BIOL2461 HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT CASE STUDY 1 - NORTHERN RANGE BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION The Northern Range of Trinidad

is a significant ecosystem contributing to the environmental, economic, and sociocultural life of the island (Northern Range Assessment 2005). Areas representative of the Northern Range will be considered as case studies in this exercise. The Northern Range covers about 25% of the land mass of Trinidad. It is the highest mountain range in Trinidad and includes a wide range of natural ecosystems from coastal marine ecosystems to high altitude cloud forest formations. It was the target of a recent ecosystem assessment as a sub-regional component of the global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The Northern Range was defined for purposes of this assessment as extending from the islands offshore of the Chaguaramas peninsula in the west to Galera point in the east. The north edge is bordered by the north coastline and the Caribbean Sea while the south edge is arbitrarily bounded by the Eastern Main Road, Valencia Road and Toco Main Road running from Port of Spain to Matura (Northern Range Assessment 2005). The selected case study areas exemplify many issues related to sustainable use of land and other natural resources in the Northern Range specifically and in Trinidad and Tobago generally. Thus they form ideal case studies for exploring environmental issues, assessment and management techniques, and problem solving. The case study will be dealt with in 2 phases: a field trip and a discussion session, held over 2 consecutive practical sessions. Each student will concentrate on one specific case study area during the field trip and the following discussion sessions. CASE STUDY OBJECTIVES 1. To survey and identify environmental and natural resource features, human use and impacts in the case study areas (field trip) 2. To evaluate environmental and ecological features, analyse impacts and conflicts, identify priority issues and brainstorm solutions for management of critical resources such as land space, agricultural systems, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems using an ecosystem-based management approach (discussion). BACKGROUND Topography: Most of the Northern Range falls between 90-450 m altitude and the topography is generally rugged. Two of the highest peaks in the island occur there: El Cierro del Aripo and El Tucuche (both >900 m). The north-facing slopes are generally steeper than the southern slopes. A number of almost parallel valleys extend northwards or southwards from the main west-east ridge. The Caroni plains lie to the south and are generally low-lying (<50 m altitude). Geology & Soils: The geological formations are more than 100 million years old including Pre-Upper Jurassic quartzites in the north through to Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous limestones in the south. The Northern Range is considered to be an extension of the Andes, the coastal cordillera and Paria Peninsula of Venezuela. Soils in the valley bottoms are deep alluvial soils with free internal drainage while the hillsides are covered with high upland soils with free internal drainage. The Caroni plain to the south is characterised primarily by Recent and Pleistocene alluvial (water-washed) deposits and Pleistocene terraces (raised or exposed platforms) less than 1 million years old. Soils in the west of the plains are described as deep alluvial soils with free or restricted internal drainage or terrace soils with free internal drainage. Given the topography and soil characteristics most of the western plain is classified as Class I agricultural land. In the east there are terrace soils with restricted internal drainage less suited for crop production. There is extensive quarrying for high quality limestone (blue metal) on the steep slopes of the valleys, and gravel and sand in the easternmost plains. Climate: The climate is typical of that of Trinidad with seasonal variation in rainfall (dry season Jan-May; wet season Jun-Dec). Temperature is less seasonal with slightly higher average temperatures in the wet season and
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cooler temperatures in the dry season consistent with northern hemisphere summer and winter periods. Trade winds are strongest during the dry season. Highest rainfall occurs in the eastern-most part of the Northern Range although this pattern is reported to be changing. Vegetation: The original vegetation formations ranged from deciduous seasonal forest (in the drier west and south slopes), montane forest on the upper slopes and small patches of cloud forest on the highest peaks. Most of the original vegetation has been altered to varying degrees by human activity, namely tree crop cultivation (notably cocoa), short term crops and urban development. The plains were originally covered in seasonal evergreen forest and small areas of edaphic (soil) climax communities such as marsh forest, and savannas at Aripo, OMeara, Mausica and Piarco. Much of the undeveloped land on the plains is covered with scrub and lastro (early stages of regeneration of forest vegetation). Extensive stretches of introduced bamboo exist along banks of rivers. Drainage and Water Resources: The Northern Range is can be divided in to 35 watersheds. The hydrometric units North Coast, Western Peninsula/ Caroni and North Oropuche fall partly in the Northern Range and supply a significant proportion of potable water to Trinidad. WASA abstraction sites exist in some valleys as well as in the Caroni River, the latter supplies >40% of Trinidads population (273,000 m3d-1). In addition gravel aquifers at the base of the foothills of the Northern Range supply 0.85 m3s-1 which is equivalent to 40% of total groundwater production in Trinidad (EMA 1998). Many rivers have been altered by pollution (particularly eutrophication, organic pollution and sedimentation), physical modification, and introduction of invasive species. The middle and upper reaches of most rivers are used extensively for river recreation and subsistence fishing. Several rivers are also valuable sites used for long-term studies in evolutionary biology of freshwater fishes. Land Use: The majority of land cover in the Northern Range is forest (67.5% in 1988, Northern Range Assessment 2005) but with frequent forest fires, hillside slash and burn agriculture and squatting, and extensive urban development since then, it is probably safe to assume this proportion is much less today. Some of the valleys and foothills have been cultivated for up to 2 or 3 centuries (de Verteuil 2000). At the southern boundary of the Northern Range is the East-West Corridor conurbation extending from Port of Spain in the west to Arima in the east. This is essentially a ribbon-development along the main west-east transport routes (Eastern Main Road, Priority Bus Route, Churchill-Roosevelt Highway). It was derived from separate communities in historical times: (from west to east) Barataria, San Juan, Aranguez, Petit Bourg, Champs Fleurs, St Joseph (the oldest European settlement in Trinidad, founded in 1592), Curepe, St Augustine, Tunapuna, El Dorado, Tacarigua, Arouca, Arima, Guanapo, Valencia. The Old Eastern Main Road was an Amerindian trail in pre-European times. REFERENCES: De Verteuil, A. 2000. The Great Estates of Trinidad. Litho Press. Chapters on Valsayn estate. (Myelearning) EMA. 1998. State of the Environment Report 1998. EMA, Trinidad and Tobago (Myelearning) Kenny, J.S. 2000. Views from the Ridge. Prospect Press. (Main Library) Northern Range Assessment. 2005. Report of an Assessment of the Northern Range, Trinidad and Tobago: People and the Northern Range. State of the Environment Report 2004. Environmental Management Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. (Myelearning or http://www.ema.co.tt/docs/techServ/SOE/EMA%20SOE%20Report%202004.pdf - 31MB file) The Cropper Foundation. 2009. Case Study guide. http://www.scribd.com/doc/19551153/Case-Study-Guide

MAK: 01 October 2012

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BIOL2461 HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT CASE STUDY 1 - ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND HUMAN IMPACTS FIELD TRIP INTRODUCTION Environmental assessment involves identification and evaluation of the environmental features or conditions of the area. Such features and values may include o geological features (e.g. economic importance, mineral resources, steep unstable slopes, landslips, alluvial deposits) o soils (e.g. suitable for agriculture, good drainage, other uses) o climate (e.g. role in ecosystem and agricultural productivity, natural disasters such as flooding) o topography (e.g. constraint on potential land uses, erosion potential) o ecology (detailed below) Ecological assessment in particular involves identification and evaluation of ecological features of the area and can include features of intrinsic biological value, e.g. o presence of endemic, endangered or sensitive species o presence of unique or representative ecosystems o high habitat or species diversity o high productivity features that in their natural state provide value to humans e.g. by providing goods or services such as o sustainable forest and biodiversity resources o water resources o soil resources o ecotourism value o recreational (amenity) value o educational/research value o ecosystem services such as water purification and waste assimilation, water recycling, flood regulation, soil conservation, carbon sink function, nutrient cycling, biodiversity support Once the above environmental features are identified it is useful to analyse their interactions with proposed or existing uses or past activities before informed planning can take place. o Past and current changes in the nature of the environmental features may be a result of drivers. A driver is any factor that changes an aspect of an ecosystem. They may be direct drivers (the immediate cause of change e.g. forest clearance) or indirect drivers (cause change via one or more direct drivers e.g. population growth causes forest clearance for settlement). o Environmental features are likely to be affected or impacted by proposed or existing uses and activities. Assessment of such impacts on ecological values can be accomplished using tools of impact assessment, e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs). o Environmental features may impose constraints on the nature of proposed use, e.g. Class I agricultural land should be conserved for agriculture. o Existing or planned land use and human activities may also result in conflicts with other uses (e.g. industry vs. recreation) that may be detrimental to human health. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this field trip are to 1. investigate the environmental features of the case study areas 2. analyse the constraints, impacts and conflicts inherent in the current use of these areas 3. identify drivers contributing to observed situations using a simple root cause analysis At the end of this practical students should be able to 1. observe and identify environmental and ecological features of an area 2. observe and identify the interactions between these features and human activities
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3. conduct a preliminary evaluation of these features and interactions 4. conduct a simple root cause analysis PROCEDURES A. Read the Northern Range Background handout carefully in advance of the field trip. B. The route travelled on the field trip will be UWI, St Joseph, Maracas Valley (Acono, Loango Village, Maracas Waterfalls hike). C. Identify specific examples of the following as you drive along (your demonstrator will guide you): 1. Major environmental features or ecosystems (e.g. geology, topography, soils, natural ecosystems, human modified ecosystems) 2. Human activities that impact positively or negatively on natural ecosystems, land or water resources (e.g. soil erosion, land conversion, reforestation, conservation, impervious surfaces, river modification, pollution) 3. Potential interactions (positive or negative) between human activities and human health (e.g. improper discharge of waste and chemicals, recreational opportunities) 4. Conflicts between various human activities and the potential consequences (e.g. industry vs. residential, commerce vs. agriculture, agriculture vs. biodiversity conservation, quarrying vs. ecotourism) D. Identify the drivers of one specific problem using the 5 Whys method, a simple version of Root Cause Analysis. For example, explore the effect of residential development on water supplies, by asking the question Why? 5 times. Q: Why does residential development affect water supplies? A: Because household waste water (grey water from laundries, kitchen and bath) and sometimes sewage is discharged into rivers. Q: Why is sewage discharged? A: Because sewerage facilities are not fully functional. Q: Why arent they functional? A: Because..... and so on This line of questioning may end up identifying management efficiency of WASA or the responsibilities of housing developers or individuals for providing adequate wastewater treatment as root causes. These answers to the questions will identify basic drivers such as performance of state agencies or authorities or local government bodies, personal behaviour, economic factors, legislation, etc. Each question will give rise to several answers that will lead to several root causes for the problem being explored. Working in pairs, students can explore several separate lines of reasoning at the same time. Share your drivers with the others in the group to come up with a list. REPORTING Students will report concisely using the short report form provided. This form must be submitted for assessment with a completed Coursework Accountability Statement FOR THE LATEST BY 12.00 NOON THE DAY FOLLOWING YOUR FIELD TRIP. REFERENCES: Brower, J.E., J.H. Zar & C.N. von Ende. 1990. Field and Laboratory Methods for General Ecology. Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown. [Chapter 2f] (Reserve Section, Main Library) Wikipedia. 2007. 5 Whys. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys Wikipedia. 2007. Root Cause Analysis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_cause_analysis MAK: 02 October 2012

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Case Study map St Joseph - Maracas Valley

(Source: GORTT. 1970. Trinidad. 1:25,000 scale)