We've recently received some sad news about the loss of wilderness on the island of Bimini and in its surrounding oceans. People are building buildings and docks along the North Sound, the big bay on North Bimini. This construction is cutting down Mangrove forests. Mangrove trees are important along shores as their roots keep waves from eroding the shore. The roots also make habitat for baby fishes who need protected places in shallow water. Without these protected nurseries, the fish of the reef will be seriously threatened. Construction along the shore and dredging channels through shallow water stirs up dirt and sand, making a kind of pollution in what would otherwise be clear shallow water. Baby fish can't survive that kind of pollution. That makes the loss of nursery habitat worse. And construction of docks and waterways is destroying reefs near the shore.

Please check out these websites and journals with more information and pictures about the problems with this loss of habitat. This information comes from good sources, including the University of Miami and the Bahamas Journal of Science:
   Overview of Bimini Destruction
   News Articles about Bimini Destruction
   Bahamas Journal of Science Vol. 9, No. 2, Bimini Special Issue

Please talk about this loss of habitat in your classrooms. What does this loss of habitat mean to you? What do you think it means for the future of coral reefs in the Caribbean? What about jobs created for people by the construction? Is that more or less important than the wilderness? Is there any alternative, such as a way to make jobs without destroying all the forest and reef? If you are upset by this, please write to the addresses on the University of Miami website about the Destruction of Bimini to express your concern.