Science and Conservation at the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve

Presented by Ethan H. Fried

Ethan H. Fried

The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve since its inception has worked on the conservation of terrestrial plants in the Bahamian Archipelago. In addition to studying the general natural history (Botany, Geology, Herpetology, Entomology, and Ornithology) of the Preserve, a series of long-term projects have been initiated including Permanent Forest Plots (PFP), the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), and the establishment of a climate-monitoring program. The PFP’s have shown two distinct forest types at the Preserve that show similarity to other studies through the archipelago in one plot and large differences in species composition in another one. The Preserve and the Bahamas National Trust are actively working to implement 12 of the 16 targets from the GSPC at the site by the 2020 goal. The climate monitoring program was started in 2013 and is collecting data on seven weather variables in 5, 15, 60 minute and 24 hour increments. The program also is collecting data inside the Preserves forest for comparative purposes and to work towards an understanding of relationship between weather and forest ecology. All of these programs will continue into the foreseeable future.