The 6th Biennial Abaco Science Alliance Conference (ASAC) began with a rousing welcome from recently elected Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) Board President, Wynsome Ferguson (also manager of the Abaco Tourist Office), followed by North Abaco Member of Parliament Renardo Curry who presented a speech from the Minister of the Environment, Hon. Kenred Dorsett. The stage was set for a thought provoking series of talks by researchers who study various aspects of the environment in Abaco and the rest of The Bahamas.
Talks and poster presentations contributed to our knowledge of the state of our environment, highlighting unique and fragile ecosystems and species in The Bahamas. Topics included, but were not limited to, conservation of corals, mangroves and native plants, the impact of lionfish on the behaviour of crawfish, turtle habitat use, impacts of pollution on the environment and clues about our pre-historic environment as told by fossils found in Abaco. The presenters did a great job of sharing the information in a way that all could understand, not just scientists. Summaries of each of the talks are available on www.friendsoftheenvironment.org/a-s-a-c.
Thanks to sponsorship from JS Johnson and Royal Bank of Canada’s Marsh Harbour branch, FRIENDS was able to bring 139 students and 9 teachers from four local high schools to the conference at no cost to them. Students participated by asking questions of the presenters and visiting display tables hosted by national environmental organizations Young Marine Explorer’s, Community Conch, and the Bahamas National Trust.
The conference also provided an opportunity to discuss FRIENDS’ approach to integrating science and conservation and future plans for education and outreach. FRIENDS is currently designing a new research center which will help fill gaps in science outreach and high school and tertiary-level education. To learn more, please contact FRIENDS.
FRIENDS would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the conference. Look out for details on ASAC 2016!
Summaries of the talks presented at the conference are available on www.friendsoftheenvironment.org/a-s-a-c.
Friends of the Environment is a non-profit environmental organizations devoted to preserving Abaco’s fragile environment and working towards a more sustainable future. For more information, visit www.friendsoftheenvironment.org, call (242) 367-2721 or email info@friendsoftheenvironment.org.