Times of the Islands Fall 2017

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green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources AGILE LEVINE This overlook of East Caicos shows the variety of ecosystem mosaics it contains. Safeguarding TCI’s Future Understanding East Caicos’ corals and coast. By Don Stark, Turks & Caicos Reef Fund, Kathleen Wood, SWA Environmental and Marsha Pardee At 47 square kilometres, East Caicos is one of the largest uninhabited islands in the Caribbean and probably represents the best example of landscape-level, un-fragmented ecosystem mosaics in the region. The conservation of biodiversity, health and resilience of adjacent marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, is highly dependent upon adequate management of ocean and land-based activities. East Caicos’ remoteness and inaccessibility have thus far protected it from major development schemes, but as development pressures increase inversely proportionate to availability of land in Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), the island is at risk from inappropriate development. 26 www.timespub.tc
green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources TCI currently has no sustainable national physical development plan; however, proposals to develop East Caicos as a trans-shipping and cruise port have been suggested. Currently, use of the island of East Caicos is limited to artisanal and commercial fisheries and infrequent tourism. A lack of viable sustainable use options also places the island at risk from development. Social and economic benefits are currently limited, and ecological assets and their use are currently not monitored and are only minimally managed. The near shore waters off the coast of East Caicos contain some of the best remaining unspoiled coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean region. These resources have provided the people of TCI, and particularly those on South, North and Middle Caicos, with fishing livelihoods for generations. Unsustainable development and climate change are having a devastating effect on coral reefs worldwide. By working with local stakeholders, such as fisherfolk and the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR), strategies to protect the coral reef ecosystems of East Caicos can be developed, while ensuring that the people who depend on these resources can continue to benefit from them. In late 2016, the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF), the only active environmental advocacy non-governmental organization in the TCI, and the grant’s co-applicant, SWA Environmental, received notice that they were awarded a grant from the European Union’s BEST 2.0 Programme. The BEST 2.0 Programme promotes conservation and sustainable use of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Overseas Territories. The one year grant will improve long-term conservation and sustainable use of the East Caicos coral reef ecosystems through identification of potentially important areas that should be considered for some form of protection while maintaining traditional uses of the coastal areas. The project consists of six steps. The first, completed early in 2017, involved identifying potentially interesting and important marine ecosystem areas via a review of satellite and other imagery. The next step was to conduct preliminary qualitative surveys on East Caicos of the areas identified in the desktop review. That work was completed in May 2017 over four days. This effort included underwater camera tows and manta tows (essentially, dragging a snorkeler behind a boat to conduct a quick survey of species present and bottom composition). Shorebirds Find Winter Refuge in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” which showcased new-found data from field research on the importance of TCI’s beaches to boreal-region breeding birds during their winter migrations. The conference featured new discoveries pertinent to TCI, including regional research into flamingos and their declining numbers; first looks at the wintering regions of our summer Antillean nighthawk visitors; and networks focused on the monitoring and conservation of some of our rarest but most charismatic birds, like West Indian whistling ducks. The diminutive but charismatic Cuban tody, found only in Cuba, is a popular target for birdwatchers. The conference always arranges mid-week field trips for the participants, and the location within the pristine Topes de Collantes parks in the mountains of central Cuba was ideal. DECR participants joined the seven km La Batata & La Alfombra Magica trails, which traversed four mountains through tropical forest where several of Cuba’s endemic birds, including the Cuban trogon, Cuban tody, Cuban pygmy owl, Cuban screech owl and Cuban great lizard cuckoo could be seen amidst mountain pine forests full of orchids, bromeliads and tree ferns. Most importantly, the fellowship and partnerships generated at this conference lead to international collaborations through BirdsCaribbean, and DECR was recognized for its continuous involvement in the Caribbean Waterbird Census since the programme’s inception. (Continued on following page) Times of the Islands Fall 2017 27
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Times of the Islands Fall 2017

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