The Nariva Swamp is the largest freshwater wetland in Trinidad and Tobago and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The swamp is located on the east coast of Trinidad, immediately inland from the Manzanilla Bay.

The area provides important habitat for waterfowl and supports the only confirmed manatee population in Trinidad. One portion of the swamp, the Bush Bush Wildlife Sanctuary is historically important as a field site for the Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory (now part of Carec ), which played a key role in the study of tropical mosquito-borne diseases.

The Nariva Swamp is threatened by rice cultivation in the northwest and watermelon cultivation in the southwest. It has also been affected by channelisation in the swamp and deforestation of its watershed.

References

• Brown, N.A. 2000. Environmental advocay in the Caribbean: The case of the Nariva Swamp, Trinidad. CANARI Technical Report No. 268.
• Sletto, B. 2002. Producing space(s), representing landscapes: maps and resource conflicts in Trinidad. Cultural Geographies 9: 389-420