Over 800 – By Kisean Joseph
Over 800 Pounds Garbage
The National Parks Authority and the Environmental Awareness Group removed more than 1,800 pounds of waste from wetlands near Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in just two hours during a community cleanup last week, underscoring the urgent need to protect these critical ecosystems as the world observes World Wetlands Day today.
Haldane Spencer from the National Parks Authority described the shocking number of debris discovered in the mangrove system.
“We had a community day where members from the community were able to come out with us into the wetland and clean up the space,” Spencer said during a radio appearance Monday morning. “We removed things like air-conditioned units, suitcases, and control arms for vehicles. I mean, you can name it; it was in the wetland.”
The cleanup was part of an ongoing monitoring project developed after consultants assessed all wetlands in the national parks system and created a comprehensive monitoring plan. The initiative also included training sessions with partner organizations last week.
Spencer explained that Antigua and Barbuda is home to four distinct mangrove species, each playing a specific role in coastal protection.
The red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) stand on the shoreline with interconnected roots that shelter juvenile fish while serving as the first line of defense against storm surge, wind force, and wave energy.
Behind them, black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) trap sediment washing off the land before it reaches the ocean, keeping coastal waters clear.
White mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) work alongside black mangroves in marshy areas, continuing the sediment filtration process. The fourth type, buttonwood mangroves (Conocarpus erectus), grows in forested areas behind wetlands and is commonly used as hedging in Antiguan yards, including the popular silver button variant.
“We have a four-wall natural defence,” Spencer said, describing how the layered mangrove system protects the coastline.
He highlighted the critical connection between wetlands, seagrass beds, and coral reefs in supporting local fisheries.
“The roots of the red mangroves provide a safe haven for juvenile fish,” he explained. “The larger predatory fish that are in the deeper water, even if they come to shallow waters looking for food, the interconnectivity of the roots provide shelter for these juvenile fish.”
He noted that seagrass beds support conch and other marine species, while coral reefs provide habitat and fishing grounds for mature fish.
Spencer also highlighted the cultural and archaeological significance of the Indian Creek wetlands within the National Parks system, describing it as one of the most important archaeological sites in Antigua and the region.
The site contains preserved ruins and middens from a major pre-Columbian settlement that existed from 200 BC to around 1380 AD, offering insights into Amerindian life and culture.
“The name Indian Creek speaks to the Amerindians who would have utilized that space and found a livelihood there,” Spencer said. “Wetlands are not just important for us, but they were important to the people before us.”
Shanna Challenger, a conservation practitioner with the Environmental Awareness Group, said the biggest threat to wetland preservation is public misconception.
“A lot of us see wetlands as wasteland, as marsh and swamp,” she said during the radio interview. “We think they smell bad, and so we end up reverting to dumping things there, and this is very harmful.”
Challenger stressed that mangroves provide critical ecosystem services, including storm surge protection, carbon storage, and nursery habitat for marine life.
“The mangroves are taking the first beating so that by the time it hits us further inland, the storm is a little weaker,” she explained. “The benefits provided by the mangroves completely outweigh what a concrete building will do.”
She warned that losing mangroves would be catastrophic for Barbuda’s frigatebird sanctuary, which attracts tourists to see up to 10,000 magnificent frigatebirds nesting in the Codrington Lagoon mangroves.
“When the hurricanes come, because at this point in 2026, it’s not an if, it’s a when they come, we are completely defenseless and we will get the full onslaught of the hurricanes without any protection,” Challenger said.
This year’s World Wetlands Day theme focuses on “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.”
Challenger noted that traditional practices, such as fishers storing boats in mangroves during hurricanes, demonstrate an ancestral understanding of the value of wetlands.
“By combining some of that traditional knowledge that we have, as well as the science of today, it is still really key to helping us figure out how to protect them in the future,” she said.
The Environmental Awareness Group is inviting the public to join them at Potworks Dam this evening at 5 o’clock for bird watching and wetlands appreciation activities.
