The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas National Trust has recommended the development of a rapid response protocol for responding to disasters in The Bahamas more than two years after Hurricane Dorian brought destruction to Abaco and Grand Bahama.

The recommendation was made in a report delving into the state of the environment as a result of the Category 5 storm.

A rapid response protocol, according to the report, would ensure officials conduct assessments of damage to marine and terrestrial systems and rapidly implement strategies to improve ecosystem recovery. It would include a database of current or previous studies to identify where pre-storm baseline data exist and facilitate collaborations to assess storm impacts.

An organised emergency plan will facilitate comprehensive, timely responses that will maximise the available resources and facilitate the most successful interventions possible, the report said.

Hurricane Dorian struck portions of Grand Bahama and Abaco in September 2019, impacting all aspects of marine and wildlife, including birds and forests, reef habitats, mangroves, marine mammals and seagrass communities at both islands.

The report, a collaboration of rapid assessments and input by various government and non-governmental agencies, called for the development of a national-level conservation horticulture programme that develops and manages ex-situ collections of native plants that are genetically diverse and representative of wild populations to be used for restoration and reforestation.

A significant portion of the pine forests on both islands were catastrophically damaged during the hurricane, with implications for bird species that depend on these habitats.

Species of particular concern are the critically endangered Bahama Nuthatch which is only found in the pine forests of Grand Bahama and has not been seen since 2018; the Bahama Parrot (a subspecies of the Cuban Amazon Parrot) whose largest breeding population is contained within the pine forests of Abaco and the Bahama Warbler, another endemic, is found exclusively in Pine Forests on Grand Bahama and Abaco.

In addition to the resident and endemic birds found in these pine forests, numerous migratory birds rely on these habitats for up to six months of the year. The Abaco Boa (Chilabothrus Exsul), an endemic snake, is also reliant on terrestrial habitats on Abaco although they mainly utilise coppice habitats.

Another recommendation was for the removal of debris from reefs, coastal areas, forests, and other sensitive systems to reduce the impact physical destruction these can cause during future storms and serve as fuel for uncontrolled wildfires through already compromised forests.

If large scale debris removal is not feasible, the report noted that there should be the creation of fire breaks to reduce fire impacts on recovering forests.

The report said it is also important for additional marine and terrestrial protected areas to build resilience. Marine and terrestrial organisms may relocate to safer areas during storms and return to recolonise damaged areas afterwards. In addition, the healthier reefs or forests there are, the more reserves there are to repopulate non-motile populations like corals or trees.

Another recommendation by the BNT’s report was that Casuarina and other invasive plants be removed from coastal and inland areas to improve coastal resilience.

The report said: “Casuarina trees blow over easily during storms, removing material from the coastline and becoming projectiles that damage reef structures once they enter the water. Inland Casuarinas replace native vegetation rapidly, reducing the chances that storm or fire damaged systems will return to their natural state.”

There was also a view that corals and mangroves in priority areas need to be restored to help “jump-start” the recovery process, including the use of nurseries and other propagation methods where appropriate and cost effective, while adhering to best practises to mitigate against unintended negative impacts such as the introduction of pests or diseases.

Rehabilitating and restoring severely damaged coral and mangrove habitats has the potential to increase their rate of recovery and the chance that these areas persist in the face of future storm events and other stressors, the report noted.