Field Notes: June 2025

Looking beyond the reef

On the 18th of May we experienced overnight flash floods on island.  The rainfall in the early hours of 18th May, 2024 caused the ghauts to burst their banks with significant amounts of mud and debris headed for the sea. Jason has reported that visibility in Little Bay is still mostly poor/murky as well.

Here are some images and videos of the damage done across the island; Carr’s Bay and the village of St. Peters were most badly affected, with the internesting beaches of Isles Bay/Old Road inundated by lahar mudflows and accompanying heavy sedimentation.

Soldier Ghaut burst its banks, causing some infrastructural damage, with large trees being uprooted by the force of the water.

Jackie Ghaut also burst its banks. This is St. Peters Village low road like I’ve never seen it before. It’s hard to believe this damage was all caused by a flash flood rather than a hurricane or tropical storm. We are beginning to understand what the range of climate impacts can be on land and sea.

Local video received on WhatsApp of Romeo’s Wayside Store at daybreak. Gas bottles were washed out of the neighbouring Delta petrol station and into Romeo’s front yard.

Carr’s Bay vendors experienced losses to their business place as the beachfront undermined, thankfully no one was hurt.

Video x Jason Willett, flood damage as Belham River burst it banks on the golf course. Over time we are observing reduced visability in the sea turtles mating hotspots in the sea outside of the area.

The overall impact on the 2025 flash floods were more significant than the previous year. My Dad also lost his work pickup, which was flooded out along with other mechanical parts in the yard of the Romeo’s Wayside Store. (video no.2) There is no insurance cover.

Photos by Veta Wade, Montserrat Marine Megafauna Project, 20 April 2024

Photo by Jason Willett, Montserrat Marine Megafauna Project, 18th of May, 2025

Today 14 June, 2025 the water visibility has still not improved much, contributing to this is a persistent under current, constantly churning up the sediment on the seafloor.

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Risks to Biodiversity Value

The sediment outflow from the Belham River into the seagrass areas could impact the planned location of an artificial reef in the Isles Bay inshore area by altering water clarity and light penetration, which are crucial for both coral reef and seagrass health and growth. Increased sedimentation may smother seagrass beds present in the Isles Bay/Old Road area, reducing their habitat value for marine life and affecting the overall ecosystem balance. We are observing the sediment burying portions of otherwise healthy seagrass. Additionally, the potential nutrient runoff from the Old Road Wetlands, associated with sediments, and ghauts ( coming from the Waterworks Estate) could lead to algal blooms, further compromising the artificial reef's intended benefits for biodiversity and marine restoration.

Mating Turtles in Seagrass Bed. Photo by Dr. Peter Richardson. Location: Montserrat

The price of paradise

On Montserrat, our vulnerabilities to nature including, flash floods, seagrass degradation, coastal erosion, habitat loss etc., as a result of climate change is high. Montserrat has a financial and logistical burden to “climate proof” its coastal infrastructure, properties, roads, bridges etc. There is also a need to look beyond the reef at the equally critical human buden of climatic shocks, what I see as the hidden load of conservation, we bare - those of us who are often first and most affected.

I’m particularly interested in the deeper value of the ocean to our community as a whole, perhaps that’s why I spend more time on land these days. For example, we know that the sea provides fish, and that the fish landings are valued at market price, some of the fish would be kept by the fisher for personal use or shared with friends and family. The value of the islands spring water is measured in volume to households but does not account for the value that the springs in the island’s Centre Hills contribute to supporting wildlife habitats. But what we don't really understand is cultural services the sea offers to our community and vice versa. There is an unseen cost around the loss of future aspirations, guilt and grief.

Our islands' natural capital supports not just livelihoods but the quality of life of everyone on the island. Ensuring blue finance gets to the communities that innovations seeks to support, requires a transformative leadership style, that is centred around, empathy, values, and compassion; perhaps even those who are not afraid to break the script and light the way for others. This is a moment for new ways of working and co-creating safe spaces for experimentation, reflection and push back. If we are to truly create a more equitable and restorative blue economy that spreads the wealth in local communities, we've got a lot of work to do-challenge the status quo.

Sometimes I offer visitors snorkel and kayaking tours and citizen science opportunities, this offers us an worthwhile income stream. But, with increasingly unpredictable sea conditions and inadequate marine infrastructure, my business has been affected ( things were challenging enough, being based on one of the least visitors islands in the world....one thing is for sure we can't rely on tourism alone for a living). With a tour coming up next week, let’s see if we can deliver or if the tour might have to cancelled due to pure visability. As the months pass by, will I be able to tuly explore those unanswered questions around culture and our ocean, or will we have to move home, change jobs... The deep uncertainties are so distracting, but only time will tell.

Until next time,

Veta <3