section 41 of the Environmental Management act 2000 and ESS rules 3/4/5/ of 2001. Legal notice 125. This beautiful endangered hummingbird receiving from that time a degree of protection that it so badly needed. The White-tailed Sabre wing - also known as Blue-throated Sabre wing - is a large, endangered hummingbird that is restricted to two coastal ranges in north eastern Venezuela and the Main Ridge of Tobago. Tobago Distribution The Main Ridge down to 100 m on the island of Tobago. Currently also seen in the North East-Pigeon Peak. It was estimated that between several hundred and in ex- cess of 1,000 individuals still exist on Tobago. The White-tailed Sabre wing is consid- ered "Near Threatened" in its natural habitat. In 1963, after hurricane Flora devastated the Caribbean islands, destroying most of its rain forest habitat this species was thought to have become extinct in Tobago; but it was rediscovered in 1974, its population has now largely recovered. Trail surveys found that the White-tailed Sabre wings are widely scattered from Mount Dillon in the west to Hermitage Hill in the east. They are either very rare or White-tailed Sabrewing completely absent in parts of their former range-southwest Tobago (Hillsborough Res- Photo: Eleanor Briccetti ervoir) where populations don't appear to have re-established themselves after the se- (http://www.briccettiphoto.com) vere weather event Preferred Habitat: They mostly inhabit mature montane forests, regenerating forest less than 15 m tall; they occur along the edges of clearings, as well as in shade coffee and abandoned plantations. Behaviour: This species is known for being fearless and inquisitive. Male White-tailed Sabrewings typically perch conspicuously and defend their territories aggressively against other hummingbirds. Description: The Sabrewings are very large compared to other hummingbirds. The White-tailed Sabrewing measures between 12 - 14 cm in length and weigh about 10 g. The Sabre wings are named for their long, sabre-like outermost primary flight feathers, which are thickened, flattened and bent at an angle. Their black, strong bills are slightly down-curved. Females have longer bills. The plumage is mostly green with distinctive white outer-tail feathers. Both males and females look alike, but the female is duller; males are generally larger than females, with longer tails and wings. The three outer pairs of the tail feathers are white. Adult Male: The male's upper plumage is metallic golden-green. His chin and throat are glossy dark blue / violet. His wings are purplish-brown. He has a white spot next to his eyes. His bronze tail has two white markings on two-thirds of the three outer feathers. Adult males have widened 'sabres' (shafts of outer most primary flight feathers) that are acquired during his second year.