The Abaco Science Alliance Conference (ASAC), started by Friends of the Environment (FRIENDS) in 2004, was designed as a biennial forum for sharing research being conducted in The Bahamas and to help bridge the gap between scientists and the community. Thanks to ASAC, data about The Bahamas is now more accessible to everyone, including students.
This year, ASAC, held on January 5-7 at New Vision Ministries in Marsh Harbour, combined a variety of talks and research posters. The conference attracted 187 students from 7 high schools and 2 primary schools, as well as 80 adults. Divided into spoken presentations and posters, 25 presenters covered topics ranging from pre-human ecology of Abaco, bats, and the lionfish invasion, to mosquito fish adaptations in fragmented creek systems. The keynote presentation, given by Catherine Booker of Community Conch, focused on recent Queen Conch research, which suggests a need to reform current management practices for this species.
As more research is being done, the merits of habitat conservation are being proven. For example, research by Lauren Yeager and colleagues at Florida International University suggests that seagrass beds contribute greatly to the growth of coral reefs. Schooling fish, like grunts, spend their days resting over coral heads, but at night venture out into seagrass beds to feed. They then travel back to the reef the next day and release nutrients through excretion as they rest over the coral heads. Studies have shown that coral heads with grunts grow faster than those without grunts. This means that when we look at conserving coral reefs we also need to consider the surrounding habitats, including seagrass beds.
Participants interested in learning even more about local research ventured out on Saturday afternoon for themed field trips on Bats, Dry Caves and Blue Holes; Tidal Creek Systems and Piping Plovers.
Piping plovers are a small, sandy colored shorebird that are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Canadian Species at Risk Act. Recent research indicates that a substantial portion of the Atlantic Coast Piping plover population (estimated to be only about 3600 birds) use the Bahamas as their wintering grounds and spend 6-to-8 months of the year here. Initial surveys suggest plovers prefer to forage at low tide on the same flats that bonefish utilize when they are covered with water. However, more information is needed about plovers location on Abaco, as well as throughout The Bahamas.
We are building an amazing network of scientists doing work in The Bahamas. Often these scientists connect with groups like FRIENDS and The Bahamas National Trust in an effort to reach out to the community and share their findings. A new blog called The Abaco Scientist is helping with this effort. Research presented at the conference will be featured on the blog as well as other ongoing projects throughout The Bahamas.
FRIENDS hopes to encourage more research in Abaco for educational purposes and to stimulate the use of these findings in local environmental management decisions. Thank you to Cable Cares, JS Johnson and New Vision Ministries who sponsored the event. For more information, visit www.friendsoftheenvironment.org or contact FRIENDS at (242) 367-2721.
Article contributed by Friends of the Environment.
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