Turks and Caicos Islands

4.5. Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Fisheries
4.5.1. Background
The Turks and Caicos Islands Board of Tourism promotes the “Beautiful by Nature” Islands through
exclusive attractions for visitors such as sighting Humpback whales and manta rays, sport-fishing for tunas
and marlins and diving along impressive coral reefs. Encounters with exotic birds are frequent among the
salt ponds and marshes that provide breeding and feeding grounds for terns, blue herons and pink
flamingoes. The diversity of fauna and flora, and the long stretches of white sand beaches that lure
thousands of vacationers every year highlight the great dependency of TCI’s main economic sector,
tourism, on its natural environment. The Turks and Caicos Islands have several species of interest that
include rare, threatened, endangered and endemic species, range-restricted species and rare habitat types.
Over 550 plant species have been identified on the islands and cays; 9 are endemic to TCI and an additional
40 species are endemic to the Bahamas archipelago (SWA Ltd., Blue Dolphin Research and Consulting Inc.,
EDSA, 2010). Although geographically small in scale, the islands are a treasure trove for approximenately
200 species of waterfowl and shorebirds and provide habitat to 17 species of reptiles (seven are alien
species) and four species of cave-dweling bats, the only remamining native mammals. Endemic animal
species include four reptilian species: the Pigmy Boa Constrictor, Caicos barking gecko, Caicos reef gecko
and curly tail lizard; one insect – the leafwing butterfly (Anaea intermedia) and a cave shrimp (Barbouria
spp) (SWA Ltd., Blue Dolphin Research and Consulting Inc., EDSA, 2010).
The islands are all limestone platforms and therefore low-lying, with the highest point being Flamingo Hill
on the East Caicos island at 48 m above sea-level (Lime Turks & Caicos Islands, 2011). There are extensive
sandy beaches and areas of shallow water with coral formations(Kairi Consultants Ltd, 2000b) as well as
extensive mangroves and marshes. According to the Tourist Board the Middle and North Caicos represent
the best of TCI’s distinctive environment, with lush green woodlands, the biggest cave network in the
Caribbean on Middle Caicos, cottage pond and flamingo pond in North Caicos and a vast range of plant life
and birdlife. South Caicos is the lobster and conch fishing centre of TCI, and home to the historic Cockburn
harbour and the natural phenomenon of the boiling hole (Turks and Caicos Tourist Board, n.d.).
The increasing number of resorts and tourism activities currently pose the greatest localized threat to the
islands' biodiversity especially along coastal areas. The risk of biodiversity loss is further increased by
climate change, which is now recognized as one of the greatest threats to global biological diversity.
Impacts of global climate change on the flora and fauna of TCI include:
Changes in distribution
Ecosystem composition
Increased rates of extinction
Changes in patterns of reproduction
Changes in migration patterns
Ecosystems have long demonstrated the ability to adapt to changing environments however it is believed
that current and projected rates of climate change will exceed the rate of adaptation jeopardizing the
survival of many species. Compounding the global threat of climate change are the local anthropogenic
impacts that degrade habitats, reduce species numbers and decrease the resilience and adaptive capacity
of ecosystems. The following sections will assesses the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the island’s
biodiversity and fisheries sectors to climate change within the context of those ecosystems that are most
significant to tourism and its related sectors.
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