The June issue of our newsletter is out. The happy Environment Tobago newsletter team led by the indomitable spider woman Joanne Sewlal has outdone themselves this time. Read the report on the Clean School Project - See the winners. Have a look on our recent (and ongoing) World Environment Day activities. Join Joanne as she rattles on about Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis - a must read.
Join your webmaster as he cooks up a storm about cabbage infestation. Can there be such a thing? Then read on as he does it again, grumbling about irresponsible development - on Turtle Beach this time.
Do take the time to read the interview with our founding President, David Rooks, as he confides to Joanne and Chris about his life and times. Our dynamic young volunteer sees beauty in the mirror and on the trees. Read her observations on the yellow blaze.
The big options for water in Tobago
The Water and Sewerage Authority owns all the rain-derived water in Tobago, whether it occurs on state lands or on privately held parcels. Passing strange however is that WASA has found it expedient to seek a contractor to win fresh water from the sea. They will do this at the Cove Industrial Estate sometime soon. No doubt it will be a costly exercise, one which the coming generation may not be able to carry indefinitely.
WASA's management, in commissioning the desalination unit, takes the position that the recent drought brought into focus the tenuous nature of our water supply. They cite the dramatic role played by the Point Lisas based Desalcott in meeting the sister islands needs over the last extended dry season. A good argument, but it holds no water for the Tobago situation. Read more..
Victims of climate change
Tobago children have yet to face the onslaught of climate change. In many parts of the world, kids are not so lucky. Climate change. The term is an abstraction for Tobagonians. To some its negligible, maybe best handled by academics and the first world. At this time its comparable to an insects hum, as the tidal wave of accomodating governance roars into our lives. The reality is climate change will be a sting to our lifestyle, a catastrophe impacting on us long before the social issues we voted to address can be fixed by the new government. Read more ...
Traffic at Courland Estate
The Courland Bay and the surrounding wood is one of the few relatively unmodified parts of Tobago, bar the legally protected forests of the Main Ridge. It's beautiful, it's convenient for island residents to enjoy a quick communion with nature, and it's about to be destroyed by vehicular traffic. Already weekend users trample the roots and the undergrowth with their cars, and the wildlife is threatened with noise pollution from the music systems.
Traffic on the greens of the Courland should be limited to those who walk in only. Not even bikers should ride while in there, lest they threaten the well-being of kids, toddlers getting the chance of tuning in to their environment at an early stage, or lovers speaking soft words. Presently the area is still salvageable for posterity - yet it can be in constant use as a nature park.
Scientists estimate that between 150 and 200 species become extinct every 24 hours! So in an effort to heighten awareness on the alarming rate at which we are losing biodiversity (all living entities on earth) the United Nations declared 2010 the International Year of Biological Diversity. Activities this year will focus on the importance of biodiversity for human well-being.
Environment Tobago, a partner with the Convention for Biological Diversity Secretariat to promote awareness on biodiversity, started off the activities by hosting a three-day exhibition at the Gulf City Lowlands mall. The exhibition featured artwork by local students as well as informative literature for adults as well as children.
On the morning of May 21st teachers and over 30 students of the Scarborough Secondary school got together to remove over 21 bags of garbage from the Crownpoint/Sandy Point beach.
Garbage from recreational beach goers still seem to be the biggest issue and plasticbottles in particular, the biggest offender by far. However, following close behind are oil bottles, condoms, cigarette lighters and building materials.
Help us keep our environment clean and bring mindfulness to all our actions:
Take a garbage bag to the beach to dispose of waste
Stop littering
Organise your own beach clean ups
Practice responsible construction
Properly dispose of oil bottles
Get more information
And enjoy this beautiful island and all its natural beauty. Download the press release.
The yellow blaze
The sudden infusion of yellow blaze is seemingly the talk of the island right now, and this time it’s not about the political rallies. From taxis to the stores, people are speaking about the unknown rush of colour overwhelming Tobago’s trees. We’ve gone from drought to delight; our branches are blossoming masses of yellow- funnel-shaped flowers and for only a few days duration. It’s a majestic wonder and for many a seasonal sight without a name.
The name of this yellow creeper is Macfadyena Unguis-Cati, or the Cat’s Claw Ivy. It’s a ‘high climbing woody vine that can grow up to fifty feet in height’. (University of Florida IFAS, 2009. Centre for Aquatic and Invasive Plants). The vine’s name Cat's Claw ‘derives from this clawed tendril which the plant uses to climb’. (Ken McClymont, 2007. Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network).
It originated in South America and is native to Central America, tropical South America also to the Caribbean. Before the nineteen fifties it was introduced in Australia and Southern Africa for ornamental purposes, though today it is considered an invasive creeper. This creeping yellow vine can also be found in Hawaii, The South Atlantic Islands, Tanzania and also in tropical parts of Asia to name a few; although introduced to these areas it is not considered to be invasive.
Whilst the yellow flowering is short lived, the lifespan of the Cat’s Claw vine is not. The plant itself grows at a relatively slow rate and is adapted to survive through drought. This said the sufficient irrigation, from the heavy rainfall, that we are experiencing right now in Tobago is apt for Cat’s Claw to flourish. We can expect to see many more weeks of this majestic yellow blaze yet so get your cameras out and get snapping- This vibrant ‘coat’ is set to vanish from our trees as quickly as it blossoms. Images and article kindly supplied by Zoe Mason - Environment Tobago volunteer
The Water and Sewerage Authority owns all the rain-derived water in Tobago, whether it occurs on state lands or on privately held parcels. Passing strange however is that WASA has found it expedient to seek a contractor to win fresh water from the sea. They will do this at the Cove Industrial Estate sometime soon. No doubt it will be a costly exercise, one which the coming generation may not be able to carry indefinitely. 
Tobago children have yet to face the onslaught of climate change. In many parts of the world, kids are not so lucky. 
The Courland Bay and the surrounding wood is one of the few relatively unmodified parts of Tobago, bar the legally protected forests of the Main Ridge. It's beautiful, it's convenient for island residents to enjoy a quick communion with nature, and it's about to be destroyed by vehicular traffic. Already weekend users trample the roots and the undergrowth with their cars, and the wildlife is threatened with noise pollution from the music systems. 
Scientists estimate that between 150 and 200 species become extinct every 24 hours!
On the morning of May 21st teachers and over 30 students of the Scarborough Secondary school got together to remove over 21 bags of garbage from the Crownpoint/Sandy Point beach.
The sudden infusion of yellow blaze is seemingly the talk of the island right now, and this time it’s not about the political rallies. From taxis to the stores, people are speaking about the unknown rush of colour overwhelming Tobago’s trees. We’ve gone from drought to delight; our branches are blossoming masses of yellow- funnel-shaped flowers and for only a few days duration. It’s a majestic wonder and for many a seasonal sight without a name. 
It originated in South America and is native to Central America, tropical South America also to the Caribbean. Before the nineteen fifties it was introduced in Australia and Southern Africa for ornamental purposes, though today it is considered an invasive creeper. This creeping yellow vine can also be found in Hawaii, The South Atlantic Islands, Tanzania and also in tropical parts of Asia to name a few; although introduced to these areas it is not considered to be invasive.