Trinidad and Tobago

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Building a Caribbean Wide Satellite Oil Spill Monitoring Program

In recent years, the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) has faced challenges from oil spills. Despite these known risks, the WCR lacks an operational oil spill surveillance service. Oil spills, as in the case of the 2019 Brazilian incident, are often detected only after the oil has reached environmentally sensitive coastal areas, with surveillance requests sent piecemeal to government agencies in the United States and Europe.

Mangrove forest loss in the Caribbean

Mangrove forest loss is a significant problem in the Caribbean region. Mangroves provide essential ecosystem services, including coastal protection, carbon sequestration, biodiversity support, and nurseries for fish. However, they face numerous threats, leading to their decline. One very significant function of mangrove forests with regard to water is their function as buffers against the effects of inland flooding due to terrestrial precipitation as well as against storm surges emanating from the ocean. The Caroni Swamp in Trinidad and Tobago contains the largest mangrove forest in the twin-island tropical country and it is a major wetland that protects against these effects.

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Ramsewak

Deanesh Ramsewak

Assistant Professor at University of Trinidad and Tobago

Deanesh Ramsewak is an Assistant Professor in Practice at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Centre for Maritime and Ocean Studies (CMOS). His expertise lies in the application of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for wetland and coastal ecosystem mapping.

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Building a Caribbean Wide Satellite Oil Spill Monitoring Program

Building a Caribbean Wide Satellite Oil Spill Monitoring Program

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Mangrove forest loss in the Caribbean

Mangrove forest loss in the Caribbean

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Regional Focus of our members and resources

Person

Ramsewak

Deanesh Ramsewak