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Toll of Unchecked Development on Key Bahamian Habitats
By Keith R | February 24, 2007
Topics: Environmental Protection, Marine/Coastal Issues | No Comments »
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I’d like to recommend reading the March 2007 edition of National Geographic. It contains an interesting and well-done piece on troubles in the previously favorable Bahamian habitats for sharks (a tip of the hat to “My Island Home” blog for alerting me to it). No, I’m no shark fan! Personally, they give me the creeps. But I understand that they do have their place and function in the marine environment. As the article says:
…sharks’ ecological value is inestimable. Not only do they weed out sick and weak fish, leaving the fittest to breed, but as top predators they also keep other carnivores in check, preventing them from depleting the algae-eating fish that keep coral reefs healthy. Studies in the Caribbean have shown that where sharks are keystone species, their depletion could topple ancient food hierarchies and ultimately destroy the reefs.
This article, however, isn’t just about sharks. The author is using a discussion of them, their study and habitat as a lens through which to explain the environmental damage being done by real estate and touristic development apparently not subject to any basic environmental controls, and how ultimately the Bahamas may be losing far more than it realizes:
Gruber has been studying Bimini’s lemon sharks for some 25 years, amassing a detailed database that’s the largest for any shark population anywhere on Earth. His findings on how sharks affect their environment and what they need from it confirm, along with numerous other studies, the life-giving nature of mangroves—which is one reason the biologist is fighting mad about a contentious and outsize resort elbowing its way onto tiny North Bimini Island. Condos, a marina, and a casino are already under way, and plans call for a waterside golf course. Local Bahamians are worried about their shrinking access to fishing grounds as the seafloor is dredged and the land locked up in gated communities. Gruber has his own concern: the mangroves. “They’ll all be wiped out if the developers have their way,” he says. “The North Sound will be the 18th hole. You can have your mai tai there.”
But Gruber admits that Bimini and some of the other smaller islands need better amenities for visitors, whose spending is crucial to the local economy. It’s a difficult balancing act: Development done right, gentle on the environment and drawing tourists in manageable numbers, can help protect sharks and their ecosystem, Gruber says. But too much development or environmentally unsound practices can destroy them.
As recently as 2002, plans were in motion to set aside five marine areas to preserve the economic and ecological lifeblood of the Bahamas, with Bimini rated as the highest priority. But a change in government put off the project, and there’s been no movement toward protection, despite angry prodding and accusations of corruption. Instead, giant resorts such as the one being built on Bimini have grown up on several outer islands. “The government is selling off this environment, cheap,” Gruber says. A staffer at the Bahamas tourism office didn’t exactly disagree. “We are a young country,” said Leonard Stuart, referring to the Bahamas’ 1973 independence from Britain. “We have to learn our own lessons about our environment, and we’ll probably make mistakes.”
The ramifications could be costly. Tourism accounts for nearly half the gross national product of the Bahamas. Diving is a multimillion-dollar industry here, and sharks are an ever increasing draw. By Gruber’s back-of-the-envelope estimate, a single live shark in healthy habitat is worth as much as $200,000 in tourism revenue over its lifetime.
You can read the article at National Geographic’s online version, and check out the wonderful accompanying photo gallery too.
Tags: Bahamas, Bimini, casino, condos, golf course, lemon sharks, marina, My Island Home, National Geographic, real estate, sharks, tourism
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