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Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
Caroni Swamp is an estuarine mangrove swamp on the west coast of Trinidad comprising roughly 6000 ha. The swamp is bordered to the north and northeast by highways, residential and commercial development. Towards the south and east of the swamp, sugarcane cultivation has given way in recent years to mixed agriculture and housing. On the western margin of the swamp and extending down the west coast of Trinidad are extensive coastal mudflats
Caroni Swamp is the major roosting and breeding site of Scarlet Ibis in Trinidad. In the early 1960s the breeding population numbered in the thousands with 2500 nests counted in June of 1963. After 1970 however the Scarlet Ibis appeared to have abandoned the breeding colony and utilised the Caroni Swamp primarily in the non-breeding season when up to 15000 birds may be present. Recent records however show a regular breeding of about 500 pairs at the eastern edge of the swamp. Apart from the Scarlet Ibis the Caroni Swamp hosts significant populations of both resident and migratory herons. It is the only location in Trinidad to support an endemic subspecies of the Straight-Billed Woodcreeper. Within recent years it has become a roost site for congregations of migrant Olivaceous Cormorants. It has historically been a major site for waterfowl in Trinidad but this is no longer the case. Small remnants of herbaceous swamp around the periphery are important to local populations of crakes and bitterns.
Non-bird biodiversity: There are no endemic species recorded from Caroni Swamp, but the site is important for the local population of Silky Anteaters Cyclopes didactylus and Crab-eating Raccoon Procyon cancrivorus.
The Caroni Swamp is dominated by mangrove forest. On the seaward edge the predominant species is
Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia germinans and Laguncularia racemosa more abundant towards the landward side but give way to small areas of herbaceous marsh and reed beds along the periphery. These herbaceous marsh areas are remnants of a larger freshwater marsh community dominated by the
Cyperus-Gynerium-Montrichardia association, which used to occupy the eastern third of the swamp. In the 1920s and 1940s drainage and irrigation schemes were implemented in an attempt to facilitate rice cultivation. This initially expanded the available freshwater habitat. However the schemes failed, the embankments eroded, and brackish water infiltrated the former freshwater swamp. Today the freshwater habitat around Caroni Swamp is limited to a few hectares around the margins of the swamp and salt tolerant species have colonized the former freshwater swamp. Rice production occurs on about 700 ha to the east of the swamp across a highway. Many of the birds resident in the Caroni Swamp visit the rice fields to feed. Tour boat operators take visitors on a daily basis to see the Scarlet Ibis as they return to roost at night.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Despite the protection afforded, hunting continues with Scarlet Ibis and Night-Herons are the favorite targets. The salinity of the swamp, which is critical to the breeding of the Scarlet Ibis is influenced by the surrounding land use practices. The Caroni River, the main watercourse entering the swamp, runs along the north of the swamp and most of the water flows directly out to sea. Other watercourses are used for irrigation and very little water reaches the swamp during the dry season and that which remains is often highly polluted. The proximity to major shipping ports to the north and south of the swamp, at Port of Spain and Point Lisas, and current oil exploration in the Gulf of Paria, contribute to the threat of pollution.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The Caroni Swamp is managed as a National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary by the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment. Entry without a permit is prohibited. The management plan includes the restoration of areas of freshwater marsh in an attempt to establish more breeding of scarlet Ibis (the National Bird of T&T). Progress in this initiative has been slow due to cost constraints.
Most of the Caroni Swamp is a prohibited area with entry by permit only and was designated a Ramsar site of international importance in 2005.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/caroni-swamp-iba-trinidad-and-tobago on 28/12/2024.
