Managing Audubon Americas’ initiatives in The Bahamas underneath the Coastal Resilience technique for the previous two years has been an inspiring expertise. Lately, I launched into one other expedition to The Bahamas alongside Aurelio Ramos, Senior Vice President of Audubon Americas. This journey was greater than only a go to—it was a significant reconnection with Audubon’s conservation efforts, a reaffirmation of significant partnerships, and an insightful realization of the challenges posed by local weather change.
Flying from Nassau to Andros Island, I noticed the intricate island formations embraced by deep turquoise waters, which gifted me a second to replicate on Audubon’s legacy courting to the early Nineteen Fifties when Robert Porter Alen found a tened diminishing inhabitants of flamingos within the southernmost islands. Audubon’s science and swift response led to the preservation of Nice Inagua as a nationwide park. As we speak, this park, a sanctuary for thousands of flamingos and numerous bird species, is acknowledged as an Essential Fowl Space (IBA) and has been included on the Ramsar record of Wetlands of Worldwide Significance.
The Bahamas spans 760 miles and covers 95,462 sq. miles and consists of over 700 islands and a pair of,500 cays, that includes distinctive environments and numerous habitats. These embrace Caribbean pine forests that assist migrating songbirds, tidal flats and mangroves for shorebirds and waterbirds, and remoted cays for breeding seabird populations. The Bahamas is house to 300 hen species, over half of that are migratory species from the U.S. and Canada, such because the close to threatened Piping Plover and the American Oystercatcher. Endemic species embrace the Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Swallow, Bahama Woodstar, the critically endangered Bahama Oriole (restricted to Andros Island), and the Inagua Woodstar, discovered solely on Nice Inagua and Little Inagua islands.
Confronting Local weather Change Challenges and Pioneering Conservation Efforts
Though these parks are protected on paper, they nonetheless face many dangers, together with insufficient and restricted administration capability, inadequate funding, and local weather change, a major problem Audubon is addressing, as a part of its new strategic plan “Flight Plan“. Local weather change poses critical threats to birds1,2 and biodiversity as a complete and livelihoods of communities in The Bahamas3,4. Rising sea ranges, excessive climate occasions, droughts, wildfires, and habitat degradation5 demand pressing motion.
Throughout our latest go to, we encountered wildfires, a consequence of extended dry climate and intense warmth, on Andros Island, which stands as some of the pristine islands in The Bahamas6,7 and serves as a significant sanctuary for numerous wildlife habitats. Greater than 200 species of resident and migrating birds inhabit Andros8, additional emphasizing its ecological significance.
Audubon acknowledges the urgency of addressing these challenges and is actively working on Andros Island and building relationships with local actors. We’re advocating for the safety of coastal habitats and goal to bolster resilience by way of new conservation efforts, aligned with Audubon Americas Coastal Resilience strategy.
Constructing Resilience with Partnerships
Conservation efforts in The Bahamas have seen exceptional progress because of the collaborative work of varied organizations and companions on the bottom, together with the Bahamas Nationwide Belief, with assist from Audubon. Analysis and advocacy from these partnerships offered important information and insights to assist the creation of nationwide parks and key conservation websites.
A notable achievement is the institution of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, a vital sanctuary for seabirds and marine life. Moreover, the designation of Joulter Cays Nationwide Park as a Marine Protected Space has been instrumental in safeguarding essential habitats from the threats of local weather change and human actions. This consists of defending the endangered Piping Plover inhabitants, with analysis by Audubon and the Bahamas Nationwide Belief revealing that the Cays present important wintering habitat for 10% of the overwintering Piping Plovers that breed alongside the Atlantic Coast of america and Canada. This designation not solely ensures the safety of this endangered species but additionally bolsters native economies by way of actions similar to eco-tourism (e.g., birding) but additionally sports activities and business fishing.
These key partnerships have additionally been instrumental within the latest nomination of the Berry Islands as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Community (WHSRN) web site. Via group engagement efforts and collaborations with native organizations, we’re positioned to boost consciousness in regards to the significance of WHSRN websites and drive conservation initiatives in The Bahamas and past. The collaborative management and assist from varied conservation teams have been important in these efforts, demonstrating the ability of partnership in reaching lasting environmental safety.
Continued monitoring of those and different weak websites in The Bahamas is essential, together with the deployment of mitigation and adaptation measures similar to nature-based options wherever potential.
Extra lately, and through our go to, we had the privilege of personally conveying Audubon’s unwavering dedication to forging partnerships with key establishments just like the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation (MOTIA) of The Bahamas, Bahamas Nationwide Belief (BNT), educational companions just like the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), the Inter-American Growth Financial institution (IDB), and personal companions similar to Kamalame Cay. Working along with these establishments, we fueled important analysis, advocacy, and group consciousness applications all through latest years, focused on two program areas – nature-based tourism training (with a birding focus) and protecting critical sites for birds.
These collaborations have been instrumental in advancing, for instance, hen monitoring initiatives, nature information coaching applications, and the adoption of Audubon-BNT-IDB joint hen information coaching curriculums in The Bahamas.
Lately, we established joint goals with BAMSI through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster nature tourism and conservation initiatives.
Empowering Guides as Ambassadors of Conservation:
Fowl Information and Nature-Tour Information Coaching Packages
Central to Audubon Americas’ mission in The Bahamas is to domesticate native experience by way of complete bird-guide and nature tour-guide coaching applications. Developed in collaboration with esteemed companions just like the Inter-American Growth Financial institution (IDB) and the Bahamas Nationwide Belief (BNT), the Fowl Information Coaching Curriculum, accessible for basic and advanced ranges, catalyzes environmental schooling and sustainable tourism. This curriculum additionally kinds the inspiration of the Nature Tour Guide Training program, administered by BAMSI with assist from Audubon, which began to be efficiently applied and indicators a promising future pushed by our collective efforts.
Investing within the capability constructing of native guides is paramount for driving sustainable tourism and conservation outcomes. These guides bear coaching based mostly on the beforehand developed hen information curriculum, guaranteeing they purchase the mandatory information and expertise to successfully function ambassadors for the safety of pure habitats. They play a pivotal position in selling accountable tourism practices, advocating for biodiversity conservation, and fostering group engagement. Moreover, by empowering native communities with priceless expertise and earnings alternatives, sustainable tourism initiatives contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and assist livelihoods reliant on wholesome ecosystems.
Constructing Capability by way of Change Packages within the Caribbean area
Our strategy extends past typical coaching initiatives; we have launched into a complete technique to bolster experience and foster collaboration throughout the Caribbean area. Via strategic partnerships with key stakeholders within the Bahamas and the broader Caribbean bird-based tourism sector, similar to BAMSI and the Royal Society for the Safety of Birds (RSPB), our goal is to encourage lively participation in bird-related studying alternatives and facilitate information change. This initiative has developed into a strong change program, the place we collaborate with organizations just like the RSPB in Turks and Caicos and BAMSI in The Bahamas. The aim of this system is to construct confidence amongst guides on shorebird identification, creating sensible expertise in area monitoring and analysis, use of instruments and information administration. By facilitating pupil information exchanges and selling involvement in area and analysis actions, we not solely improve expertise but additionally domesticate a way of camaraderie and collaboration amongst rising conservationists.
Driving Sustainable Tourism and Conservation
As we chart our course ahead, a brand new Audubon Americas Fowl-Based mostly Tourism technique and a Playbook centered on nature-based tourism have been developed. The Bahamas, with its wealthy biodiversity and pristine landscapes, holds immense potential for establishing birding trails that entice vacationers and generate financial alternatives for native communities.
This journey by way of The Bahamas has bolstered my perception within the transformative energy of collective motion. Audubon Americas’ legacy in The Bahamas is a testomony to the resilience of nature and the human spirit. As we confront the challenges of local weather change and biodiversity loss, allow us to proceed to work collectively, pushed by our shared dedication to preserving The Bahamas’ pure heritage for generations to return, with a steadfast concentrate on prioritizing the wants of native communities. Via continued focused conservation initiatives, group schooling, and sustainable tourism practices, we’re devoted to creating extra profitable tales, such because the inspiring safety of the pink flamingo, to protect essential species and ecosystems. The triumphs of our previous successes gas our ongoing dedication to environmental stewardship, inspiring us to try for a future the place each nature and communities flourish in concord.