BBP in Brief, Issue 2, April 2004

A Conference to Share Scientific Knowledge of Abaco and the Bahamian Environment
Friends of the Environment

This past January over 90 people gathered in Marsh Harbour for the First Abaco Science Alliance Conference sponsored by Friends of the Environment, a non-profit, non-governmental organization based on Abaco. The conference attracted people from Nassau and Abaco, and from as far away as Oregon and Quebec. Keynote Speaker Livingston Marshall, a Consultant and Science Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister, spoke of the importance of the environment to the economic future of The Bahamas. Fourteen presenters covered a wide range of topics on research carried out in and around the Abacos. It was clear that these individuals are deeply concerned about The Bahamas and Abaco in particular. The first speaker, Ethan Freid, told of picking up eight large bags of trash during his work investigating and documenting plant diversity in the 20,500 acre Abaco National Park. Researchers Serge Lariviere, Caroline Stahala, and Jaime Collazo, reported on threats to the Bahama Parrot on Abaco. Due to the recent introduction of racoons and the fact that the parrot nests only in the ground, extensive reduction of the parrot population is feared. Scientist, David Smith, noted that certain species of insects living in aquatic communities could serve The Bahamas as environmental indicators, metaphorically similar to how canaries once served to indicate degrading air conditions in coal mines, but only if we improve our understanding of Bahamian insect biodiversity. Another presenter, Stephen Thompson reported on his study of blue holes, the natural water filled sinkholes found in the limestone that makes up much of The Bahamas and which can be found both inland or offshore within the reefs. Thompson, who first began studying the offshore blue holes of Abaco seventeen years ago, recently found that they have been "trashed." Of the four blue holes studied, he believes two are salvageable, one is questionable, and the damage to the fourth is irreversible. Immediate action is needed to save Abaco's blue holes. Keith Tinker, Director of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation of The Bahamas, stressed the importance of alliances between government and non-governmental organizations in the protection and preservation of Bahamian cultural resources. He called for an alliance of researchers to allow for the widest possible dissemination of research findings. Several Abaconians who attended the meeting remarked that they had not been aware of all of the scientific work being conducted on the island, and stressed the importance of sharing this information broadly. By all accounts, the conference was a huge success. Details can be obtained from the Friends of the Environment's office, (242) 367-2721.