Abstract

Mangroves serve many important ecological functions. Their roots serve as nurseries for juveniles of many economically and ecologically important fish and invertebrate species. They also protect shorelines, sequester Carbon dioxide (CO¬2) and serve as rookeries for birds. These mangroves are under threat from natural hazards like hurricanes as well as human impacts resulting from fragmentation, encroachment, and dredging for coastal development. Reduction in mangrove area and increases in mangrove fragmentation impair the ecological functions of mangroves. On New Providence Island, the capital of The Bahamas, approximately 37% of the coastal mangrove creeks have been lost since the 1950s. The Bonefish Pond National Park (BPNP) is one of the few remaining intact mangrove systems in New Providence. But even here, development has altered parts of the mangrove system. In 2013, a team of researchers transplanted over 600 red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) to a selected mangrove rehabilitation site as part of a Global Environment Facility (GEF) Full-size Pilot Project. This pilot project focused on the incorporation of mangrove restoration in conservation planning. Restoration activities consisted of improving the hydrological connectivity of the channel to surrounding waters and transplanting mangroves. Red mangroves were then planted using a variety of transplantation methods and densities and varying sources in 10m long plots along the restored channel. The team monitored the transplants over the past decade measuring survivorship and growth metrics (height, new branches, and new prop roots) to determine the most appropriate methodology of mangrove transplantation for the Bahamian environment. Directly planting propagules to the site had the highest percent of survivorship with greater than 50% surviving.