Global Insular Conservation Society
Preserving species and habitat through
education, conservation and research
 

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Please Help Save the Endangered Bimini Island Boa

The destruction of the native mangrove forests and sea grass in the name of development has catastrophic potential for the future of many species of animals; sharks, shell fish, birds, reptiles etc. that rely on these forests (both above and below the water) for their survival and very existence.  A short film documenting the threats to the sawfish, native to the waters off of Bimini does an excellent job of summing up the impacts and threats to this ecosystem - we encourage you to watch it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOptwatDWQ0

Before we can help a species like the Bimini Boa we must first do our best to understand them; know their habitat, range, population numbers, sensitivities, adaptability and susceptibilities.

Only through sound research can we give such a species an effective voice in the face of progress.  One that will speak confidently, eloquently, and accurately to the impacts further development will have on their species survival. Animals are being counted, populations estimated, individuals are weighed, measured and fitted with transponders to better understand their range and territories.

Snakes in general present a unique challenge to researchers in that they do not feed daily like most other animals and reptiles. A snake can go weeks and in some cases months in-between feedings making it very difficult to conduct a census and making radio telemetry studies on those that you do find all that much more important.

In partnering with BBFS, GICS offers extensive expertise in working with snakes and hopes to help further this research and help in the efforts to save this and other species threatened by the ever expanding foot print of man. 

We are asking for donations that will benefit the Bimini Island Boa through conservation related activities that include:

1. Surveying the population to assess their 
    threatened status
2. Comparing sub-adult and adult behaviors
    via radio telemetry
3. Permanently marking individuals with 
    Passive Integrated Transponders (PIT tags)
4. Documenting habitat preferences and
    behaviors
5. Conducting a conservation education
    program for the local community

Your contribution will help support our efforts in raising $12,000 to fund this project. Without donations the Bimini Boa will most likely fall to extinction without so much as a footnote in history. All donations are appreciated.

If you would like to make a donation or more information about the Endangered Bimini Island Boa please contact Edgar Fortune at (206) 293-1766 or edgarfortune@islandecosystems.org.

Bimini Boa
Epicrates striatus fosteri

The Bimini Boa, Epicrates striatus fosteri (Barbour 1941), is endemic to the small islands of Bimini, Bahamas (40 miles East of Miami), and is the largest of the 16 terrestrial species of reptiles on the islands.

The largest islands are North and South Bimini. This species most likely inhabits subtropical dry forests and mangrove forests of North Bimini, South Bimini, East Bimini and Easter Cay.

Once common on all the Islands, populations have evidently declined due to habitat destruction, over collection for the pet trade, and introduction of feral animals such as cats and rats,

Recently, the habitat has been altered due to the major construction of the Bimini Bay resort and Phase II of this resort has destroyed essential habitat for many species.

The Bimini Boa is protected by Bahamian law and is currently listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals

Conservation Spotlight 
The Mangrove Forests

Known as the "Rainforests by the Sea" Mangrove Forests are vital for the health and survival of island ecosystems between 32°N and 38°S around the world. Once covering over 36 million hectares - today less than half that amount remains. 

Flora and Fauna rely heavily on the mangroves for survival; over 75% of tropical commercial fish spend some portion of their life cycle dependant on the forests.  Whether it is their falling leaves providing nutrients or their roots below providing a safe haven for adults and eggs their is an inextricable link between the mangroves and the species which depend on them.  

As the Mangroves disappear ultimately so do the species that rely upon them.

GICS is proud to support and endorse the work being done by MAP - the Mangrove Action Project.  For more information please visit their site as well as refer to the paper written by Alfredo Quarto, MAP Director, describing the Mangrove Forest, the benefits it brings and the dangers that surround it's very existence. 

(c) Art Wolfe / www.artwolfe.com

The largest remaining tract of mangrove forest in the world is found in the Sundarbans (NASA image), on the edge of the Bay of Bengal, stretching from SW Bangladesh to SE India.
(Images and text courtesy of MAP) 

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