Belle Garden Wetland, Tobago - Sustainable Community Based Wetland Assessment for the Improvement of Conservational and Educational Efforts
(TRI/SGP/OP4/CORE/08/03)
Project Details & Results
Environment TOBAGO (ET) implemented a pilot programme to map and continuously monitor the condition of a demonstration project wetland in Tobago, the Belle Garden Wetland including its tributaries, over a 11 month period using a community based approach.
Hired project staff and special consultants trained, assisted and monitored selected community members (six females and five males) from the Belle Garden and surrounding communities to conduct the field assessments, raise community awareness and sustainably use their wetland resources.
Eleven community members (6 women and 5 men) were trained during this project in species identification, designing and managing tours, eco-tour guiding and related equipment, GPS systems, and monitoring and evaluating the wetland and its flora and fauna. The interest and community involvement of the project resulted in the local trainees establishing their own community-based organization called the Belle Garden Wetland Association (BGWA). The BGWA has increased community awareness of the global importance of the wetland and as such, there have been community beach-clean ups, community members volunteering to assist the BGWA and a voluntary 5-year hunting ban of species in the wetland.Once maintained, the hunting ban will be of great value to the wetland, especially to species such as the spectacled caiman which are also of great value to the eco-tours.
A database and species list as well as GIS maps were created of the Belle Garden Wetland, including the identification of indicator species. Two vulnerable and one endangered plant species (IUCN) in the wetland are now registered and are being monitored.
A website for the Belle Garden Wetland Association was developed where tours can be booked and information of the wetland can be accessed.
The trainees understand the value of the wetland as a source of sustainable income once it is managed in an appropriate way. This project is a successful example of community based management of a local ecosystem through a sustainable livelihood activity of eco-tour guiding. This project has great potential to be replicated and/ or upscaled to include all wetlands in Tobago.
The harmful human activities conducted around the wetland (such as polluting of a ravine and waterways, littering and indiscriminate hunting) have decreased due to the work of the project and the BGWA who have taken a proactive approach to increasing community awareness and appreciation of the wetland.
An Eco-Tour Guiding Manual was produced for the members of the BGWA which they can also use to introduce new group members to their activities.
The knowledge base, experience and database will help Environment Tobago to expand the wetland monitoring programme with the help of the locally based trained community members.
Have a look at the website for the Belle Garden Wetland Association and the Eco-tours provided:
http://www.bellegardenwetland.org/index.php
Notable Community Participation
Community members of Belle Garden Village were involved in consultations, design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the project.
Eleven (11) community members from the Belle Garden and other nearby communities graduated in Eco-Tour Guiding Training and decided to establish their own community-based organization (CBO) titled, the Belle Garden Wetland Association. The CBO established by-laws, their mission and objectives and decided upon the CBO's positions for their board of members. The Belle Garden Wetland Association was formally registered with the Department of Community Development of the Tobago House of Assembly.
Capacity - Building Component
Community members and other stakeholders were trained in wetland assessment methods.
Eleven (11) local community members graduated in Tour Design and Management. The training was part of the wider Belle Garden Wetland Conservation project and included the recording of plant and animal species in the wetland, GIS mapping, educational activities and identification of threats, mostly over hunting and solid waste pollution.
Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods
Development of an ecotourism community enterprise and related employment opportunities.
The Belle Garden Wetland Association will continuously monitor the wetland, work together with local farmers, hunters and fishermen to reduce pressure on the wetland and promote sustainable use of its resources. The Belle Garden Wetland Association in collaboration with Environment Tobago has also embarked on its wetland education drive at schools throughout the island.
Local residents as well as international visitors can enjoy certified eco-tours through the Belle Garden Wetland and learn about medicinal plants, colourful bird species, the role of wetlands and with a little luck, observe a caiman.
As the number of tours increase, the overall awareness of wetland importance will also be developed, providing sustainable income for the eco-tour guides and encouraging a regular presence for monitoring the status of the wetland.
Gender Focus
This project had a particular focus on the participation of women from the community. In the end, 6 women received training in eco-tourguiding and in monitoring and evaluation the wetland's flora, fauna and general environmental health.
The CBO which was formed as a result of this project, the Belle Garden Wetland Association, consists of a membership of six (6) women and five (5) men.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
Information posters, street signs, on-site signs and plaques on the wetland were distributed in the local community and around Tobago. Community meetings were held to speak about the project and the importance of the wetland for Tobago and the global environment.
The use of the wetland as an educational tool will assist in decreasing threats to the wetland, be it pollution or urban development.
Policy Impact
The project shall serve as a role model for the mapping and monitoring of the remaining Tobago wetlands and as well be used to identify strengths and mitigate weaknesses of the pilot project.
Project Photo Gallery
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Signage for the Belle Garden Wetland Community Conservation Project
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Eco-tour of the wetland
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NSC Member, Mr. Gladstone Solomon, conducting a site visit at the wetland
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Community Eco-Tour Guide, Hazel, telling a group about the importance of the wetland
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Plaque promoting the Belle Garden Wetland Eco-tour
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