Saut d'Eau, French for "Waterfall" (literally "water jump" in French), is a small island in the Republic of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. It is located just off the north coast of main island of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

(less than 1 km) in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

. It is one of thirteen government protected

wildlife sanctuaries A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, one of two breeding grounds for pelicans in the country.

Characteristics

The island's highest point is 106 metres and its area is approximately 100,000 m². Its geology comprises several jagged cliffs rising to a high elevation given the island's small size. Its flora comprises

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

forest, scrub and coarse grass.

Wildlife sanctuary

The island was proclaimed a wildlife sanctuary in 1935 by the Trinidad and Tobago Government, granting it full legal protection by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Division. Its notable wildlife is the '' Pelecanus occidentalis'' (brown pelican) which breed on the island, the only breeding place for the species in the country. Other important species on the island include the chestnut-collared swift and

rufous-necked wood-rail The rufous-necked wood rail (''Aramides axillaris'') is a species of bird in the subfamily Rallinae of the rail, crake, and coot family Rallidae.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International ...

, both of which are rare in the country. There are estimated to be at least 27 species of birds on the island. Poaching is not a major threat to the island because of its inaccessibility due to its jagged cliffs, rough seas and distance from populated areas. Patrols by

game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician or technologist, game warden, forest ranger, forest watcher, forest g ...

s are also infrequent for the same reasons.IUCN 1979, pg. 347

Notes

References

* {{coord, 10, 46.18, N, 61, 30.7, W, region:TT_type:isle_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Uninhabited islands of Trinidad and Tobago