Restoration

I work with local partners to restore mangrove communities in The Bahamas via two primary approaches. First, Hurricane Dorian in 2019 caused catastrophic destruction on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. Hundreds of acres of mangrove trees were destroyed, compromising the myriad ecosystem service these systems provide. Working with Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, MANG, Friends of the Environment, and The Bahamas National Trust, I will lead the scientific monitoring of planting of as many as 100,000 mangrove seedlings. The monitoring will draw on research by my colleague Ryann Rossi on factors that contribute to mangrove die-off, as well as other past mangrove restoration projects we have completed. Here is a recent blog post summarizing the project.

Second, I work with local partners to restore tidal flow to creeks that have been blocked by roads. By installing culverts under roads and re-creating historic channels, fish can again move into previously blocked wetland areas, thereby increasing the overall productivity of these systems. Two small projects on Andros Island lead to an additional project on Abaco at Cross Harbour (the first picture in the sequence above).  We are currently working toward improving the Cross Harbour project, as well as enhancing other creek systems on Abaco and other Bahamian islands.