The school curriculum, both primary and secondary, guides students through the learning and development process in a cohesive manner. The process facilitates the translation of national development goals to classroom instruction.
In primary schools, biodiversity is dealt with under the subjects: Science and Agricultural Science.
In secondary schools, biodiversity is encompassed in Science (Form 1-3), and Integrated Science and Biology (Form 4-5) among others.
The content in these curricula fall under these categories:
The Nariva Swamp is a largely freshwater swamp, located midway along the eastern coast of Trinidad. The area is approximately 11,340 hectares in size and is the largest and most ecologically diverse wetland in Trinidad and Tobago.
Under the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) Rules, 2001 of Trinidad and Tobago, the Nariva Swamp Managed Resource Protected Area has been declared as an ESA in December 2006. It is also one of Trinidad’s two Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The Nariva Swamp includes a wide variety of vegetation types: tropical forest, swamp forest, palm swamp forest, mangrove areas, marshland, and open waters. Agricultural areas add to the variety, and a small area at the northwestern tip was leased to local farmers. This area was subsequently illegally expanded through squatting by large rice farmers.
The area is exceedingly rich in biological resources, with over 175 species of birds recorded for the Nariva Swamp out of the total 433 bird species for Trinidad and Tobago.
The swamp provides the habitat for waterfowl, and is the fundamental habitat for the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). Red howler monkeys, caimans, numerous species of parrots, including both the Blue-and-gold Macaw and Red-bellied Macaws and some species of snakes (e.g. anacondas, boa constrictors) are found in the Nariva Swamp.
Bacon, P. R., J. Kenny, M. Alkins, S. Mootoosingh, E. Ramcharan, and G. Seeberan. 1979. Nariva Swamp
development project: Studies on the biological resources of Nariva Swamp, Trinidad. Occasional Papers No. 4. St. Augustine, Trinidad: University of the West Indies.
ffrench, R. P. 1980. A guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Newton Square, PA: Harrowood Books.
James, C., N. Nathai-Gyan, and G. Hislop. 1986. Trinidad and Tobago. In: D.A. Scott and M. A. Carbonell, compilers. Directory of neotropical wetlands. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Cambridge and International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau (IWRB), Slimbridge, UK.
James, C. 1992. Wetlands management in Trinidad and Tobago. In: A. E. Lugo and B. Bayle, editors. Wetlands management in the Caribbean and the role of forestry and wetlands in the economy. Puerto Rico: Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This video was produced by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) of Trinidad and Tobago.
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Termites
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that are widely accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea. Similar to ants, certain bees and wasps, terminites use division of labour among various castes in order to conduct day to day activities. They also produce overlapping generations and take care of their young collectively.
Termites are detritivores, or detritus feeders, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. They feed on dead plant material and trees, as well as dead parts of living trees, including wood and wood in the soil. About 10 percent of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.
Termites, as eusocial insects, live in colonies that may number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use decentralised, self organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence which exploit food sources and environments unavailable to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.
The termite fauna of Trinidad, as expected of a continental island is primarily an extension of that of mainland South America. Tobago, which shares a shallow marine bank with Trinidad, also has a mainland fauna, albeit depauperate relative to the much larger island of Trinidad. As expected, the much smaller Bocas Islands and Little Tobago contain species subsets of their larger island or continental neighbours.
For a comprehensive listing of the termites in Trinidad and Tobago, please click here.
References: Scheffrahn, R.H., J. Krecek, B. Maharajh, J.A. Chase, J.R. Mangold & C.K. Starr. 2003. Termite fauna (Isoptera) of Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies. Occasional Papers of the Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies (12):33-38
