St Kitts sees The Effect of Climate Change

Every year between March and July around 40 to 65 leatherback sea turtles come on to Keys Beach in St Kitts to lay their eggs, and the St Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network has been making sure Keys Beach is clean, as it's one of the main nesting sites on the island. However over the past few years they've noticed that the beach is being affected by erosion, but this isn't the only concern as there are also worries about increased temperatures.

When the eggs are laid they aren't gender specific as this is determined by the incubation temperature. A higher incubation temperature tends to produce female turtles, while lower temperatures produce male turtles, and there are worries that rising temperatures could skew the turtle population. It's not just the turtles being affected, as a Conaree Fish Farm was recently established to grow fresh water tilapia in seawater.

The project pulls water from around 320 m out in the ocean before feeding it back into several artificial ponds where the fish are grown. However seaweed from the Sargasso Sea is now showing up on beaches in the Caribbean and is clogging the intake pipes. Apparently the change in temperature is causing the seaweed to release itself from the seabed as it needs sunlight to grow.

At least this organism is natural, and doesn't affect the sea turtles, and it's been found nesting birds on the beaches are feeding and foraging within the seaweed. However what's more important is the effect climate change is having on St Kitts, and even though the island emits minimal greenhouse gases it is likely to be greatly affected by climate change. The focus is now on adaptation, and millions of dollars are being poured into the Caribbean to help this region prepare.

Eco-tourism in St Kitts

St Kitts is still a relative newcomer to the tourism industry, as it only took positive steps to promote itself as an upmarket destination once the sugarcane industry finally shut its doors for good in 2005.

This means it's perfectly positioned to be able to ensure the tourism industry develops in a way which is sustainable, and St Kitts has taken measures to make sure its delicate ecosystem is protected. This is extremely sensible as ecotourism is becoming increasingly popular, as people still want to travel and explore, but are more interested in pursuing activities perceived as being ‘green.’

The underwater world around St Kitts is a huge attraction, and it has a worldwide reputation for being pristine. St Kitts is working hard to make sure the coral reefs and marine life are preserved for generations to come and has worked with Philippe Cousteau's Earth Echo, and the Coral Reef Alliance to create protected areas. St Kitts is equally as well known for its lush environment.

Around one quarter of the island is covered in American Oceanic Rainforest, which is one of the rarest kinds of rainforest in the world. The environment on St Kitts is so healthy this rainforest is expanding, and with numerous trails winding through it, it provides a popular tourist attraction. These trails are enjoyed by hikers and mountain bikers and vary greatly as to the degree of difficulty.

The trails take sightseers past streams and waterfalls, and an endless variety of tropical plants and flowers. You don't have to be ultra-fit to experience this, as there are plenty of tour operators offering leisurely walks with a guide, or four-wheel-drive tours. All these natural attractions help make St Kitts quite different from its competitors, and it's easy to see why it's becoming increasingly popular amongst tourists.