CONSERVATION 34 ZiNG July - September 2009

Those of us lucky enough to live here, and those who come to visit the Caribbean, enjoy the peace and beauty of a wonderful sub- tropical environment. As in many parts of the world, however, this beautiful land and seascape faces a number of threats but, thankfully, local people are rising to the challenge of helping protect the Caribbean environment for the next generation. ' Conservation' and the ' environment' are now common buzz words. Dedicated local individuals have been quietly working away tirelessly in the background for decades in this area, and many unsung grassroots activists continue to devote substantial parts of their lives to conserving the increasingly threatened flora and fauna of the Caribbean. Here James Fuller pays tribute to the passion and commitment of 10 projects and local environmentalists making a positive difference to the Caribbean's natural heritage. These ' heroes of conservation' are well worth celebrating. July - September 2009 ZiNG 35 Dennis Sammy was a fresh- faced 18- year- old when, in 1990, he was one of 11 volunteers involved in the foundation training for Nature Seekers, a community- based conservation group formed to protect leatherback sea turtles from poachers around Matura, Trinidad. " I saw the turtles for the first time on that course, and I've not done another job since. This is my passion. It's amazing that we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next year," says Sammy, who has been managing director since 1995. 1 Dennis Sammy Nature Seekers ll heroes Local conservation Nature Seekers has evolved into an internationally respected organisation that empowers local community members through employment in the fields of education, research and ecotourism, and promoting sustainable living. " We stress the importance of protecting our natural resources and make people aware of the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle," says Sammy, who won one of his nation's highest honours in 2001, the Humming Bird Medal ( Silver) for environmental service. Among many responsibilities, Sammy heads the day- to- day management of Matura's Turtle Conservation and Tagging Programmes; coordinates the training and organisation of tour guides; organises and manages annual beach clean- ups, and is one of the country's coordinators for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. He also co-designed and built the National Sea Turtle Tagging Database with Dr Scott Eckert. Under Sammy's guardianship, Nature Seekers has collected numerous international tourism awards including The British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award in 1998. " This is a fantastic job; helping the local community and seeing people grow," he says. " I also love the learning aspect. It's really challenging but brings great satisfaction. I would never leave this job. They would have to fire me," he laughs. l Visit www. natureseekers. org