Globally 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed annually (UN.org) due to illegal logging, urbanisation, quarrying, forest fires, and a host of other factors. T&T is not immune to these activities and has been striving to safeguard its valuable resources.
Forests are important anchors for social, economic and environmental processes and have been dubbed as "the lungs of our earth."
Forests provide our freshwater supply and play a critical role in flood regulation/erosion control, carbon sequestration, eco-tourism services and recreational activities. It also creates livelihood opportunities for the cottage industries such as craft making and traditional medicines.
For many of our wildlife species, forests provide a safe and tranquil habitat away from human settlements and can even provide some protection against the destructive acts of poaching and hunting. Despite these priceless benefits, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate. It is for this reason that the United Nations designated March 23 as the International Day of Forests, which is an annual global celebration of forests. It provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests. This year's theme focuses on Celebrating Forests for Sustainable Development.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) states that T&T has a forest cover of approximately 226,000 hectares, which accounts for 44.1 per cent of its land mass. This is categorised according to the following: 62,000 hectares of primary forest, 146,000 hectares of other naturally regenerated forest, and 18,000 hectares of planted forests.
An impressive array of flora and fauna can be found throughout these areas, including the majestic mora tree with its large buttress roots, the commanding ocelot and endangered pawi (Pipingguan) or Pipile pipile, all found in the Matura National Park, an Environmentally Sensitive Area.
Tobago is home to the highly-valued Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the oldest legally protected forest in the Western Hemisphere. The reserve is home to a number of flora and fauna with approximately 12-16 species of mammals, 24 non-poisonous snakes, 16 lizards and 210 species of birds, the most outstanding being the white-tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird–both rare and endemic to Tobago. After the 1963 hurricane Flora, many of the flora and fauna populations dwindled or disappeared. The Sabrewing Hummingbird is one of the species that has been recovering since the incident (unesco.org).
Destruction to our forests
Our forests are constantly threatened and data suggests that there is a steady decline in forest coverage. Data from the United Nations State of the World's Forests Assessment (2000) indicates an annual loss of forest cover of 0.8 per cent between 1990 and 2000, with a total reported loss of two per cent over the same period.
Deforestation is a notorious cause of forest decline that is largely caused by illegal quarrying, forest fires including those from slash�and-burn agriculture, and development activities including housing developments, and the illegal occupation of forest lands. There are distinct brown "scars" meandering across the forest floor and can be seen when travelling above areas such as the Northern Range and Caroni plain in Trinidad.
Deforestation of course has a domino effect and leads to one of the country's major environmental disasters–flooding. Topsoil from mountainous regions become loosened owing to a lack of vegetation cover, cascading downhill and contributing to clogged drains during periods of heavy rainfall. Severe landslides along the North Coast Road in Trinidad during the rainy season are almost an annual event, which can block access to and from surrounding communities. Flooding also incurs millions of dollars in losses by the agricultural sector, which already has a declining employment rate.
Removal of topsoil from forested slopes also has an adverse effect on our coastal regions as loose soil drains into the sea, smothering living coral that form reefs. Corals subsequently die and beach erosion rapidly ensues. Corals also provide beaches with the iconic white sand, which is preferred by tourists and when they die, there is no replenishment of the sand on beaches. Tourism can be negatively impacted by this environmental problem.
Another aspect of deforestation is forest fires, which have ravaged vast areas throughout the country and are predominant during the dry season. This has unfortunately led to the destruction of trees at the Nariva Swamp, a Ramsar site and Environmentally Sensitive Area, in 2014. Whilst some of the trees have either rejuvenated or withstood the fires altogether, there are segments of the area which have been parched. One cannot begin to quantify the devastation to wildlife and flora within this valuable ecosystem.
The above highlights some of the major threats to T&T's forested lands and the subsequent negative impacts on our overall environment. The Government and civil society have both acknowledged these issues and are actively working towards restoring our forests through public awareness and sustainable development initiatives. Next week, we will examine some of the programmes implemented to protect our forest resources.