Tobago Cays: Archipelago and Marine Park (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Tobago Cays: Archipelago and Marine Park (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

The Tobago Cays are an archipelago located in the Southern Grenadines of the Lesser Antilles, comprising five small islands and extensive coral reefs. The cays are the key elements of the Tobago Cays Marine Park, owned and operated by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines government.

Tobago Cays

The Tobago Cays are an archipelago located in the southern Grenadines of the Lesser Antilles, comprising five small islands and extensive coral reefs. The cays are all uninhabited and are popular tourist destinations.

The Cays

  • Petit Rameau

  • Petit Bateau

  • Baradal

  • Petit Tabac

  • Jamesby

Surrounding the Tobago Cays are several shallow fringing reefs around the islands and a major bank-barrier reef known as Horseshoe Reef. Other significant reefs in the park include World's End Reef, Egg Reef and Mayreau Gardens. The fringing reefs around Mayreau and the Mayreau Gardens reef are considered the most biodiverse and healthy, with Horseshoe Reef and the reef around Petit Tabac being the next richest. Finally, the World's End and Egg reef and the other fringing reefs are considered the most degraded and least diverse in the park.

The common reef corals are Montastrea, Porites, Acropora, Millepora and Siderastrea species, and patches of soft corals such as Gorgonians (Sea Fans) and sponges. Large fish, such as barracuda and jacks, are occasionally found in the park, although most fish species are small. Algae and disease are prominent across all reefs and affect coral health.

The Tobago Cays are now the key element of the Marine Park, run and owned by the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Tobago Cays Marine Park

The Tobago Cays Marine Park consists of a 5.7 sq km (2.2 sq mi or 1,400 acres) sand-bottom lagoon, which encompasses the five cays, the inhabited island of Mayreau and the 4 km (2.5 mi) Horseshoe Reef. The Marine Park was listed as a regionally significant ecosystem under the SPAW Protocol (a regional environmental treaty) in December 2014.

The Tobago Cays Marine Park contains several important threatened species, both terrestrial and marine. In addition, there are populations of brown pelicans, bridled terns and Iguanas in the park, and there are many migratory birds that pass through the area.

The beaches and seagrass beds are feeding and nesting grounds for Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles and Leatherback Turtles. In addition, the reefs are home to many species of listed coral from the Milleporidae, Alcyonacea and Scleractinia families; there are also populations of Queen Conch and Caribbean Spiny lobster in the park.

Coral reefs are protected by regulations that specify areas to anchor and windsurf and prohibit fishing within most of the park. There are also measures to reduce the likelihood of coral damage from boats, including speed restrictions and buoys setting out sailing areas. Regulations prevent waste dumping. Diving is limited to registered local dive shops. The flora or fauna is not allowed to be touched, and the substrate is not to be disturbed.

Tourism is the main activity within the Marine Park. Around 8000 yachts visit the cays annually, including many charter yachts and day trips. In addition, snorkeling and scuba diving are popular activities within the park.

Seagrass beds are protected by regulations that specify areas to anchor and prohibit fishing within most of the park. In addition, a specific seagrass conservation area is off-limits to boats, although swimming and snorkeling are allowed. Most seagrass beds lie within the shallow 'lagoon' south of Baradal in the center of the cays, although there are tiny patches of seagrass near the Horseshoe back reef.

The main seagrass species are Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium, with small colonies of loggerhead sponges (Spheciospongia vesparium), various soft corals and small colonies of Porites and Siderastrea. The seagrass beds support several species of juvenile fish, green turtles (Chelonia mydas), starfish (Oreaster reticulatus), conchs (Strombus gigas) and sea eggs (Tripneustes ventricosus); however, there are also significant areas of algae. The terrestrial flora consists mainly of dry forest, grasses and shrubs, including coconut, agave, cactus, coccoloba sp. and diospyros sp.

In the Tobago Cays Marine Park, highly poisonous Manchineel trees (Hippomane mancinella) are well established on Petit Rameau, Baradal and Jamesby Islands. However, they appear more as low-growing shrubs rather than the tall trees found elsewhere in the Grenadines. There is one patch of Red Mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) on Petit Rameau. Also, there are some Melocactus Broadwayi on the cays. Underwater, there are areas of seagrass beds that contain two threatened species: Manatee Grass (Syringodium filiforme) and Turtle Grass (Thalassia testudinum).