NARIVA SWAMP RESTORATION INITIATIVE -TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO- by Montserrat Carbonell Dawn Browne Gerard Alleng Bobby Massey 2007 DUCKS UNLIMITED, Inc. Memphis, TN /USA www.ducks.org NARIVA SWAMP RESTORATION INITIATIVE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO by Montserrat Carbonell Gerard Alleng Dawn Browne Bobby Massey August 2007 Printed by: Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Memphis, TN, U.S.A. Prepared with financial assistance of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., USDA Forest Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service Copyright: The organizations responsible for this publication have waived copyright. ISBN: 1 932052 13 5 Suggested Citation: Carbonell, M., G. Alleng, D. Browne, and B. Massey. 2007. Nariva Swamp Restoration Initiative, Trinidad and Tobago. Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Memphis, TN, USA. Available from: Ducks Unlimited, Inc., One Waterfowl Way, Memphis, TN, 38120-2351, U.S.A. http://www.ducks.org/lac/homepage The presentation of material in this book and the geographical designation employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. concerning the legal status of any country, area, or territory, or concerning the delimitation of its boundaries or frontiers. The information contained in this book and accompanying maps are unsuited for, and shall not be used for any regulatory purpose of action, nor shall the report or accompanying maps be the basis for any determination relating to impact assessment or mitigation. 2007 “…for a radical, rather than superficial solution… a management strategy is required that recognizes the fundamental ecological character of this important natural area… No resource use of this area, or management system designed for the area, can be sustainable unless it takes account of water. Consequently, the future protection and rational utilization of Nariva Swamp must be based on a better understanding of the hydrology.” P. Bacon (1996) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Nariva Swamp Restoration Initiative was developed thanks to the many colleagues both in Trinidad and Tobago and in the USA who over eight years have generously provided and shared information, bibliography, unpublished reports, field notes, and personal experience. We are sure this list is far from complete and we would like to apologize up front for having omitted anyone. First and foremost, we would like to thank the Hon. Penelope Beckles, Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment for her support and patience. A very special thanks goes to our “boss”, Nadra Nathai-Gyan. She kept us busy all along but shared her deep knowledge of Nariva, her professionalism, her passion for conservation and love for her country. Her enthusiasm was contagious and kept us going even in the most difficult moments, but we must thank her also for going out of her way every time we visited Trinidad, making our trips very productive and efficient, and for providing more information that we could digest. To our colleagues in the Forestry Division, Kenny Singh, Roopnarine Singh, David Boodoo, Steven Poon, Motilal Lal, and Sham Ramsubage (Shortman), for being an integral part of the project and sharing Nariva with us, discussing draft documents and result, and for everything they do during their daily jobs to ensure Nariva doesn’t die! To our dear friends Ashook Maharaj and Dhaniram Ramlal, made sure we did not miss any appointment. Whether in town or in the field, they drove us safely everywhere and taught us many things about their culture. And to Sandra Marajh and Lisa Philip for helping us in so many ways, making sure we had everything we needed and ensuring everything went smoothly. Many thanks to all. We are particularly grateful to the many inhabitants of the communities of Biche, Kernahan-Cocal and Plum Mitan, in particular to all the members of the Nariva Environmental Trust and volunteer fire fighters (in alphabetical order): Kalian Deonanan, Kenrick Harris, Randy Jagdeo, Shobha Jonas, Sitram Jury, Teeluck Khemraj, Totaram Khemraj, Yodha Khemraj, Aneil Lal, Anurudh Lal, Anthony Pitt, Audho Ramadhar, Ashley Ramoutar, Eddy Rampersad, Irvin Rampersad, Sham Ramsubage, Kirk Sampath, Visham Sieunarine, Kushulal Sooknanan, Ramesh Zoongie , who in spite of their busy schedules tending to their gardens and families were always available to give us a hand while doing field work. We owe a warm thank you Mrs. Jonas in Kernahan and Mrs. Deonanan in Plum Mitan, who treated us like family and provided the meals while we were guests in their communities. We also would like to thank Suresh Sookbir for an excellent job geo-referencing, classifying, and digitizing and Jacob Opadeyi of UWI for the GIS work. Robyn Cross and Ken Ogeer, of the EMA were extremely helpful ensuring the topographic surveys were carried out the way we had