TY - JOUR
T1 - Coastal impact ranking of small islands for conservation, restoration and tourism development
T2 - A case study of The Bahamas
AU - Sealey, Kathleen Sullivan
AU - McDonough, Vanessa Nero
AU - Lunz, Kathleen Semon
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for the Coastal Ecology of The Bahamas project came from the Earthwatch Institute (2002–2011) ; Discovery Land Company (2005–2008) , and the University of Miami, College of Arts and Science . The work would not have been possible without the enthusiasm of 572 Earthwatch volunteers over the 10-year project. We are grateful for the plant identification training from Mr Keith Bradley, Institute of Regional Conservation, and Dr Ethan Freid, Bahamas National Trust. The Department of Marine Resources, Government of The Bahamas provided research permits. Field and laboratory assistance from Lester Flowers, Emily Wright, Blaise Carpenter, Elton Joseph, Nicholas Bernal, Alexio Brown, Ashleigh Braynen, Janeae Wallace and Jacob Patus is gratefully acknowledged. Local assistance from the Exuma Foundation, the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), Bahamas Environmental Research Center (BERC), College of The Bahamas Marine and Environmental Study Institute, Mount Pleasant Apartments, Exuma and Fernandez Bay Resort, Cat Island is also recognized.
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - An 11-year project to characterize, then assess, the health of coastal environments of The Bahamas ranked a total of 238 sites on ten different islands. Satellite images and aerial photography were used to characterize coastal types (e.g. substrate, geomorphology and wave energy to describe beaches, mangroves, or rocky shores), and then field assessments ranked four types of anthropogenic impacts that influence ecosystem function and coastal system services. The ranking of coastal health was based on physical alterations, destructive use of the coastal zone, coastal development and occurrence of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). The characterization and assessment methods were developed to serve as a rapid survey of coastal stability, biological diversity and quality of wildlife habitats. A system of coastal ranking is presented using numerical scores for four impact criteria along with terrestrial plant surveys to examine the intactness of the coastal environment. Some locations (Exuma and Great Guana Cay) were repeatedly monitored over time. Scores ranged from "0" for no human impacts or invasive coastal plants to "20" for highly altered with dredging, coastal development and loss of native vegetation. The mean impact rank for all sites across all islands was 5.7±4.3, which indicates "Medium" ranks for at least two of the four human impact criteria. Only one uninhabited island (Cay Sal) had all coastal impacts scores of "None". Over 77% of all the sites surveyed had abundant occurrences of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) coastal plants. The Australian Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) was the more pervasive and the most wide-spread IAS in the coastal environment, and its abundance increased in all sites that were re-surveyed over time. Degradation of coastal function can signal greater risks to coastal property, flooding events or loss of wildlife populations. The coastal impact ranking protocol presented here helps identify target areas for conservation as well as identify areas with the greatest feasibility for coastal restoration.
AB - An 11-year project to characterize, then assess, the health of coastal environments of The Bahamas ranked a total of 238 sites on ten different islands. Satellite images and aerial photography were used to characterize coastal types (e.g. substrate, geomorphology and wave energy to describe beaches, mangroves, or rocky shores), and then field assessments ranked four types of anthropogenic impacts that influence ecosystem function and coastal system services. The ranking of coastal health was based on physical alterations, destructive use of the coastal zone, coastal development and occurrence of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). The characterization and assessment methods were developed to serve as a rapid survey of coastal stability, biological diversity and quality of wildlife habitats. A system of coastal ranking is presented using numerical scores for four impact criteria along with terrestrial plant surveys to examine the intactness of the coastal environment. Some locations (Exuma and Great Guana Cay) were repeatedly monitored over time. Scores ranged from "0" for no human impacts or invasive coastal plants to "20" for highly altered with dredging, coastal development and loss of native vegetation. The mean impact rank for all sites across all islands was 5.7±4.3, which indicates "Medium" ranks for at least two of the four human impact criteria. Only one uninhabited island (Cay Sal) had all coastal impacts scores of "None". Over 77% of all the sites surveyed had abundant occurrences of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) coastal plants. The Australian Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia) was the more pervasive and the most wide-spread IAS in the coastal environment, and its abundance increased in all sites that were re-surveyed over time. Degradation of coastal function can signal greater risks to coastal property, flooding events or loss of wildlife populations. The coastal impact ranking protocol presented here helps identify target areas for conservation as well as identify areas with the greatest feasibility for coastal restoration.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84897623480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84897623480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.01.010
DO - 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2014.01.010
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84897623480
VL - 91
SP - 88
EP - 101
JO - Ocean and Coastal Management
JF - Ocean and Coastal Management
SN - 0964-5691
ER -