Land Reclaimation and Ecosystem Destruction

 

South Quay or City Gate

The entire skyline of Port of Spain as many of you may or may not know, was once coast. This land and some of the buildings seen along this area were built on reclaimed land. Reclaimed land just refers to a process in which there is creation of land by in filling with sediment on an ocean, river or lake. Several of our cities main destinations will be discussed here. Firstly, the South Quay also know as City Gate , the cities main transportation hub was constructed on reclaimed land. As many of you who are frequent to the use of public transportation in and out of the city are quite use to the everyday interactions within this area.  On a morning and evening this area is busy with people trying to get to and from work. Now you can see why City Gate floods so quickly during the rainy season, can you? However this is not the focus of this discussion,  the focus is to raise the issue of ecosystem destruction.Ever wonder the ecosystem that existed there before this land was reclaimed?

Before we explore this, let us determine what is an ecosystem?   An ecosystem is a community of both living that is the biotic environment and non-living things that is the abiotic environment that work together. They can be referred to as everything in the natural world.Ecosystems range from either a desert or a lake or as small as a tree or a puddle. The water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work together and this is what makes it a functioning system.If certain factors are absent or limited in the system such as light and water availability, the end result would be that plants will die and once plants die, animals that depend on them will too die and the same goes for carnivores. As such both the abiotic and biotic environment work together to keep the system balanced (Whitman, 2008) To read more, click on eco-systems.

 

Movie Towne Port of Spain

Another area of concern was the construction of the commercial area of Movie Towne and the Mariott Hotel. Before these buildings  were constructed, this area was previously inhabited with mangrove. Mangroves are important because (Lee, 2013)

1. They provide breeding, nursery and feeding areas for a variety of life including endangered and threatened species.
2. They help filter upland run-off
3. They buffer against wave-action during intense tropical storms (including hurricanes)
4. They hold soil during periods of heavy precipitation and stabilize shoreline sediments.

Regardless of the positive effects these mangrove wetlands have, the entire area was cleared for commercial use. Even though many Environmental lovers and fishermen protested against this destruction, power always wins. Therefore it shows that the economic gains of mankind outweighs those of the environment. Till this day, no action has ever been taken to rehabilitate the mangrove so that it can continue to thrive. From observing the residents of the area, Trinidadians do not seem to understand the benefits mangroves provide because they view it as useless and a waste of space. If this attitude continues, slowly Port of Spain's vulnerability to coastal flooding will increase (Lee,2013).

Lastly, our very own landfill at the Beetham was once an area occupied by the Caroni Swamp.  It was an area common to fishermen known as the "la basse" but now it is site in which Trinidad disposes of its waste. When the toxic originating from this landfill percolates to the water-table and make its way into the waterways, pollution occurs and so eco-systems can be destroyed. Not to mention, the Caroni Swamp is home to our very own National bird, the Scarlet Ibis and various endangered species (Kenny, 2008, 199) What were we thinking when we decided to dispose of our mangrove wetland? I guess we were thinking about development. But at what cost?

The Mariott hotel Port of Spain

This makes you question those in power, the Government because if  the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago envisions a country in which all persons treasure the environment and voluntarily use its resources wisely to ensure its protection, conservation and restoration, so that it can gain a level of sustainability, then why did they agree to allowing commercial buildings such as Movie Towne and the Mariott Hotel to be constructed on this area?

As William Rees says, "Sustainability depends on the conservation of certain biophysical entities and processes" Therefore in order to maintain a sustainable environment, there should be a balance between the carrying capacity of the population and the environment. One should not outweigh the other because this will lead to exploitation which can have tremendous effects in the future.

Refernce:
Julian Kenny. 2008. " The Biological Diversity of Trinidad and Tobago: A Naturalist's Notes". Trinidad and Tobago: Prospect Press.

Mark Lee. " Let's Save the Mangrove".  The International School of Port of Spain, 2013:20: 14.

William E. Rees. " Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out." Environmental and Urbanization, Vol 4,No. 2, 1992: 125.


Walt Whitman, 2008. "The Concept of a Eco-System" http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/ecosystem/ecosystem.html.