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, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

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

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

(less than 1 km) in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. It is one of thirteen government protected wildlife sanctuaries, one of two breeding grounds for

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

s 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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

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, 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/technologist, game warden, park ranger, forest watcher, forest guar ...

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