Friend
Clive Petrovic
consider Clive Petrovic a friend and a friend of the environment.
CGB (Cane Garden Bay) Mangroves by Allison L. Williams Hill
The
BVI government asked Clive, environmentalist, marine biologist and
scuba diver instructor, to create the marine studies curriculum for H.
Lavity Stoutt Community College. In 1993, he became the head of the
Centre for Applied Marine Studies department for twelve years. Clive
created a conference at HLSCC that included recognized scientists such
as Jean Michel Cousteau.
Black Hat Sect feng shui uses "cures" to improve negative situations. One of the areas of the bagua is called "Helpful Friends, Earth Angels." It is located, in relation to the door or entry, in the far right corner of a space or area. Placing objects in this area and using the power of intention, strengthens energy for the presence of loving, caring people. Clive Petrovic is a friend of all bodies of water and all that lives within them.
I met Clive at the H.L.S. Community College. The Applied Marine Biology Building pictured here is adjacent to the boardwalk project he developed that takes one through Paraquita Bay Lagoon's mangrove ecosystem, home to a fascinating environment of terrestrial and marine wildlife.
Friend of The Nature Boardwalk
The nature boardwalk through the mangroves brings you up close and personal to what I call the forefront defense against hurricane force winds.
While working on the college's master plan, I learned from Dr. Lianna Jarecki that mangroves provide protection for spawning fish from predators allowing BV Islanders to support their diet with such varieties as Old Wife, Nurse, Parrot, Hard Nose, and Doctor fish.
To be continued...
Crabs eat the fallen mangrove leaves for the tannin which is harmless them. Their waste is changed by the bacteria into nutrients. The nutrients are carried by the tide to animals that eat it, namely algae and coral.
Crab mortality has diminished. In November 2003, a tropical storm event left several areas of Tortola under 6 feet of water. This system brought rain only, no hurricane force winds. It took 4 hours to reach the college from the Administration Complex which usually takes 10 minutes. Later, culverts were constructed to improve drainage from the land to the lagoon. The crabs began using the culverts instead of crossing Blackburne Highway.
It is a wildlife habitat for several species of birds, some of which are migratory, that nest among the branches.
Being this close to an ecosystem of such importance where one can get a better sense of what actually goes on within a mangroves system, puts people in touch with how essential they are.
Dr. Jarecki's study from 1959 to 2000 showed that more than 50% of the coastal systems were destroyed leaving the shore more vulnerable to tropical force events. Hurricane Irma, a level 5 category event was unlike anything the Caribbean experienced. It was reported that the green did not begin to return until January 2018. The hurricane hit in September 2017.
The lagoon is located at the base of an alluvium collecting some of the 3 million gallons of runoff from an approximately 800 acre watershed.
Above is a view of the lagoon, a designated hurricane shelter for marine vessels, managed by the Department of Disaster Management.
Thanks, Clive for creating this access into a least known part of the islands. This is a beautiful and tranquil living classroom with so much to learn about and to understand.
Links
The above meditation mandala will be available soon.
