Currently, management of our natural resources separates natural systems from each other. Freshwater flows, coastal wetlands, and shallow flats habitats are all part of an interconnected ecosystem, but they are managed separately. In order for ecosystems to flourish, we must take a holistic, system-wide approach to conservation of the landscape as a whole. That’s why landscape conservation is taking center stage this November as the theme of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s 8th International Science Symposium.
Successful landscape conservation ensures the health of critical habitats, and as we know, healthy habitats = healthy fisheries. As anglers, there is no investment more valuable to us than landscape conservation, but how exactly is it accomplished?
Natural areas threatened by storms, pollution, or development often require intervention to support the future of the ecosystem. Fortunately, conservation tactics can promote clean water and healthy habitats for the species and communities that rely on them. Successful landscape conservation can come in many different forms, but can mainly be divided into two categories: maintaining and restoring. You may find that you are already well-acquainted with both.
Maintaining Intact Ecosystems
Protecting and enhancing existing habitats is a key tool in landscape conservation. Nature is resilient, and sometimes the best way to ensure a healthy ecosystem is to leave it alone. By removing the threat of development – or sometimes asking people to steer clear of a habitat altogether – we give the ecosystem space to repair itself and thrive on its own.
Where you’ve seen this: We know that bonefish populations require intact spawning grounds, which include pre-spawning aggregation (PSA) sites, and that human activities like illegal harvesting and polluting in these areas are a threat to the stability of the species. That’s why BTT and partners have been working since 2010 to identify and protect major PSA sites. This work has helped establish six nationally-protected bonefish conservation zones in The Bahamas and the targeted three-month closure of a PSA site in Biscayne Bay National Park during peak bonefish spawning season. By maintaining the habitat in its natural state and protecting it from potential human disturbance, the ecosystem and bonefish population can continue to benefit.
Restoring Damaged Systems
Sometimes, nature needs a little help from us to thrive; this is where restoration comes in. Landscape restoration uses methods like replanting and reconnecting water flows to actively repair ecosystems that have been previously damaged. Restoring a habitat that has been degraded, or in some cases, lost completely, is a challenging undertaking that requires long-term investment and collaboration, but ultimately yields high reward.
Where you’ve seen this: In 2019, Hurricane Dorian destroyed vast areas of red mangroves in Grand Bahama and Abaco, decimating critical marine habitat and leaving the ecosystem unable to fully recover on its own. To help restore this essential coastal habitat, BTT and partners, students, volunteers, and Bahamian fishing guides have been working over the past five years to replant over 100,000 mangroves. And to ensure impact at scale, BTT helped found the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance (BMA) with local partners, working to plant and protect mangroves nationwide. The BMA has pledged to plant one million mangroves by the end of 2026. The replanting provides a boost to the habitat, giving it the chance to regrow and eventually revert back to its natural state.
You’ve also seen this in Southwest Florida, home to famous fishing grounds for tarpon, such as Boca Grande Pass. BTT is actively working in the region to restore essential juvenile tarpon habitat, which is producing the next generation of the Silver King! Over the last few years, BTT has spearheaded a project in Coral Creek Preserve to develop nursery habitat designs that can be used across the state. Further south, these models will be applied in Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve to restore more than 1,000 acres of degraded mangrove and marshland habitat that were previously damaged by coastal development. The completed project will provide access to vital habitat for juvenile tarpon and many other species.
Collaboration is the Key
If you noticed a pattern here, it’s because at the core of both of these landscape conservation tactics is the most essential piece of the puzzle: collaboration. Without key partnerships among governments, communities, non-profits, and businesses, these efforts would not have the broad support needed for long-term success.
Benefits Beyond Habitat
The benefits of landscape conservation extend beyond just the habitats themselves – large-scale conservation also helps people and the economy.
Healthy habitats provide us with opportunities for outdoor recreation and support fish and wildlife populations. Each time you visit a national or state park or cast to a bonefish on the flats, you are directly benefiting from landscape conservation. Healthy ecosystems also offer benefits in more difficult times, helping to keep us safe during natural disasters by absorbing wave energy to protect shorelines, soaking up and redirecting water to reduce flooding, and stabilizing soil to prevent erosion and landslides.
Landscape conservation also offers immense financial benefit. The conservation of healthy fisheries yields $148 billion to the United States economy annually, and is responsible for almost one million jobs in recreational fishing. Intact coastal wetlands provide storm protection valued at over $23 billion per year in the US alone by helping to reduce the severity of impacts from hurricanes, and just one acre of mangroves can be worth more than $15,000 to local coastal communities. While landscape conservation initiatives can pose high up-front costs, the long-term investment reaps great reward.
BTT’s 8th International Science Symposium
Soon at BTT’s 8th International Science Symposium we will be diving deeper into landscape conservation! Here are some can’t-miss sessions where research meets action for landscape conservation:
- Science-Based Conservation Session: Kicking off the Symposium, scientists from around the world will investigate a variety of science-based conservation topics, from tarpon conservation to shark depredation to mangrove restoration.
- Habitat Conservation & Restoration Panel: This panel will gather scientists, policy leaders, and guides to discuss innovative approaches to habitat conservation and restoration across The Bahamas, Belize, South Florida, and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
- Landscape Conservation Applications Science Session: This session highlights the relationship between fisheries, habitats, and landscape-scale conservation, with applications to improved natural resource management for the benefit of flats and other coastal fisheries.
BTT’s International Science Symposium takes place only every three years, and 2025 is SOLD OUT! Thank you to our attendees, speakers, and sponsors. We look forward to an enjoyable and informative event!