Immortelle trees in the hills of Clarendon, Jamaica. Photo by Emma Lewis, used with permission. What do you think of when you hear the words “Earth Day”? Do you glaze over at the thought of more talk about the environment and the many ways in which we're collectively not doing enough to protect it? Do you feel a sense of impotence that the climate crisis is so far along, yet world governments seem to be dragging their feet on decisive action? Do you dismiss environmental activists as overreacting, or tremble at the thought of what climate injustice is doing to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like the Caribbean? Climate change is perhaps the most urgent issue of our time, yet the plethora of information about it can sometimes have the opposite effect, desensitising us, making us feel far removed from the heart of the issue, which is that we must find ways to adapt to a swiftly changing planet and live in sustainable balance with it. The Global Voices Caribbean team, which includes birders, hikers, amateur photographers and general outdoor enthusiasts, understands that respecting our earth is non-negotiable if we are to survive, far less thrive. For us, nature is more than news headlines or COP conferences; it is real, tangible, and with most of us living on islands, literally all around us. This Earth Day, by sharing some of our favourite parts of the earth and why they're meaningful to us, we wanted to remind you why we mark the occasion, and why our planet needs us to be its ally … Little Tobago, a small island off the northeastern coast of Tobago, and part of the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, is an important breeding site for seabirds. Photos by Tabatha Auguste, used with permission. Little Tobago also fondly called Bird of Paradise Island, is a small island off the northeastern coast of Tobago. Inhabited mostly by wildlife and various species of birds, I found myself completely enchanted by it when I travelled to Tobago in 2021. Only accessible by boat, a few Tobagonians task themselves with regularly visiting the island in order to supply the various species of birds with homemade nectar. Tourists and birdwatchers travel from all over the world to see species that solely inhabit this small island. Such a local treasure, yet I was saddened to see the only structure on the island dilapidated and in desperate need of restructuring. It is of utmost importance to do more as a community and a country to preserve these natural treasures entrusted to us and today, on Earth Day, I would like to highlight this sanctuary in the hope that it receives the care it so desperately needs to preserve the beauty it so generously bestows. Bahama Mockingbird in Hellshire Hills, Jamaica. Photo by Emma Lewis, used with permission. This photo, which I took on an amazing early morning birding trip with BirdLife Jamaica, makes me a little sad, though it was singing very sweetly at the time! As its name suggests, the Bahama Mockingbird is a permanent resident of The Bahamas, but also lives in some parts of Jamaica, where its range is restricted to the coastal dry limestone forest of the south coast. Hurricanes, climate change impacts, and spreading housing developments in this wild, dry area are eating away at this beautiful bird's habitat — a very dry but vibrant ecosystem that many Jamaicans consider unattractive. To me, its bare, white honeycomb rock, cacti, and spindly, spiny vegetation have their own special appeal. This bird is an example of many species in the Caribbean threatened by the loss or degradation of the places where they migrate, feed, and breed, mainly because of climate change and human activities such as housing and tourism developments. By the way, the Hellshire Hills is where the Jamaican Iguana (once thought to be extinct) was “rediscovered” in 1980; there is now an active breeding programme at Hope Zoo in Kingston, and hundreds of iguanas have been reintroduced into the wild. I really hope this remarkable landscape will be preserved for the future. View from the top of Turtle Mountain, Guyana. Photo by Skye Hernandez, used with permission. On Earth Day, we pause to think about the planet we live on and share with other beings. But that’s just one part of it. We ask ourselves what are we prepared to do to ensure that “none of them can stop the time,” as Bob Marley sang? I think a lot these days about Guyana, a place I fell in love with during an eight-day visit to the Iwokrama Forest some years ago.