In search of a Kilgywn management plan

 It was just a few years ago. In 2007 Environment Tobago (ET) was  mobilising towards active participation with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in a vaunted co-management deal for the Kilgywn marsh. It would have been a big deal for everyone. Co-management was very much in the news at the time, and the NGO would have been on the cutting edge of environmental stewardship, as far as RAMSAR guidelines went. 

So it got lost in the shuffle if the signs are anything to go by. In spite of having the Memorandum of Understanding  in their hands since then, the legal department of the Tobago House  of Assembly has been very busy with other things, unfortunately for Kilgywn and ET.

Never in stasis, this resilient little group has come to terms with the realisation that a partnership is not what the THA wants. The signs are obvious. The Forestry Division of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (DNRE) has been making overtures for the construction of 'recreational facilities' at the Kilgywn coast, and it's very much an in-house affair.

In what's now the typical approach, there has been no long-term planning, no community input, nor has it taken into account the varied nuances, the other factors which can impact the future user; like crime in the area. That the THA can disregard all the recommendations of the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) for the best use of the area justifies the old saw; "To the man with a hammer all problems are nails."  

It may be that the THA feel they need to maximise resources. However, finding work for the DNRE workforce, most of whom are artisans (to judge from the excellent structures throughout Forestry's domain), is not a good enough reason. The dry facts behind the matter of Kilgywn are these;        

Volunteers risk life and progeny during a cleanup in Kilgywn
Kilgywn is  not a fit place for the general public just yet . The IMA in its report 'Guidelines for the Design of a Management Plan for Kilgwyn Swamp ' to the THA in 2007 stated "Levels of faecal coliforms found at the Kilgywn Swamp stations were above the USEPA standard for recreation purposes". It went on to add; "The levels were also above the limits of the Trinidad and Tobago Water Pollution Rules 2001 and could be considered polluted"             

Aside from sewage waste, Kilgywn has exotic toxins derived from domestic or industrial sources  from the time when it was actually the public dumpsite. The general use of the area prior to the creation of the Crown Point runway extension, was a repository for old fridges, stoves and TV and various metals.

The swamp waterways are largely landlocked  due to the road constructed  at the time for taking material for the runway. It gave rise to the resultant observation by the IMA, "Levels of phosphates  found at Kilgywn stations were greater than the limit of the Water Pollution Rules 2001 of 0.1 mg/1 during the dry season."  So it's true, old batteries die hard.

Assuming the THA does not easily accept that its rash to arbitrarily create a public recreational zone at Kilgywn, there are other reasons which can help them to change their mindset. The short answer is Ramsar. Trinidad and Tobago is bound by law since their accession to the Convention on Wetlands in 1993. In that meeting the principles of wetlands policy were set out for national obligations to safeguard  these ecosystems on a global level.

Kilgywn Lagoon. It looks OK on film, but this is very dirty water.
The Ramsar guidelines are well known but what may deflect the THA's zeal in running out to create a few more huts in a valuable natural zone is the Government of the Republics own words as seen in their National Wetlands Policy document. The following statement gives an idea of the role that stakeholders will play at all stages of the planning process;
"The government of Trinidad and Tobago will promote awareness and understanding of the wetlands resources of Trinidad and Tobago and actively encourage participation of landowners, non-governmental organisations and institutions in wetland conservation." (National Wetland Committee 2002)

In attempting to slide out of the commitment, an eager beaver within the THA may opine that even though Kilgywn marsh may be a wetland as such, it is not a designated Ramsar site, as is the nearby Buccoo Reef and Bon Accord Lagoon Complex , or the Caroni and Nariva swamps across in Trinidad. If used in argument it will not hold water for long, since one of the main obligations of the contracted  parties to the Convention is;
"..to formulate and implement planning so as to make 'wise use' of the wetlands, whether or not they are included in the List of (Ramsar sites) (Article 3.1); the Conference of Contracting Parties has approved guidelines on how to achieve wise use".

Adherence to Ramsar transparent governance standards is not the only strand in the web of Law which binds the THA. Similar obligations to incorporate stakeholder participation has been a common thread  in other international conventions referred to in the above-mentioned National Wetlands policy. These  include;

• The CITES Convention,
• Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean,  
• Protocol for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife,
•  Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region .

   To summarise therefore, the Tobago House of Assembly, while by virtue of Law (THA Act 40. of 1996, Section 25) they are the primary managers of state lands, marine and terrestrial parks and other Tobago assets, they are under the barrel of other guns.  

The criteria that constitute good governance includes respect for human rights and rule of law. These take in the right of the individual and the group, and for their security should comprise a framework for economic and social activity; This means Participation!

Having been left out of the participatory process to a meaningful end, Environment Tobago, as a key NGO with a stellar track record of delivery to the community, and as a proven advocate of sustainable development, feel the THA current approach to Kilgywn is intrinsically flawed. Maybe the next step would be to translate the Vision 2020 for the THA managers to come back on track.

Authors Note:  The wetlands of our nation are under threat under the guise of preparing space for humanity. It's a backward step, one that will haunt us in the future.