Global Programme of Action Regional Fact Sheet
Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Sewage
A key issue in this region as a result of discharges from settlements and tourist
facilities.
A survey of 11 Caribbean countries showed that only between two and 16 per cent of
populations are served by sewerage systems. Less than two per cent of sewage is
treated.
On some islands like Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Haiti there is no sewerage
system and sewage is disposed of via pit latrines and septic tanks.
The problems can be seen in places like Havana Bay, Cuba and Kingston Bay,
Jamaica, where up to 40,000 cubic metres of inadequately treated sewage is
discharged daily. These kinds of discharges can trigger algal blooms and red tides.
In the Bahamas, citizens have been advised not to eat Queen conch because of the
presence of a Vibrio pathogen. Levels of fecal coli forms in Havana Bay exceed
Cuban national sanitary standards.
Over 70 per cent of the region’s coral reefs are affected by sewage pollution.
Nutrients
The total estimated nutrient load from land-based sources is 13,000 tonnes a year of
nitrogen and close to 6,000 tonnes a year of phosphorus—mainly from sewage and
agricultural run off.
There is increasing concern about nitrogen coming from the atmosphere and falling
on the region presumably from fossil fuel burning in more industrialized countries in
the wider region.
Persistent Organic Pollutants
While hard and comprehensive data is scarce, there is concern about such chemicals
coming to the region from dust originating in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Over the last decade, large amounts of pesticides have also been imported into
Caribbean SIDS. Pesticides and chemicals like DDT, aldrin and lindane have been
detected in sediments in Portland and Kingston harbour; the southwest coast of Cuba
and coastal areas of St Lucia.
Heavy Metals
Antifouling agents, like tributyl tin and used on the hulls of boats, is an area of special
concern given the level of recreational boating in the region.
Trinidad and Tobago, which has a relatively high level of industrialization, has
significant heavy metal contamination in sediments near oil installations.
Oil
Oil spills are a major source of concern given the dependency of many islands on oil
imports and the region’s importance as a tanker shipping route.
Sediments
Deforestation, the dredging of shallow shipping lanes and sand mining are among the
factors introducing sediments into coastal waters.
Another factor in some countries, like Jamaica and to a lesser extent the Dominican
Republic and Haiti is bauxite mining.
The region’s rivers are supplying 300 million tones a year of sediments into the
marine environment.
Coastal and Marine Litter
Solid waste collection in the region’s cities is around 60 per cent to 90 per cent except
in Haiti where it is much lower.
However, poorly managed landfills in coastal areas allied to in sufficient waste
reception facilities at ports present major sources of litter to the marine environment.
The pattern of waste is also changing from organic to inorganic and nonbiodegradable. For example in Trinidad and Tobago organic waste fell from just over
40 per cent in 1980 to under a third in the mid-1990s and plastics grew from around
four per cent to a fifth.
Physical Alteration and Destruction of Habitats
Nearly two thirds of coral reefs in the region are threatened by human activities
including over fishing, coastal developments and sediments.
Over the past two decades there have also been significant losses of mangroves. A
survey of 11 Caribbean SIDS found that five had mangrove losses greater than 20 per
cent.
In some countries, including the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, tourism
developments have led to the physical removal of mangroves and seagrass beds.