GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS — Saturday, January 29, 2022, dawned bitterly cold and windy — one of the coldest days on record in the northern Bahamas. But chilly temps did not deter Justin Lewis, Bahamas initiative manager of Bonefish Tarpon & Trust (BTT), a Florida and Bahamas-based conservation organization, and nearly 40 volunteers on a mission, from joining a mangrove-planting event led by BTT in East End, Grand Bahama.
The planting marked World Wetlands Day, officially celebrated on February 2 to raise global awareness about the vital role wetlands play for people and the planet.
Lewis and members from MANG GEAR; the Bahamas National Trust; Kiwanis Club; the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation; and the Department of Marine Resources and Forestry Unit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, with friends of the environment and local bonefish guides, along with students from Bishop Michael Eldon School and Lucaya International School, braved the cold to be ferried by boat from East End Lodge, which hosted the event, and transported across the flats to wetlands in the Rocky Creek area that were heavily damaged by Hurricane Dorian two years ago.
The area where the replanting took place was especially critical, according to Lewis, after a comprehensive survey showed that Hurricane Dorian in 2019 destroyed 74 percent of the mangroves that once protected Grand Bahama shores and may have saved lives by doing so during the powerful Category 5 storm.
Students and representatives worked in tandem to plant 2,434 mangrove seedlings, bringing the total number of seedlings planted to date to 18,783. Their volunteer work is part of a BTT Northern Bahamas Mangrove Restoration Project started in December 2020, with the goal of planting 100,000 mangroves within a five-year period.
Lewis said: “Mangroves are not only nurseries for many species, they also act as buffers against a storm or rising waters, help to stave off coastal erosion and can save human lives by being a barrier that absorbs and lessens the impact of oncoming wind and waves.”
He added: “Partnership is key. It was a windy 57 degrees on the water, and I was really pleased to see so many representatives from various organizations within the community out working together, especially the students.
“The mangroves in the Rocky Creek area are completely dead and will not be restored without replanting efforts.”
Students were able to see the devastation first-hand and learn the vital role that mangrove forests play in coastal ecosystems and why communities must work hard to conserve them.
BTT is planning another planting event at the end of February in Abaco, where about 40 percent of the shoreline mangroves were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian.
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