Flora and Fauna
The rainforests of the Northern Range running along the north coast and the wetlands on the east and west coast are more extensive, more dense and display a greater diversity of fauna and flora than any other ecosystems in the Caribbean. Trinidad combines the species of the Caribbean chain from Jamaica to Grenada with the species of the continental rainforests of South America.
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The Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources (Long Circular Rd, St James, Port of Spain, T6227476, contact them for information on guided tours and hikes) has designated many parts of Trinidad and Tobago as national parks, wildlife reserves and protected areas. On Trinidad, the national parks are the Caroni and Nariva Swamps, Chaguaramas, and Madamas, Maracas and Matura in the north range of hills.
The variety of fauna on Tobago is larger than on other similar sized islands because of once being attached to South America. It is home to 210 different bird species, 123 different butterfly species, 16 types of lizards, 14 kinds of frogs, two dozen species of snakes (all of them harmless), and it has some spectacled caymans at Hillsborough Dam. The best place to see one of the world’s most beautiful birds, the blue crowned Mot Mot, is in the Grafton Wildlife Sanctuary, where they are fed daily at 1600 at the abandoned Copra House.
Wetlands
Trinidad’s wetlands are unparalleled by any other Caribbean island. There are mangrove swamps, fresh swamps, grassy fresh water marshes, palm marshes and water-logged savannah land, covering 7,000 acres of the Central Plain. A permit from the Forestry Division is necessary for trips into restricted areas such as the Nariva Swamp and Bush Bush Island in the Aripo Scientific Reserve; 72 hours’ notice is required, best to visit with a guide who can arrange it for you.
The Nariva Swamp, the largest freshwater swamp in Trinidad is a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. It contains hardwood forest and is home to red howler monkeys and the weeping capuchin as well as 55 other species of mammal of which 32 are bats. Birds include the savannah hawk and the red-breasted blackbird. A tour by kayak is recommended (T6247281 or 6292680) as it permits the sighting of wildlife not possible on a motor boat. You paddle silently across fields of giant water lilies, through channels in thick forest of mangroves and towering silk cotton trees with monkeys and parrots chattering overhead and exotic butterflies fluttering around you. Catch the dawn for seeing most birds and other wildlife. The Caroni Swamp is usually visited in the late afternoon as it is the roosting place of scarlet ibis and egrets. You go out through mangroves into a lagoon where the boat’s engine is turned off so that you can quietly watch the birds. No permit is necessary, see Excursions.
Rainforests
The slopes of the Northern Range are covered with forest giants like the silk cotton trees, which carry creepers and vines and the thick forest canopy of mahogany, balata, palms and flowering trees like the poui and immortelle which provide cover and maintain a cool, damp environment no matter the heat of the day. There are organized bus tours to places like Chaguaramas National Park or the Asa Wright Nature Reserve (where in turn there are further tours for ornithologists), or you can find a guide for a day’s hike tailored to your interest in ecology or adventure.
The Northern Range Sanctuary, Maracas, or El Tucuche Reserve, is a forest on the second highest peak, at 3,072 feet, covering 2,313 acres. It contains some interesting flora, such as giant bromeliad and orchids, as well as fauna, including the golden tree frog and the orange-billed nightingale-thrush. There are several hiking trails, the most popular of which is from Ortinola estate; guides can be hired. The 7-mile trek to the peak takes five hours through dense forest; the views from the top are spectacular; for information contact the Field Naturalists’ Club. Walking alone is not recommended in the northern hills, join a group or at least walk with someone who knows the (often badly defined) trails well.
There are seven natural landmarks, three of which are described below (Blue Basin, the Pitch Lake and the Devil’s Woodyard) and others include Tamana Hill in the central range, and Galera Point in the northeast. 12 areas are scientific reserves (eg Trinity Hills, Galeota Point and the Aripo Savannas); 12 are nature conservation reserves: the Asa Wright Centre is described below, but also Cedros Peninsula and Godineau Swamp in the southwest, Manzanilla in the east and Valencia. The Trinity Hills Wildlife Sanctuary lies west of Guayaguayare and was founded in 1934. Its forests are home to a large variety of birds, monkeys, armadillos and opossums. Permission to visit must be obtained from the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Petrotrin) in Pointe-a-Pierre.
