Tobago's Wetlands: Bon Accord Lagoon, Not True Swamps
Tobago has no natural swamps (forested wetlands with standing water). It has one significant wetland complex: Bon Accord Lagoon.
Bon Accord Lagoon
- Location: Southwest Tobago, adjacent to Crown Point Airport
- Size: ~1,500 acres (600 ha)
- Type: Brackish lagoon with mangrove fringe, tidal flats, salt marsh
- Hydrology: Freshwater runoff (Hillsborough River) + tidal seawater exchange
Ecological Components
| Zone | Features | Key Species |
|---|
| Mangrove forest | Red/white/black mangroves | Mangrove cuckoo, fiddler crabs, juvenile fish |
| Tidal flats | Exposed at low tide | Shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers), mollusks |
| Open lagoon | Brackish water | Tarpon, snook, mullet, cassiopeia jellyfish |
| Salt marsh | Halophytic grasses | Rails, crabs, nesting birds |
Conservation Status
- Designated: Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) 2005
- Ramsar: Not yet listed (proposed)
- Threats: Airport expansion, pollution (runoff, sewage), invasive species (Scaevola), climate (sea level rise)
- Management: Department of Natural Resources & Forestry (THA), community co-management
Why Not a Swamp?
Swamps = woody vegetation (trees) in standing freshwater. Bon Accord is tidally influenced, brackish, mangrove-dominated – a lagoon/mangrove wetland. Ecologically distinct.
Visiting
- Kayak tours (local operators)
- Birdwatching: Nov–Apr (migrants)
- No formal boardwalk; access via Bon Accord / Lowlands
Tobago's coastal ecology is lagoon/mangrove, not swamp. Bon Accord is its crown jewel—fragile, vital, under pressure.
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