requested. Special thanks go to John Agard, EMA’s Chairman of the Board, for his wise advise so many times, his support and guidance in navigating the sometimes difficult institutional labyrinth. To all the members of the National Wetlands Committee, past and present, for listening to our presentations of draft after draft, to our requests and suggestions, and for contributing with information and guidance as to what was most useful for them when planning for the conservation of Nariva. Special thanks to Ronald Bryce and Frankie Balkissoon of the MALMR for sharing some old maps, reports and data that had until then been impossible to obtain, and Narine “Guptie” Lutchmedial of the Manatee Trust for helping to get the fire fighting materials to the volunteer fire patrol members. We are also grateful for the information provided by Water and Sewerage Authority, Water Resources Agency, Urban and Regional (Town and Country) Planning Division (Ministry of Planning and Development), and the Draughting Office of the Forestry Division, in particular Barbara Scoobie. Many thanks to our colleagues in Ducks Unlimited who provided assistance during various stages of the project. Steve Adair helped with the initial restoration work plan. Dick Kempka was involved at the beginning and was instrumental in getting the change detection analysis to a good start. Nancy Thompson and Yongtao Luo always helped with a big smile with the database, the mapping application and the multiple maps versions. Shane Hanna did the many drafts of the complicated drawings necessary for the topographic surveys and for the engineering plans. A special thanks to Ken Kriese for his help with ensuring the fire management materials reached Trinidad, and with the final editing of the report. Jyoti Karki of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (University of Delaware) worked hard on the hydrological analysis, thanks. We hope that this baptism to issues facing Caribbean wetlands will be a milestone for you in your own conservation efforts and career path. Thanks to the USFWS Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act for providing financial support for several aspects of this project, and to an Anonymous Donor for providing support over the life of the Latin America and Caribbean Program. Two special people deserve more than a simple thank you. They have taught us how to never give up, keep fighting for something one believes in, and never let Nature down. They have been criticized, and even virtually and literally slapped on the face, but they continue to fight for Nariva, just like they have for the past 20+ years. Molly Gaskin and Karilyn Shephard - thanks for being such special people. Finally, a very special thanks goes to our partners in the USDA Forest Service: Val Mezainis, Jack Capp, Carol Lively, George Custer, Will Ebaugh, David Farnsworth, Michelle Zeedee, Dana Roth, Billy Terry, Andrea von de Rohe, and Ronna Simon for their help in many ways than one. The financial support was crucial, but so was the technical expertise they contributed to this project. Their presence and encouragement throughout the project were instrumental to achieving many good things. We dedicate this effort on Nariva and its ensuring legacy to one person who is no longer with us but whose scientific research and commitment to wetlands in the Caribbean provided us with a solid foundation to build on for our work in Nariva. Peter Robin Bacon left us in 2003 but as a testament to his legacy, his research on Nariva in 1979 remains the most comprehensive study of the area and has been extensively utilized and cited. The region lost a significant asset with his passing but it is hoped that this work in Nariva will inspire many others with his type of passion and zeal for wetlands conservation. Prof. Peter R. Bacon - 1997 CONTENTS A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN NARIVA ...............................1 RESEARCH AND ECOLOGICAL STUDIES.........................................................................1 COMMUNITIES AND FARMING .......................................................................................3 AGRICULTURE AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS........................................4 OIL EXPLORATION ......................................................................................................5 FIRE THREATS............................................................................................................6 THE ROLE OF NGOS ..................................................................................................6 PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION MEASURES..............................................................8 THE RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS...................................................................9 MANAGEMENT PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL