Biologists warn of ongoing threats to Graeme Hall Swamp despite sanctuary’s reopening

Environmental experts have welcomed the reopening of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary but warn that urgent government action is needed to protect the wider Graeme Hall Swamp, much of which remains at risk of irreversible ecological damage.

Marine Biologist Professor Robin Mahon and the Land Conservancy Barbados said on Monday the larger Graeme Hall Swamp remains ecologically vulnerable and urgently requires government intervention.

With the reopening of the sanctuary last week by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the Barbados Wetland Trust and its protector, Anthony Da Silva, were commended for restoring the facility after 16 years of closure. It will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 31.

But, in a letter to the editor and follow-up comments to Barbados TODAY, Mahon and the Land Conservancy stressed that the sanctuary – though vital – make up about 38 per cent of the entire Graeme Hall wetland system that was designated under the Ramsar Convention, the international treaty that promotes the conservation and wise use of wetlands.

The rest of the swamp, which remains under government ownership, is facing the risk of irreversible ecological damage.

According to the letter: “While we rejoice in this happening, it is worth noting that the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary is only part of the overall Graeme Hall Swamp wetland that was designated by Ramsar. The rest, which is owned by the Government of Barbados, remains at high risk unless steps are taken to protect it.

“The entire swamp has been isolated from the sea for several years now and is losing its coastal brackish characteristics. The connection to the sea must be established to allow seawater into the swamp and along with it the fishes and other animals that can thrive in a brackish system.”

Echoing the concerns, Professor Mahon, Professor Emeritus of the UWI Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES), said: “The swamp is transitioning from a brackish water swamp to a freshwater swamp and those are two quite different ecosystems.

“I think it is much more attractive as a brackish water swamp from an ecological point of view and interesting to visitors and so forth. So I would say it’s fairly urgent that that be done.”

He added that reopening the swamp’s connection to the sea is a relatively simple engineering fix.

“It would take rehabilitating this loose gate and opening up the channel and keeping it open from time to time so that sea water can get in and water in the swamp can get out,” he explained.

“You will notice that there was a time when it would have been very difficult because the beach had [grown]. But it has since eroded back and it would not be a major job, really. I mean, you’re looking at a bobcat or a backhoe to raise up this loose gate and open up the channel.”

He further identified a number of ongoing threats facing the unprotected portion of the swamp.

“Threats from runoff in surrounding areas, threats from dumping . . . there’s a lot of large vehicles abandoned alongside the canal. Those are about the main threats,” he said.

“Then there was the big threat that caused most of the damage, which has been reported several times in the press. The dumping of effluent from the sewage plant into the swamp. When the plant was designed, it was known that if there was a breakdown, the sewage would be dumped into the swamp. What was never anticipated was that it would be six months’ worth of sewage.”

Noting that flow of effluent into the swamp has stopped, Professor Mahon added that the new tertiary plant that is about to be built should further address that risk.

The Land Conservancy also argues that while Da Silva’s efforts deserve national praise, they could be undone if the government fails to manage the entire ecosystem, noting that both parts of the swamp are “hydrologically and ecologically linked”.

To that end, Professor Mahon said there is a need to reactivate the Graeme Hall Swamp Committee, which he said currently exists only in name.

“They need to operationalise that committee. It is there, but it does not meet very often. And they need to make a plan,” he said.

“They are already planning a baseline study. I don’t know if and when it will happen but there is a need to put an administrative arrangement in place for the swamp. That includes the stakeholders outside of the swamp as well, and agencies like the Barbados National Trust, the Land Conservancy – for any protected area [there] would be considered a proper plan and process.”

Professor Mahon also called for a broader, national conversation on the importance of the ecosystem to bring together all relevant stakeholders, including government departments such as “tourism, environment, agriculture, transport, and drainage”, as well as health NGOs and area residents.

“I think they need to find a way as they open up the discussion to ensure that relevant non-governmental organisations, clearly the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, have to be at the table,” he added. “I think it’s happening but I’m writing this or promoting this to try and stimulate it.”
shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb