On small islands like ours, natural spaces are shared with wild flora and fauna. Dr Anjani Ganase discusses some human impacts that we all should be mindful of.
Human populations have expanded around the world, not only in cities and towns, but spreading into wilderness areas. It’s time that we learn to share urban spaces as well as to respect all natural spaces whether these are actively protected or not.
In Trinidad and Tobago there is a surge in outdoor activities as people see the appeal of dancing, working out or being under the stars with a picturesque backdrop of tropical forests, beaches and lagoons. Large group hikes of over 100 people, and outdoor fetes have become popular. On one occasion, I observed Pigeon Point beach in the days after a beach fete. Keep in mind that Pigeon Point is in TT’s only marine protected area with its unique habitat and biodiversity. Walking along the beach, I collected handfuls of cable ties, pieces of wires, beer bottle caps and cigarette butts that were pressed into the sand, even after organisers dutifully cleaned up. This is only the physical waste; the chemical waste would have washed into the lagoon and the sea. The sand along the stretch of the beach is compacted from the infrastructure, vehicles and foot traffic. Sand compaction makes it difficult for burrowing amphipods (crabs and small creatures), nesting turtles and other animals to utilise the sandy interface for digging, foraging and nesting. While the impacts do not sound severe, these slowly transition the beach away from being a home for coastal and marine life. Unfortunately, many activities like this are detrimental to the very environment we seek escape to. We need to understand how these ecosystems work and how we impact the spaces we share with wildlife.
Physical impact
In responsible development of ecotourism products, it is important to understand the carrying capacity of a space. This refers to the acceptable number of visitors and activities in a location without doing harm to the environment and to avoid risk to the visitors themselves. Consider a hiking trail along the northern range, Rincon waterfall. Some steeper sections of the path require safety ropes; how many uses will that rope have before it snaps; how much foot traffic should be allowed before the path impedes on the forest connectivity? As infrastructure is installed to make it safe for us, how does this detract from the health of the ecosystem itself? It is a necessary balancing act.
More acute forms of disturbance are large events that bring an excessive number of people into a sensitive ecological space. Hosting events such as fetes or outdoor activities often means adapting the space to the event – installation of stage, removal of vegetation, flattening of the ground, removal of supposed pests, obstruction of natural pathways. All these actions chip away at the health of the habitat and the organisms (big and small) that utilise the space – be it a beach or a forest, lake or lagoon.
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