Carriacou – Wildlife and Biodiversity

Across the Grenadines islands there are a range of fauna and flora: These stretch from a number of gecko and lizard species to Garman’s woodland frog and the Africa mona monkey; from the large opossum to the forest and ghost crab and the rare nine-banded armadillo; from the Burmese mongoose to waterfowl, warblers and heron and from numerous species of turtle, to lobster, conches, dolphins and manta rays.  Despite the widespread and dense rainforest, there are no poisonous snakes to be found.  There are, however, a few critically endangered species: The Grenada dove, which is the national bird of Grenada, and leatherback turtles – the largest living species of reptile which date back to the era of dinosaurs.  There are also a number of other species that are increasingly threatened like the giant toad and piping frog, freshwater fish, the nine-banded armadillo and two species of opossum, multiple lizards and snakes and countless bird species as well as a number of turtles like the Hawksbill turtle, the loggerhead turtle and the green turtle.  Conservation efforts are crucial to prevent any further harm to the unique fauna and flora.

Our Carriacou Reef Buddy diving volunteer project, is focused on coral and marine life conservation, and gives you a close-up experience of the underwater beauty.  Environmental threats to reefs include hurricanes and storm surges and terrestrial runoff and sedimentation.  All of Carriacou’s reefs are also threatened by human activities; indiscriminate boat anchoring, overfishing and spearfishing of fish, coastal development and poor land-use practices. Reef-building species are also increasingly endangered which exacerbates the problem.  Our Reef Buddy volunteer project in Carriacou allows for important activities to take place like fish and coral identification, involvement in a coral nursery, data analysis and marine life surveys; all of which play an important part in monitoring the environmental situation.  Conservation of this nature is crucial to protect such an unspoilt treasure in the middle of the ocean.