Environmental symposiums begin today

THE Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), in collaboration with the Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago (IFPAMTT) Project, which is administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN), will be hosting symposiums today and tomorrow to sensitise the public about the importance of the environment. A Fish Broth and Talk community symposium will be held at 5pm today at the Betsy Hope/Louis D’Or Facility in Roxborough, and a secondary school symposium takes place tomorrow

Themed, “Transforming Tobago; Understanding and Conserving our Natural Ecosystems” the symposia will highlight the research undertaken by the IMA, the IFPAMTT Project and other stakeholders. Presenters will share on pertinent environmental issues affecting Tobago such as coastal erosion, the lionfish invasion, the Sargassum Response Plan, the status of Tobago coral reefs and the importance of protected areas. Communities in southwest Tobago are invited to attend the Fish Broth and Talk and discuss the environmental issues that impact their community and livelihood. It is hoped that the discussions will provide a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue and cooperation going forward.

The school symposium, which will be held at the Library Auditorium of the Tobago Library Services in Scarborough, will bring to secondary level students the science behind conservation and look at multiple career paths for environmentally conscious youths. The symposium will highlight the research undertaken at the IMA and IFPAMTT, encourage students to rethink their actions on the environment, and stimulate actions leading to them becoming stewards of our natural resources.

The importance of the environment is highlighted by the recent devastating flooding in Trinidad which can have devastating impacts on lives and livelihoods. It is experienced all over the world and can be partially attributed to indiscriminate human activities. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that eighty per cent of flooding worldwide is caused by blocked water courses arising from pollution from land-based human activities. In TT, our experience is no different, vast quantities of solid waste are dumped into rivers and streams, polluting and clogging waterways, contributing flooding; sometimes severe enough to threaten human life and livestock.

Indiscriminate removal of mangrove cleared for infrastructural development or farming; slash and burn farming techniques in forested areas and the denuding of the hills for housing construction contribute to many environmental ills that have long term effects on both human life and well-being.

These practices not only contribute to flooding, as top soil is washed away into our rivers, eventually making its way to our seas and oceans; but it disturbs the delicate balance of our oceans. Increased siltation in our rivers raises river beds, increasing the likelihood of flooding. In our seas, the run off leads to the loss of coral reefs which perform the vital functions of nursery to our fisheries and provision of protection from storm surges. Mangroves too act as nurseries to shellfish and protect our coastline from storm surges.

The way we manage our activities on land impacts the ability of the sea and our coastline to provide its benefits such as food and protection from the harmful effects of climate change.