I spent the last weekend doing some filming in the Fullarton swamp in Icacos; the best time to set up your camera is pre-dawn when all of the wildlife is stirring from slumber. There is considerable chatter in the marshes, birds debating what the plan for the day will be as they prepare to have breakfast before heading off, perhaps to other locations in the southwestern peninsula.
Perched precariously on the narrow strip of autobahn that dissects the swamp, my cameraman has developed the unusual skill of moving his eyes independently of each other. It is an invaluable talent, keeping one eye on the magnificent but skittish crane as it stalks the reeds for prey, and the other eye on the lookout for the moron drivers who traverse this razor's edge of a roadway at terrific speeds with little consideration for who is standing on it.
Malevolent motorists notwithstanding, this area of Icacos is truly a sight to behold. The construction of a roadway through the wetlands actually seems to have had the effect of inuring typically wary creatures to loud noises. The Icacos sunrise and the attendant cacophony of birds is a special experience, but it is the sunset and the second shift of feeding that makes one's heart aflutter. The slow descent of the sun casts its channel glow across the still water of the marsh; that pattern is broken only by the very low flight of a squadron of ring-necked stilts skimming the surface of the brackish water.
Just off in the distance, the imposing, slow flying crane engages in a brief holding pattern before settling on a suitable perch for the night's roost. In the remaining light, the water ripples ever so slightly as the cool ocean breezes waft over Icacos, heralding the night reign of a special brand of mosquito. As we pack our gear, these tiny vampires feed voraciously; I look down at my bare legs and I am wearing mosquito stockings, the blood loss has me a little wooooooozzy...
I always bear in mind that, in the context of those of us who are conservation-minded, I am in the minority. That is why it is not unusual to see a sign placed in the Fullarton swamp warning of gar-bage disposal, and there is garbage at the base of the sign. This is perhaps just another manifestation of a widely held view that swamps and mangroves are filthy and ought to be filled in. With such a rationalisation, it is easy to see how some citizens might think that they are doing their part by filling them in with garbage.
I took the time this week to attend a conference on the environment organised by the Caribbean Action Network and several other NGOs. My heart swelled to see the auditorium at the U Dubya. It was almost filled to capacity. Even more encouraging was the presence of young people, because, let's face it, this campaign to preserve our natural heritage will be carried on and won by the youth. The time for us timefighters is at an end.
Wildlife photographer and tour operator Stephen Broadbridge made a very important observation at that forum. Most of us who were there are fully cognisant of the dire threats undermining our fragile ecosystems. What we must be able to do is effectively communicate the urgency of the threat levels to the wider national community. That was one of the more salient points of the evening. Environmental protection for a long time was seen as the domain of the intellectual elite, a distraction for those in society well off enough to give a crap about some poor animals.
The newly formed group, Trini Eco Warriors, has employed a tried and true method of getting the public's attention. While I have not always agreed with the group's tactics, I have to admit that its shock and awe strategy of posting video of a green sea turtle being slaughtered with a dull knife has triggered enough outrage in society that membership on its Facebook page skyrocketed in a few short months to 6,000.
You think that is easy? Take a look at patterns of debate on Facebook and you will realise that we are a people of fleeting passions. What is hot today is not tomorrow and issues of critical importance are sometimes just too heavy to engage a battle-weary populace, shell-shocked by the continuous barrage of political scandals, irrespective of who is in government. This is why Buwamoder's sophomoric high jinks in the "slap chap" video could fetch in the vicinity of 400,000 hits on the Internet.
Dr John Agard, formerly of the Environmental Management Authority, shared with the conference an interesting perspective on the concept of environmental sustainability. Bean counters and government technocrats believe that a cost can be attached to anything and, in making an argument for the preservation of the environment, attaching a dollar figure to a specific resource is the way to go if you want to be taken seriously. Dr Agard, who indicated that such studies are being undertaken at the university, expressed his initial reluctance to fall in with a concept that seems somewhat perverse; but I suppose that everything in this world has a monetary assignation.
He was able to show, however, that studies conducted on reef systems in Tobago in the context of their land erosion mitigation properties, using a simple mathematical formula incorporating the stratospheric land values in Tobago, yielded theoretical savings of US$25 million a year. In other words, this is what politicians and, in particular, economists hear, "blah.. blah.. blah money!" Using Icacos as an example, I believe I can show you the money. This is now, sadly, an impoverished community. Can you believe that, with all of the vast acreages of coconut estates that characterise Icacos, you cannot get any coconut water to drink in any shop or bar in that community? Do not bother to try to get fish to buy there either. Whatever meager haul is brought on shore is quickly acquired by wholesalers from other parts of the country.
At any rate, I would be surprised if the Icacos fishermen have anything left of significance after the Taiwanese trawlers operating with impunity in our waters have destroyed the sea bed. Yet Icacos has a magnificent resource in wildlife. The community should now be positioned to take advantage of something in their own community that can bring in tourist dollars from all over the world. A boardwalk with minimal impact can be constructed in areas of the swamps, villagers could acquire and rent bird blinds to serious photographers. Guest houses, eating establishments, field naturalist tours, you name it, the opportunities abound for lifting Icacos out of the depths of economic despair. The environmental conference held at UWI is promised as the first of a continuing series and given the level of interest, I am encouraged enough to believe that this is a manifestation of a sea of change in how the society prepares to manage its natural resources. Now the challenge is to spread the passion that I felt in that auditorium across the country.