Protected and Preserved

The Rain Forest Reserve

The Main Ridge is managed by the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, which falls under the Tobago House of Assembly. Qualified foresters are present to escort visitors to the interior of the Main Ridge. The area receives about 15,000 eco-tourists per annum.

The oldest protected rain forest in the Western Hemisphere. Protected by law since 1776, Tobago's Main Ridge Forest Reserve is spread over the island's mountainous spine. Nature trails will allow you to explore the forest's diverse flora and fauna

A unique feature of about the fauna of Tobago is that although Tobago is an island, the fauna are continental in origin, since Tobago was once joined to the South American continent some one million years ago. Considerable endemism has resulted; for example, 31% of the birds that nest on Tobago are endemics. Support of this unique biodiversity and exceptionally diverse ecosystem is of great value to humanity. In addition, it protects against soil erosion, it encourages rainfall and provides significant carbon sinks

After the 1963 hurricane Flora, many of the flora and fauna populations dwindled or disappeared. The Sabrewing Hummingbird is one of the species that has been recovering since the incident. The bird was declared an Environmentally Sensitive Species by Trinidad and Tobago's Environment Management Authority in 2005. The ridge is also home to the ocellated gecko, an animal that is not found anywhere else in the world.

The Main Ridge is literally the backbone of the island, Gutting length-ways across two thirds of Tobago's surface. It encompasses 3958 hectares (9780 acres) of tropical rain forest specifically lower montane, lowland and xerophytic rain forest - and reaches a height of 604 metres. The majority of the forest reserve is lower montane, and is found at heights above 244 metres. 












This area receives the greatest amount of rainfall, the greatest exposure to wind and the lowest temperatures, making it an Evergreen Forest. The lowland rainforest is characterized by copious growth and is said to be the most prolific of all forest types, occurring here to a maximum of 366 metres. The xerophytic rainforest is found on the southern slopes of the Forest Reserve at heights above 244 metres, and is the driest compared to the other types.

Historically the Caribbean has not been in the forefront of conservation issues, and this has resulted in the extinction of many species. The Caribbean was originally under 229,549 km2. of tropical rainforest, but this has dropped by 90% to 22,955km2. The website www.biodiversityhotspots.com says this about Caribbean biodiversity: "In general the Caribbean Islands emerge as top priority for the expansion of the global protected areas network." With global rainforest cover disappearing at the rate of 80,000 acres (32,300 ha) per day (according to rainforestsmongabay.com), it becomes more critical for these singular areas of biodiversity to be protected.