Entry #001: Relic Mangroves of the West Coast
Against all odds on the heavily developed West Coast of Barbados remains a relic mangrove forest, known as the Holetown Lagoon. Since the island’s colonisation, its coasts have seen a dramatic change in its landscape. An area once populated by dense, mangrove trees is now dominated by hotels and resorts in the name of tourism.
Interested in exploring this echo of a habitat now largely gone, I went with my buddy Travis Gardiner, who over the years I’ve become more and more convinced that his environmental knowledge is never-ending. Who better to have along?
Date: 12/10/2024
Location: Holetown Lagoon, Holetown, St. James
Time: 11 AM
Temperature: 31 degrees Celcius (Felt like 400)
Observations
Sandwiched between the Mango Bay Hotel and a site slated for development laid the Holetown Lagoon; a narrow waterway with associated wetland vegetation growing in it and along its banks.
Mangrove trees dominated the area, with red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) further inland and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) towards the mouth of the lagoon.
These species were punctuated by manchineel trees (Hippomane mancinella), sea hibiscus (Talipariti tiliaceum), and coconut tree saplings which were beginning to establish themselves due to the coconut shell dumping in the gullies further up the watercourse.
Living among the trees were Barbados anole lizards (Anolis extremus), blue land crabs (Cardisoma guanhumi) who made their homes around the roots, and spotted was a mongoose (Herpestes javanicus).
At the time, two adult moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) and a juvenile bathed and foraged in the water, though Travis pointed out had we come at dawn or dusk, we would’ve been treated to more wetland bird sightings.
Reflections
Though this strip of wetland is just over 20 metres wide, it is host to a range of biodiversity.
This includes migratory birds that visit the island during their migration. Travis stated that Barbados is a part of the Atlantic Flyway route, which many birds of North America take during the Fall, heading South toward warmer climates with more food and less severe weather. They typically utilise wetlands such as the Holetown Lagoon as a rest-stop during their long migration.
Migration routes of birds from North America making their way down south. These particular routes are known as the Atlantic Flyway (courtesy of perkypet.com).
Habitats such as this have largely disappeared from the island. However, similar relic mangrove forests of note on the West Coast can be found at Brandon’s Beach, Cobbler’s Cove, Coral Reef Club, Gibbes Coastal Pond, Heywoods Swamp, Holetown Police Station, and Queen’s Fort (Mahon, Wood, and Yarde 2023). These areas are under significant pressure as development increases, and even the last significant mangrove wetland in the South of the island is on the brink of destruction due to pollution. Will Barbados continue to be a haven for weary birds for much longer?
There are also other services that the Lagoon and these other relic mangroves offer that need to be considered.
As much of the West Coast was once mangrove forest, and has now been filled in and built up, the area is prone to flooding. These small wetlands aid in flood mitigation during periods of heavy rainfall, Travis elucidated, channelling the water out to sea.
Water coming through the Holetown Lagoon is filtered of excess nutrients by the mangrove trees around the watercourse, which drains out on to several coral reefs and into Folkestone Marine Park & Reserve, Barbados’ only designated Marine Protected Area. Coral reefs require nutrient-poor waters to thrive, making this act of filtration by the vegetation in the Lagoon extremely valuable.
Climate change is also increasing the frequency and intensity of weather systems experienced globally, with Small Island Developing States such as Barbados being the hardest hit. As mangrove trees absorb five times more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (the main culprit of this rapid global warming) than regular trees, every tree is an ally in the fight against this crisis.
And with that, I end my first entry into my journal. I’m looking forward to more adventures across my little island. Where will my adventures take me next? Stay tuned.
References
Barbados National Wetlands Inventory (Mahon, Wood, and Yarde 2023)
https://biodiversity.gov.bb/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/National-Wetlands-Inventory-Final.pdf