In terms of livelihoods, the Caroni Swamp provides an important
source of income and livelihood from oyster and fish harvesting,
hunting and ecotourism. As with any wetland, water is the
driving force of wetland ecosystems and changes in flow can have
severe consequences for the benefits that wetlands provide (Dugan,
1990). Surrounding villages still heavily depend on the swamp
both within and around the park boundaries for fishing, crab catching,
oyster harvesting and ecotourism. The swamp is surrounded
by agricultural land and commercial rice farming continues to create
negative environmental impacts through chemical/ fertilizer
run-off and land clearing activities