The Valencia Wildlife Sanctuary covers 6,881 acres and contains at least 50 species of birds including antbirds and tanagers. Several mammals live here: deer, wild pig, agouti, tatoo. Near Valencia is the Arena Forest, one of ten recreation parks, while five areas have been designated scenic landscapes (Blanchisseuse, Maracas and Toco-Matelot on the north coast, Cocos Bay on the Atlantic, and Mount Harris on the Southern Rd, south of Sangre Grande). Permission to visit certain forests and watershed areas must be obtained from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Farm Rd, Valsayn, St Joseph. Their ponds often serve as home to caymans and a variety of waterbirds and are easily accessible off the main highway east of Port of Spain. Although about 46% of the island remains forested, there is much concern about the loss of wildlife habitats.
On Tobago, apart from two national parks (Buccoo Reef and the virgin and secondary forests of east Tobago), there are the Goldsborough natural landmark, the Kilgwyn scientific reserve, the Grafton nature conservation area, the Parlatuvier-Roxborough scenic landscape, and three recreation parks (including Mount Irvine). At the Grafton Bird Sanctuary the blue crowned mot mots are fed at 0800 and 1600 at the Old Copra House. They are not tame enough to be hand fed but it is still a spectacular sight. Many of the small islands off the coasts of the two larger ones are reserves for wildlife and are important breeding grounds for red-billed tropic birds, frigate birds, man-o-war and other sea birds (for instance Saut d’Eau, Kronstadt Island and Soldado Rock off Trinidad, and Little Tobago, see below, St Giles and Marble Islands off Tobago).
Many flowering trees can be seen: pink and yellow poui, frangipani, cassia, pride of India, immortelle, flamboyant, jacaranda. Among the many types of flower are hibiscus, poinsettia, chaconia (wild poinsettia – the national flower), ixora, bougainvillea, orchid, ginger lily and heliconia. The Horticultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago (PO Box 252) has its office on Lady Chancellor Rd, Port of Spain, T6226423.
The islands boast 60 types of bat, and other mammals include the Trinidad capuchin and red howler monkeys, brown forest brocket (deer), collared peccary (quenk), manicou (opossum), agouti, rare ocelot and armadillo. A small group of manatee is being protected in a reserve in the Nariva Swamp. Caymans live in the swamps. Other reptiles include iguanas and 47 species of snakes, of which few are poisonous: the fer-de-lance, bushmaster and two coral snakes.
The aboriginal name for the island of Trinidad was Ieri, the land of the hummingbird. Trinidad and Tobago together have more species of birds than any other Caribbean island, although the variety is South American, not West Indian. No species is endemic, but Tobago has 13 species of breeding birds not found on Trinidad. Most estimates say that there are 433 species of bird, including 41 hummingbirds, parrots, macaws, the rare red-breasted blackbird, the nightingale thrush and the mot mot. There are also 622 recorded species of butterfly. The most accessible bird-watching sites are the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, the Asa Wright Centre, the Caurita Plantation and the Wild Fowl Trust. Recommended is A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, by Richard ffrench (Macmillan Caribbean), with introductory information on rainfall, the environment and vegetation as well as birds. Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, also by Richard ffrench (M Caribbean Pocket Natural History Series) is a shorter guide with colour photos of 83 of the more common species. Birds of Trinidad and Tobago – A Photographic Atlas, by Russell Barrow (MEP Trinidad, 1994) is the most recent bird book.
Those interested can also contact the Trinidad Field Naturalists Club, PO Box 642, Port of Spain (T6248017 evenings only, walks on Sunday). The Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club Trail Guide, by Paul Comeau, Louis Guy, Ewoud Heesterman and Clayton Hull, was published in 1992, 288 pages on 48 trails, difficult to obtain. ffrench and Bacon’s Nature Trails of Trinidad, first published in 1982 has been revised by Dr Victor Quesnel and reissued by SM Publications Ltd under the auspices of the Asa Wright Nature Centre. Each October Trinidad and Tobago hold Natural History Festivals to foster understanding of the islands’ flora and fauna.
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