ABPmer MAPS THE HIDDEN DEPTHS OF TOBAGO’S REEFS
For the first time, a UK marine environmental-research company has collaborated with the Caribbean island of Tobago’s authorities to map and record the island’s coral reefs. Tobago is considered the “jewel of the Caribbean” but, unlike neighbouring islands, little is known about its flourishing marine life and its interaction with changing climatic conditions and human pressures. The opportunities for discovering new species, such as gorgonians (soft corals), which have only recently been recorded, are high.
Now, Southampton-based ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd (ABPmer), has joined forces with the Tobago House Assembly and the island’s Buccoo Reef Trust to lead the way in developing a marine park-management plan for Tobago, which could be used as a blueprint for the whole of the Caribbean.
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote-sensing equipment the team, led by Dr Steve Freeman of ABPmer, mapped and documented the habitats and species of the largest and best-known reef on the island, the Buccoo Reef. The GIS contains a comprehensive database of marine and human activities that will help the island’s authorities to conserve and protect the threatened coral reefs.
With funding obtained from the United Nations Development Programme, ABPmer has been able to train Tobago’s local government and NGOs (non-government organizations) in the application of GIS to marine park management.
Like many rich marine environments, Tobago’s reefs are under threat from habitat degradation caused by the impact of waste water discharge, tourism, sedimentation, over-fishing and, more recently, oil and gas exploration activities in its coastal waters. By obtaining further funding, the team hopes to reach their goal of formulating a management strategy for Tobago that will be a blueprint for the rest of the Caribbean, as Steve Freeman explains:
“We are now applying for funding from DEFRA to enable scientists from ABPmer to transfer their experience and skills to Tobago, an island rich in biodiversity, but lacking in resources and expertise. With this support, our work on the Buccoo Reef could be extrapolated to other priority habitats in Tobago. The project’s success is attributable to ABPmer and the Tobago authorities’ ability to work closely together, despite scientific and cultural differences.”
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