New fish species discovered in the Caribbean’s “rariphotic” ocean zones
Researchers at the Smithsonian Institute’s Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) and the University of Washington have discovered several new deep reef fish species in the Caribbean: University of Washington scientists are joining the Smithsonian to identify fish in deep reefs that are still a total mystery. Preliminary work suggest that one-third …
Nature Conservancy and partners launch project to create aerial maps of Caribbean coral reefs
The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean will be working with several partners to create the first high-resolution map of the shallow waters of the entire Caribbean basin: Groundbreaking photos of this innovative mission were released this morning, showcasing the revolutionary technology. The goal of this initative, the likes of which …
Bonaire’s Cargill Salt Ponds named as Area of Regional Importance for Shorebirds
BirdsCaribbean media release — BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce that the Cargill Salt Ponds on the island of Bonaire have been named as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of Regional Importance. This is only the second WHSRN site in the Caribbean, following the Cabo Rojo Salt Flats …
Rare boa species rediscovered in The Bahamas
A rare species of boa snake—so rare that there were no previous reports of live specimens—has been “rediscovered” in The Bahamas: UNC Asheville assistant professor of biology Graham Reynolds has followed up his 2016 published discovery of the silver boa, Chilabothrus argentum, with the rediscovery of a species of boid …
Billion-dollar marine ecosystems in the Bahamas
According to a recent study, the value of the ecosystems services provided by marine protected areas in the Bahamas is more than 6 billion dollars: An evaluation of the marine protected areas in The Bahamas puts the economic value of ecosystem services in the billions of dollars and helps to …
Results of the 2018 Caribbean Waterbird Census are a “mixed picture”
The results of the 2018 Caribbean Waterbird Census are in, and the reports from some islands were discouraging, there were also a few bright spots: Every year, intrepid BirdsCaribbean partners and volunteer citizen scientists put on their water boots and go out to count those birds that frequent our rivers, …
Video: The coral gardeners of Petit Saint Vincent
A coral restoration project is underway on the private island of Petit St. Vincent in the Grenadines. The Philip Stephenson Foundation and CLEAR Caribbean have partnered with local staff and communities to work on raising Elkhorn corals, restore reefs, and protect marine life, giving nature a chance to recover and …