1. Delineate the geographical area under study.
An ecosystem is an environment in which communities of living and non-living organisms interact with each other. The geographical area under study is the Trinidad and Tobago’s, Caroni Swamp which is the largest wetland ecosystem on the western coast of Trinidad. The swamp covers six thousand (6000) hectares and consists of fifty-six percent (56%) of the mangrove on the island. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a wetland is “an area of land that is saturated with water.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have categorized wetlands as marine, estuarine, riverine, lacustrine and palustrine. Wetlands are beneficial in a number of ways, some of these …show more content…
The Caroni Swamp consists of mangrove forest, herbaceous swamp and tidal mudflats. It is the natural habitat and breeding site for the national bird, the scarlet ibis as well as a variety of marine fish, shell fish, crustaceans and wildlife such as snakes and caymans. The Caroni Swamp is one of thirteen (13) designated wildlife sanctuaries as well as one of the two Ramsar sites. Apart from being an ecosystem filled with a variety of animal life, it is also used to earn income through the tourism industry. Tours of the Caroni Swamp are conducted daily with tour guides that are well versed with knowledge about the Caroni Swamp so that they may educate visitors of the beauty and benefits of the swamp. The Caroni Swamp is useful to the people of Trinidad and Tobago since it protects the coast from storms, sediment filtration for near shore ecosystems and carbon sequestration. The Caroni Swamp is “critically important for conservation and the delivery of goods and services to the people …show more content…
These three functions are the source function, the sink function and natural hazards. The economy-environment interface operates together and shows the relationship between the economy and the environment. The source function of the economy describes the relationship the environment and the economy have with respect to the natural resources endowed to them. The Caroni Swamp is a large ecosystem comprising of shell fish, crustaceans, a variety of fish species, wild life such as the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, the Scarlet Ibis, Ruschberger’s Tree Boa, caimans and other species of birds both migratory and endangered. There is also a large ecosystem of herbal plants found in the mangroves. Both plan and animal life along with the structure and geographical location are what can be considered the source function of the Caroni Swamp. The sink function of the economy is the environment’s ability to remove waste and toxins that have been assimilated through production and consumption in the economy. The Caroni Swamp helps with carbon sequestration which involves the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the leaves and roots of the mangroves and storing the carbon dioxide in the soil. The swamp also assists with sediment filtration. The mangrove roots grove above the ground forming complex networks of roots that trap suspended sediments. The sediments are trapped by the network of roots but also
An ecosystem is an environment in which communities of living and non-living organisms interact with each other. The geographical area under study is the Trinidad and Tobago’s, Caroni Swamp which is the largest wetland ecosystem on the western coast of Trinidad. The swamp covers six thousand (6000) hectares and consists of fifty-six percent (56%) of the mangrove on the island. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a wetland is “an area of land that is saturated with water.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have categorized wetlands as marine, estuarine, riverine, lacustrine and palustrine. Wetlands are beneficial in a number of ways, some of these …show more content…
The Caroni Swamp consists of mangrove forest, herbaceous swamp and tidal mudflats. It is the natural habitat and breeding site for the national bird, the scarlet ibis as well as a variety of marine fish, shell fish, crustaceans and wildlife such as snakes and caymans. The Caroni Swamp is one of thirteen (13) designated wildlife sanctuaries as well as one of the two Ramsar sites. Apart from being an ecosystem filled with a variety of animal life, it is also used to earn income through the tourism industry. Tours of the Caroni Swamp are conducted daily with tour guides that are well versed with knowledge about the Caroni Swamp so that they may educate visitors of the beauty and benefits of the swamp. The Caroni Swamp is useful to the people of Trinidad and Tobago since it protects the coast from storms, sediment filtration for near shore ecosystems and carbon sequestration. The Caroni Swamp is “critically important for conservation and the delivery of goods and services to the people …show more content…
These three functions are the source function, the sink function and natural hazards. The economy-environment interface operates together and shows the relationship between the economy and the environment. The source function of the economy describes the relationship the environment and the economy have with respect to the natural resources endowed to them. The Caroni Swamp is a large ecosystem comprising of shell fish, crustaceans, a variety of fish species, wild life such as the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, the Scarlet Ibis, Ruschberger’s Tree Boa, caimans and other species of birds both migratory and endangered. There is also a large ecosystem of herbal plants found in the mangroves. Both plan and animal life along with the structure and geographical location are what can be considered the source function of the Caroni Swamp. The sink function of the economy is the environment’s ability to remove waste and toxins that have been assimilated through production and consumption in the economy. The Caroni Swamp helps with carbon sequestration which involves the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the leaves and roots of the mangroves and storing the carbon dioxide in the soil. The swamp also assists with sediment filtration. The mangrove roots grove above the ground forming complex networks of roots that trap suspended sediments. The sediments are trapped by the network of roots but also